At some point, many of us hear the same phrase after an X-ray or MRI: “You have degenerative changes.” It sounds ominous, and when you hear it - especially in connection with your spine - it can feel unsettling.
I heard those words recently myself.
After several weeks of discomfort in my neck and upper shoulder on the right side, and pain that began to radiate down toward my elbow, I tried to do what many of us do. I pushed through, used heat, reached for Biofreeze, adjusted my sleep position, and told myself it would pass. When it didn’t, I finally went to the doctor.