Post by Lαrα on Jan 20, 2014 2:16:45 GMT -8
Most herniated discs are caused by disc degeneration although some can also be caused by injury. When a disc herniates the inner core of the disc which can be likened to a hard gel matter, leaks through. This hard gel then puts direct pressure onto the cervical nerve.
The compressed or pinched nerve can cause pain to radiate down the arm and tingling/numbness that spreads down to the fingers.
The cervical part of the spine refers to the upper back and neck area: C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7
Symptoms of cervical herniated disc:
C4 - C5 (C5 nerve root) - Can cause weakness in the deltoid muscle in the upper arm. Does not usually cause numbness or tingling. Can cause shoulder pain.
C5 - C6 (C6 nerve root) - Can cause weakness in the biceps (muscles in the front of the upper arms) and wrist extensor muscles. Numbness and tingling along with pain can radiate to the thumb side of the hand. This is one of the most common levels for a cervical disc herniation to occur.
C6 - C7 (C7 nerve root) - Can cause weakness in the triceps (muscles in the back of the upper arm and extending to the forearm) and the finger extensor muscles. Numbness and tingling along with pain can radiate down the triceps and into the middle finger. This is also one of the most common levels for a cervical disc herniation (see Figure 1).
C7 - T1 (C8 nerve root) - Can cause weakness with handgrip. Numbness and tingling and pain can radiate down the arm to the little finger side of hand.
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