Cervical Herniated Disc

What is Cervical Herniated Disc?

Cervical Herniated Disc Facts

* Cervical discs are smaller and thinner than discs in the rest of the spine.

* Cervical discs dry out fast, due to smaller mass and less ability to retain moisture.

* Cervical discs are typically injured from whiplash type events.

* Cervical discs can sometimes compress spinal nerve roots causing a pinched nerve.

* Most cervical disc degeneration is universal and expected.

* Cervical disc conditions are the most common scapegoats used to explain neck, shoulder and arm pain syndromes.

Cervical Herniated Disc Advice

Regardless of the location of a herniated disc, it is important to remember that disc conditions rarely cause lasting pain. While some traumatic disc injuries might create short term acute pain in the neck, shoulders and arms, these symptoms will typically go away all by themselves within 6 to 8 weeks. Chronic neck pain which is blamed on a herniated or degenerated disc is commonly misdiagnosed and might actually be due to some other source, such as ischemia.

The best recommendation for chronic neck pain is to try knowledge therapy first, since there is no significant cost and no risk. If this treatment does not resolve your pain, consider a targeted physical treatment, such as spinal decompression. Long term symptomatic therapy is not advised, nor is continuing treatment with drugs. Most importantly, try to avoid surgery at all costs, since most procedures can do more damage than good. Always save even the least invasive surgical interventions as a final option.