I’D APPRECIATE ANY AND ALL ADVICE AND INTERPRETATION OF MY MRI RESULTS, AS THE DOCTOR WHO SCHEDULED THEM, WON’T TALK ME UNTIL A MONTH FROM NOW.

I saw my spine doctor again on Thursday of last week (my first appointment with him having been in September) and told him I was still having a lot of neck trouble, and he prescribed me Flexeril and told me to schedule another MRI, which I did immediately for the very next day, and scheduled a followup with him for early this week to discuss the results with him.

After I left his office, his secretary called and said the doctor didn’t want to see me for a month, to see how the flexeril worked and won’t return my calls.
I’ve obtained a copy of my MRI from Friday and reading it am alarmed, and LOOKING FOR ANY ADVICE OR OPINIONS.

I’m a 40 year old male

I’m special agent for a federal alphabet soup agency, spend lots of time at the PC as well as wearing a bulletproof vest, and doing warrant services in the field, sitting in the car for hours on surveillance..

I’ve always been Mr Fitness. Since age 15, I’ve been constantly out running or working out in the gym religiously.

I’ve never had any traumatic injury to my neck, have never been in a car accident etc..

Starting in 2003, I would have a lock-up or crick in my neck once or twice a year, that a chiropractor could fix in a visit or two, usually resulting from sleeping wrong , but twice I remember from doing over- head tricep extension with cables.
In late 2009, I had an episode of chronic trapezius tightness for a month or more, that resolves itself with chiro and massage.

In mid 2011, I began to get neck fatigue, light burning sensation etc. where my head felt so heavy, I felt like I needed to prop it up with my hands, and I can’t seem to get comfortable anywhere, even sitting on the couch is unconfortable and makes my neck ache.

A month ago, I was washing my hair in the shower and my neck locked-up again and the chiro visits began again. I feel better after the chiro for the day, and feel great after an hour long massage session, for the rest of the day, but then back to the stiffness and fatigue the next day. While this was at it’s worst, I had moderate pain right at the bump on the back of my neck, but this has gone away.
Last week I had a chiro visit in the morning and then massage in the afternoon, and after the massage, my right arm felt funny/numb and that persisted till I went to bed.

My symptoms are chronically tight traps and stiff neck now. The doctor does have me on Flexeril for the last 4 days, and I do feel better, feel good when I roll out of bed, but the neck starts getting stiff as soon as I get to moving around. A hot shower helps loosen it up, but over the course of the day, it will get stiff again.
I believe working on the computer through the course of the day aggravates it.
Here’s what I have done:

-Changed my chair at the office, got a big monitor and positioned myself at eye level with the center of the screen, a keyboard tray so my arms rest on the chair’s armrest when typing
-Orthopaedic pillow, combined with a towel roll per docs directions
-New high-quality bed
-Icing with a coldpack for 20 mins 2x a night
-Going back to the gym after steering clear for 2 months, doing very light range of motion exercises and elliptical machine for cardio

I HAD AN MRI IN SEPTEMBER WITH THE FOLLOWING RESULTS:

C2-3 Normal
C3-4 Very minimal disc bulge without neural encroachment
C4-5 Minimal disc bulge without neural encroachment. Minimal right neural foraminal narrowing
C5-6 Minimal disk bulge without neural encroachement. Minimal right neural foraminal narrowing
C6-7 There is minimal disc bulge. There may be a tiny middling annular tear without neural encroachment
C7 Normal

FRIDAY I HAD ANOTHER MRI AND THE RESULTS LOOK DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT AND WORSE!

C2-C3 No significant disc bulge or protrusion visualized, No evidence of neural encroachment
C3-C4 Minimal disc dessication and disc bulge without significant neural encroachment
C4-C5 Disc mildly dessicated with loss of disc heights. There is a small, broad based right paracentral disc protrusion that does efface the thecal sac anteriorly and partially extends into the right neural foramina, resulting in moderate right foraminal narrowing. This is more conspicuous when compared to previous exam.
C5-C6 The disc is moderately dessicated with loss of disc height. There is a broad-based right paracentral disc protrusion that effaces the thecal sac anteriorly. There is mild central canal stenosis with AP dimension of the thecal sac measuring 9mm. The disc protrusion may have a small overlying osteophyte and does result in moderate narrowing of the right neural foramina. This is more conspicuous with compared the previous exa,m.
C6-C7 The disc is mildly dessicated. There is a broad based left paracentral disc protrusion with small annular tear that does efface the thecal sac anteriorly. No central canal stenosis is present. There is very mild narrowing of the left neural foramina.

Reading on the net, some of the results on this MRI scare me!

Stenosis, osteophyte etc..?Everything looked ok 4 months ago!

How could my neck have gotten so much worse in 4 months?

Can I turn any of this degeneration around and lead an active, healthy life, or am I doomed to be a cripple by retirement age or earlier?

Do others with similar conditions have a turn for the better?

Lastly, should I continue to see a chiropractor or massage therapist? I'm worried about a chiro causing more problems..