Cervical disc herniation can lead to numbness, weakness, and pain in your arms, hands, and fingers.
Typically, herniated discs occur when you’re between 30 and 50 years of age. Sometimes, herniated discs originate from some sort of trauma or injury to the cervical spine. Arm pain from a cervical herniated disc is one of the more common cervical spine conditions treated by spine specialists. This type of arm pain occurs when the herniated disc material will pinch or press on a cervical nerve. This causes pain to radiate along the nerve pathway down the arm.
Typical symptoms of cervical disc herniation include pain, numbness, and tingling down the arm and into the fingertips. Some patients might also notice muscle weakness.
Some levels in your cervical spine are more prone to herniation than others. The most common issues occur in the C5 / C6 level (cervical 5 and cervical 6), the C6 / C7 level, and the C4 / C5 level (in that order). In rare cases, herniations can occur in the C7 – T1 level.
Symptoms of Cervical Disc Herniation:
C4 – C5 (C5 Nerve Root): Weakness in the deltoid muscle in the upper arm. Does not typically lead to numbness or tingling. Can cause shoulder pain.
C5 – C6 (C6 Nerve Root): Weakness in the biceps and wrist extensor muscles. Numbness, tingling, and pain can radiate to the thumb side of your hands.
C6 – C7 (C7 Nerve Root): Weakness in the triceps and the finger extensor muscles. Numbness, tingling, and pain can radiate down the triceps and into the middle finger.
C7 – T1 (C8 Nerve Root): Weak hand grip strength. Numbness, tingling, and pain can radiate down the arm to the little finger side of your hand.
The symptoms listed above are the typical symptoms of cervical disc herniation. However, symptoms can vary widely between patients. Some people are inevitably built differently than others, and that can lead to different symptoms between patients.
Even a small disc herniation can impinge on the nerve and lead to significant pain, numbness, and weakness down your arms. The pain is most severe when the nerve first becomes pinched.
Typically, pain from a herniated disc can be controlled with non-surgical treatments. If you notice the pain starting to go away after treatment, then it’s unlikely to return. However, it can take longer for numbness and weakness to disappear.
Our Approach
Dr. Jason Jumper at Renew Chiropractic in Lakewood uses Chiropractic BioPhysics techniques, Pettibon adjustments, and 3-dimensional mirror image exercises that trigger nerve receptors to signal muscles to pull the spine into alignment to alleviate neck pain symptoms. This allows us to take pressure off the nerves in the neck, leading to better health outcomes for patients.
Relieve your cervical disc herniation symptoms in Lakewood, CO with help from Renew Chiropractic. We’re an award-winning chiropractor that’s been serving Lakewood since 1997. Book your free consultation today for herniated disc treatment in Lakewood, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Littleton, and Denver, CO. Call to setup your free consultation