Herniated Cervical Disc

A herniated cervical disc is a common result of a neck injury or a degenerative spinal process. Intervertebral discs break down, lose height and occasionally rupture as a normal part of their lifespan. While sudden disc injuries can be painful, they are rarely to blame for ongoing chronic back pain conditions. In fact, research has shown that most disc herniations will heal and stabilize on their own, without any medical treatment. Herniated discs are the most common of all back pain scapegoat conditions.

What is a Herniated Cervical Disc?

The cervical spine is also called the neck region. It is responsible for supporting and facilitating movement for the head. The head is a heavy weight and can apply tremendous force on the cervical spinal structures in certain situations. Whiplash is a perfect example of how the weight of the head combined with sudden acceleration can produce devastating effects in the neck.

Herniated discs in the neck occur when the outer wall of one or more of the cervical intervertebral discs is compromised. The outer wall helps to maintain disc shape and integrity. Once it is herniated or ruptured, the nucleus of the disc will bulge outward or even leak from the disc structure. This disc material is often blamed for causing pinched nerves, but that occurrence is actually quite rare.

Causes of a Herniated Cervical Disc

Any traumatic injury to the neck region can cause significant disc damage. The vertebral structures in the neck are lighter and thinner than in the rest of the spine. It does not take tremendous force to inflict a nasty injury to the cervical region. Herniated discs can also occur due to completely normal and virtually universal processes such as degenerative disc disease. It is expected that discs will lose height and dry out as we age. Both of these processes can cause a weakening of the outer disc wall, possibly resulting in a herniation.

Cervical Herniated Disc Advice

The very diagnosis of a problem in one of the cervical discs is often enough to cause symptom escalation in many patients. We have all heard horror stories about disc pain and the devastating effects it has on the lives of hapless victims. Unfortunately, most people do not know the complete picture when it comes to herniated disc pain. Most disc herniations are completely asymptomatic and will not cause pain now or ever. A large percentage of the general population has herniated discs but does not even know it. The reason why so many apparent disc injuries have a bad reputation for becoming treatment resistant has little to do with the severity of the actual injury, but instead has far more to do with the common misdiagnosis of the actual reason for the pain. If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc in your neck, learn the complete story of disc injuries yourself before agreeing to any long term or drastic back pain treatment modalities.

Herniated Cervical Disc to Back Pain and Sciatica Home page 3/5/08