Neck Hernia:
Is Your Pain Only in Your Neck?
Spending the whole day staring at a computer screen, constantly bending our heads over smartphones... These habits brought about by modern life put serious strain on our necks, the most mobile and delicate part of our spine. The neck pain we often dismiss as “the air conditioner hit me” or “I slept wrong” may actually be a sign of nerve compression extending all the way to your arms and fingertips, i.e., cervical disc herniation.
What is a Neck Hernia (Cervical Disc Herniation)?
Between our cervical vertebrae are discs that absorb shocks and allow the neck to move freely. Cervical disc herniation occurs when these discs wear down over time (degeneration) or become displaced due to sudden trauma and protrude into the spinal canal.
When this protruding disc material presses on the nerve roots going to the arms or directly on the spinal cord, the picture changes; the problem is no longer just neck pain, but becomes a neurological disorder.
Symptoms of a Herniated Disc: “My Arm is Numb”
Our patients usually come in saying, “My neck hurts,” but upon detailed questioning, it turns out that the real problem is in their arms. Neck herniation typically presents with symptoms in the arms rather than the neck:
Arm Pain: Pain starting from the shoulder and extending down the arm, sometimes described as feeling like an electric shock.
Numbness and Tingling: Loss of sensation or tingling sensation in the fingertips.
Loss of Strength: Dropping a cup from your hand, struggling to hold a pen, or having difficulty raising your arm.
Back Pain: Pain spreading between the shoulder blades or to the front of the chest.
Attention: If only your neck hurts, it may be mechanical pain. However, if the pain radiates down your arm and you experience numbness in your fingers, there is a high possibility of nerve root compression (herniated disc).
Diagnosis Process
Following a detailed neurological examination, Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging is essential to confirm the diagnosis. With MR, we can clearly see the level of the herniation (such as C5-C6, C6-C7), the degree of pressure on the nerve, and the structure of the disc.
Cervical Herniated Disc Treatment: Which Approach Should Be Taken?
Cervical disc herniation tanısı konulan hastaların büyük bir kısmı (%90’dan fazlası) ameliyatsız yöntemlerle iyileşebilir.
1. Non-Surgical Treatments
Our priority is always a conservative approach:
Resting the neck with medication and short-term use of a neck brace.
Physical therapy and manual therapy applications.
Special exercises to strengthen the neck muscles and posture adjustments.
2. Surgical Treatment (Microsurgery)
If the patient experiences loss of dexterity in the hands (such as inability to button a shirt), severe weakness in the arms, or persistent severe pain despite treatment, surgical intervention is required.
In cervical disc herniation surgeries, the microsurgical method (Anterior Cervical Microdiscectomy) is used. Access is gained through a very small incision made in the front of the neck, over the natural skin folds. Under a microscope, the herniated disc compressing the nerve is removed. Special cages or movable prostheses that maintain the height of the spine are placed in the empty disc space.
This method minimizes the risk of spinal cord injury.
The patient gets up a few hours after surgery and is discharged the next day.
The scar is almost invisible cosmetically because it remains in the neck crease.
Your hands and arms are your most important connection to life. Cervical disc herniation can lead to permanent nerve damage and loss of strength if left untreated. Rather than waiting for it to “go away,” taking symptoms such as numbness and loss of strength seriously and consulting a spine surgeon is the safest way to protect your health.
