Intervertebral disks act as cushions between the bones of the spine. When excessive forces are placed on a disk, it can become dislodged or herniated. Herniated disks often affect the surrounding nerves and may cause multiple neurological symptoms. Recognizing cervical herniated disk symptoms early can increase your chances of successful conservative treatment.
Tingling and Numbness
When a cervical disk is herniated, it often causes paresthesias (a feeling like pins and needles) in the shoulder and arm. Depending on the degree of damage, complete numbness can also occur. These symptoms can be caused by either light pressure on the nerves or swelling around the area of the herniated disk. According to the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN), cervical herniated disks may cause inflammatory chemicals to release. Inflammation, or swelling, can increase pressure around nerve roots, which may alter sensations. Depending on the level of the herniated disk, paresthesias and/or numbness may be present around the shoulder, in the upper arm or in various areas of the hand and fingers. According to the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch (CINN), if the herniated disk is higher in the neck, it tends to cause symptoms in the shoulder regions. A herniated disk that's lower in the neck may cause tingling or numbness in different parts of the hand or fingers.
Shoulder and Arm Pain
According to the CINN, radiating pain (pain that travels down a nerve to a different part of the body) is the most commonly reported symptom of a cervical herniated disk. Like numbness, the pain may be felt in different parts of the shoulder or arm, depending on which level the herniated disk is located in the spine. This pain may even shoot down toward the fingertips. According to Medline Plus, pain associated with a herniated disk is usually on one side of the body. The pain may be relieved or may worsen, depending on the position of the neck. The CINN reports that turning to look away from the painful side of the body may relieve some of the pressure, decreasing pain. Tilting the chin downward may also help. Looking up, however, often makes the pain worse.
Muscle Weakness
If the cervical herniated disk presses on a nerve that controls movement, it can cause muscle weakness or even paralysis (loss of muscle movement). According to the AANN, a disk that protrudes into the spinal cavity can cause spinal cord compression, which can lead to spinal myelopathy. Spinal myelopathy causes more severe neurological symptoms, depending on the degree of spinal cord compression, and may even affect the muscles of the lower body. According to the CINN, muscles may become spastic, and walking may be impaired. If a nerve root is compressed by a cervical herniated disk, however, the weakness is likely somewhere in the arm. The degree of weakness depends on how much of the nerve is compressed.
