I was recently diagnosed with cervical disk disease. After the cortizone shots I experienced terrible pain in my shoulder and arm first which i attributed to a torn rotator cuff that I already had but the pain went down my arm this time which it never has before, then i had pain in my buttocks from my sciatica so bad I could hardly walk it was a stabbing pain this time not like ive ever had before. Someone told me my neck could be causing all of that is this true? The neck, arm and back all connected?
Hi, Cervical degenerative disc disease can cause pain spreading down to your shoulder and upper limb. So it may be related with those symptoms, but it should be confirmed by clinical neurological exam (testing for sensory changes, altered reflexes) and if in doubt by imaging and nerve conduction studies. As for sciatica it is not caused by the neck issues, not directly at least. However, degenerative spine disease usually affects the whole spine, not only the neck in isolation. So it wouldn't be surprising for there to be at the same time degenerative changes in the lumbar spine as well, which in turn can cause nerve compression and sciatica. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.