![]() |
||||||
However, most structural conditions in the spine or shoulder respond well to indicated medical care and should resolve in a matter of weeks. For incessant pain which defies all attempts at treatment, there may be a completely different reason for the symptoms. Patients must be aware of the alternate possibilities to avoid becoming slaves to lasting symptomatic therapy or victims of unnecessary spinal operations. This treatise will examine shoulder pain as it may or may not be related to disc pathologies in the neck. The article will also propose other possible sources of these same symptoms when disc issues seem likely to be innocent of blame, being that no definitive nerve interaction is taking place. Shoulder Pain from a Herniated Disc Causes
A herniated disc
can create the ideal circumstances for direct or sympathetic pain to exist in the upper torso, shoulder, arm, hand or fingers.
Pinched nerve
conditions can exist due to
foraminal stenosis
enacted by a herniated disc or other spinal source. In fact, this type of nerve compression holds the distinction as being the most common suspected cause of spinally-motivated unilateral shoulder pain.Thoracic outlet syndrome can also create identical pain and neurological symptoms due to muscular impingement or anatomically induced ischemia of the brachial plexus. Mindbody variants of regional ischemia can also affect the area, enacting severe pain in large areas of the upper body, and might be linked to a psychosomatic causation. Shoulder pain may also come about due to a defect in the actual joint, such as a torn rotator cuff, damaged ligament or tendonitis condition. These factors may also be exacerbated by a physical problem, such as a bulging disc in the spine. Ischemic Shoulder Pain from a Herniated DiscOxygen deprivation is one of many typical sources of chronic shoulder pain which is accompanied by discomfort, tingling, numbness or weakness in large areas of the arm, hand or fingers. These symptoms are too widespread and diverse to come from a single disc protrusion, although a coincidental disc abnormality might be present.Remember, these areas are served by as many as 7 different nerve roots, so a single level bugling disc could never possibly cause pain in all these locations though foraminal stenosis. In these cases, the herniation is usually implicated as the cause of the pain, even though the clinical impression of the symptoms does not correspond correctly to the diagnosis. This is a classic example of a herniated disc scapegoat condition. Ischemia is usually the actual villain here, creating lasting pain and suffering, while treatments are being provided for the damaged disc. It is no surprise that these therapies are generally completely ineffectual. Central spinal stenosis can also elicit similar symptom profiles in some patients, but such diversified expressions in the upper body are the gross exceptions to the rule of cervical canal narrowing. Shoulder Pain from a Herniated Disc AdviceShoulder pain and accompanying arm pain can be very uncomfortable and disabling, especially for active people. Luckily, the majority or anatomical issues creating upper back, neck and shoulder pain will respond well to appropriate treatments.If your pain does not heal in the expected time frame, or gets worse, there is always a good chance that the diagnosis is incorrect. This is why it is so important for every patient to understand all the possible explanations for their diagnosed
herniated disc symptoms.
Shoulder Pain from a Herniated Disc to Herniated Disc 10/19/10 Revised 3/7/12 |
Mission Statement Editorial Board Legal Privacy Policy Site Funding Disclosure Source Material This website is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Any medical condition should be referred to a qualified medical professional. This website is designed to complement, but never replace, the relationship between doctor and patient. |
|||||