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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can Respiratory Difficulty Be Caused By Phrenic Nerve Impingement And Cervical Damage?

MRI reveals Severe degeneration at C3/4 & C5/6, together with significant T9/10 damage: hospitalised for 2 weeks iro pain management etc., However, I continue to experience some respiratory difficulty (it feels as though I cannot raise my diaphragm sufficiently on inspiration?). Pulmonary function results are not significant, although some limitations noted. Am wondering if this is likely due to some impingement on Phrenic Nerve as a consequence of cervical damage?
posted on Wed, 20 Aug 2014
Twitter Fri, 17 Jul 2015 Answered on
Twitter Fri, 17 Jul 2015 Last reviewed on
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Neurologist, Surgical,  's  Response
Degenerative changes at C3, C4, C5 can produce phrenic neve damage and you may develop breathing difficulty. This produces reduced diaphragm movement also. If there is some ongoing compression, you may require cervical spine decompression and fixation.
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Can Respiratory Difficulty Be Caused By Phrenic Nerve Impingement And Cervical Damage?

Degenerative changes at C3, C4, C5 can produce phrenic neve damage and you may develop breathing difficulty. This produces reduced diaphragm movement also. If there is some ongoing compression, you may require cervical spine decompression and fixation.