Signs & Symptoms of a Herniated Disc in the Neck

Sometimes, "a pain in the neck" is more than just an expression. A person experiencing a herniated disk in the neck can display symptoms that range from a burning sensation in the arm all the way to a complete loss of coordination.

Identification

• A herniated disk is the bulging of disk material found between the segments of the spinal skeleton, and a herniated disk in the neck is known as a cervical disk herniation. This can put pressure on a nerve root, which is referred to as cervical radiculopathy, or it can press directly on the spinal column, which is referred to as cervical myelopathy. Both conditions are extremely painful, but cervical myelopathy is considered more serious because the contact is directly with the spinal cord.

Effects

• An initial symptom of a cervical disk herniation is pain that runs from the base of the neck and down the arm. The location of the pain in the arm is determined by which disk in the neck is damaged. There is also the feeling of sharp pains in the fingers, and the arm can also become weak. It has been found by many patients that if they turn their head away from the side that is displaying the symptoms, the pain will be less. However, looking straight up or extending the neck can severely increase the pain.

Types

• Each segment of the spinal skeleton has a designation that is normally a letter and then a number. For the neck, the letter "C" stands for cervical spinal bones, and the letter "T" stands for thoracic spinal bones. The counting indicates a location farther down the spine toward the tailbone. The most common occurrence for a cervical herniated disk is at the C5-C6 and C6-C7 portions of the spine. If a person has a cervical herniated disk at the C5-C6 portion of the spine, then he will experience pain and numbness in the forearm and the top portion of the arm. He will also experience numbness in the wrist, and a tingling pain will run along the top of the thumb. A person experiencing a C6-C7 cervical herniated disk will feel a numbness in the back of the upper arm, which will extend to the forearm. There will also be a tingling pain sensation that goes down the middle finger.

Considerations

• Many doctors work from a standard set of symptoms to locate exactly where the pain may be radiating from in the neck. However, people experience a cervical herniated disk in different ways, and a standard set of symptoms simply does not apply to everyone. In most cases, detailed scans and tests need to be done to determine the exact origin of the condition.

Significance

• Cervical myelopathy, the cervical herniated disk pressing directly on the spinal column, has a distinctly different set of symptoms than a disk that is pressing on a nerve root. A person experiencing cervical myelopathy can develop a lack of coordination in the upper or lower extremities and a difficulty walking, and they can also develop bowel and bladder problems.