Herniated Disc Surgery – When You Need It

By Peter Johnson

As is the case of the lumbar spine, cervical spine also has spinal discs that get ruptured or herniated.  This condition likewise causes numbness, pain, tingling feelings, and compression on the spinal cord.  For cervical herniated disc, common symptoms include a neck pain with a radiating pain towards an arm.  Thus, this is called radiculopathy.

Reports show that cervical herniated disc patients are more active and younger compared to cervical stenosis patients. This is a wakeup call for those who think age is a barrier for herniated discs.  Disc herniation can be clearly connected to particular incidents like neck positioning and jerking movements.  Today, both non-operative and operative methods are practiced.  Both of these prove to be efficient in alleviating the symptoms, however it is always advisable to seek out a rehabilitation rather than opting for herniated disc surgery.

Arm pain is the most typical symptom of a cervical spine predicament.  C5-6 level or cervical 5 and 6 level is the most common level of cervical disc to rupture.  As the cervical disc gets herniated, this will press on the cervical nerve.  That is why, pain travels through the arm via the nerve pathway. 

C5-6 herniated disc is more common, followed by a herniated disc along C6-C7, and then C4-C5 level, and very rarely is the C7-T1 level.  Like any disc-related health conditions, cervical herniated disc causes pain patterns and possible neurological deficits.

A herniated disc C5-6 causes weakness on the triceps.  The triceps are those muscles found on the upper arm, and extends right through the forearm.  A tingling feeling and numbness can be plausibly felt with the pain and generally travels from the triceps to the middle finger.

But because there are not that many vertebral bodies along the cervical spine, discs are not that large.  The same can be said for the nerve spaces, and since this is so, the slightest C5-6 herniated disc can infringe the nerves and triggers pain.  It is usually along the arm wherein the pain is severe as the nerve gets pinched, which can occur from the slightest movement.

It is quite often the case that taking some medications, and other non-invasive treatments can relieve pain associated to C5-6 herniated disc.  As soon as the pain improves, it rarely re-occurs despite the fact that other symptoms such as numbness and weakness may take some time to improve- this is not a reason to panic.  Conservative treatments may be continued as the arm pain is relieved.  Any treatments for C5-6 herniated disc are generally designed to aid in giving allays to pain, numbness, weakness and other annoying symptoms of the condition.  If arm and neck pains are tolerable or get efficient results from the non-surgical method of treatment, surgery or other higher forms of treatment may not be necessary, and most certainly a preferable option.

Degenerative spine disorders prove to be among the significant causes of neck pain as complained rampantly by many in today’s generation.  More understanding of the subject matter continues to be of significance and of great importance.  It helps one to deal with the symptoms, and with treatment modalities such as therapy, surgery, medications, braces, and selective injections.  It makes it easier to cope with any related condition like that of a C5-6 herniated disc if one is well informed and clearly understands the possible treatment complications, natural progress of the disorder, the risks and the benefits. A C5-6 herniated disc then becomes an easily managed and treated condition.