Herniated Disc in the Neck

A herniated disc in the neck is the second most likely location to experience this common spinal abnormality. The neck is an anatomical area which experiences considerable stress, both due to its wide range of movement, as well as the considerable weight of the head. Herniated discs are intervertebral spinal tissues which bulge or rupture due to injury or degenerative back pain processes. Although disc herniation is common in the cervical spine, it is rarely the source of ongoing painful symptoms. Complete details of additional cervical conditions can be found in my neck pain section.

Herniated Disc in the Neck Diagnosis

Many people have cervical disc conditions. Herniated discs are very common in the general population and rarely cause long term pain, although they might be painful when first injured. Most patients who are diagnosed with a cervical disc problem are immediately affected by the nocebo effect of the diagnostic procedure and often experience a considerable worsening of symptoms after the confirmation of a herniated disc. Doctors who scare a patient into thinking they have been permanently damaged by this diagnosis make this nocebo effect exponentially worse. This is the reason why it is crucial for a patient to learn the facts about disc injuries for themselves�

Herniated Disc in the Neck Treatment

Although there are literally hundreds of traditional medical and alternative complementary therapies for disc conditions, the overwhelming majority are considered to be symptomatic treatments. This means that the therapy may improve the symptoms of the condition, but does nothing to cure the problem or eliminate the underlying causation. The only true cures for actual disc pain are surgery and spinal decompression. Of course, surgery should be avoided unless there is no other option, since it has inherent risks and extremely poor statistics for permanently resolving disc pain.

Herniated Disc in the Neck Conundrum

If disc herniations rarely cause long term pain, why do they have such a bad reputation for creating vast armies of walking wounded who blame their suffering on intervertebral disc conditions? This question can be answered with one simple phrase� psychosomatic back pain.

Most patients with chronic pain from a a herniated disc are actually suffering from symptoms caused by the mind, but blamed on the poor innocent disc. Far too many individuals have herniated and ruptured discs but experience no pain at all. Most of these people do not even know that they have anything wrong with the discs in their spine. Herniated discs are usually coincidental to any pain and unfortunately bear the brunt of the blame when the pain is actually being caused by the subconscious mind. It is no surprise that psychological back pain is the most common of all symptomatic spinal conditions.

Recommendation on a Herniated Disc in the Neck

If you have been diagnosed with a herniated cervical disc, do not fear. There is a good chance that your disc injury might heal all by itself. If you continue to have pain, consider trying an alternative approach, such as knowledge therapy, before even thinking about any drastic or expensive medical treatment option. If all else fails, I highly recommend spinal decompression for actual disc related pain. The results are good and the risks are far less than a surgical approach. If you need help with your disc conditions, feel free to write to me for advice.

Herniated Disc in the Neck to Back Pain Home page 10/8/07 Revised 11/7/07