What is a slipped disk?

Neck pain can arise from many sources. There are ligaments that hold bones to other bones that are non-elastic and very strong. When these are injured, the term sprain is applied. The muscle and/or its attaching tendon can tear as well, which is called a strain. But, what does it mean to have a "slipped disk" in your neck?

The disks lay between the vertebrae in the front of the spine, and they are part of the primary support and shock absorbing system of our neck and back. There are six disks in the neck, 12 in the mid-back and five in the low back for a total of 23. The disks in the low back are big, like the vertebral bodies they lie between, and get progressively smaller as they go up the spine towards the head. When we bend our neck forwards, the disks compress, and open wider when we look up. It forms a wedge shape when we side bend left or right, and it twists when we rotate or turn the head.

The terms slipped disk, herniated disk, ruptured disk and bulging disk all mean something similar, if not exactly the same thing. A central part of the disk is liquid-like and can tear or rupture in any direction—which may or may not be painful, depending on if anything is pinched in the process.

Since the invention of the CAT scan and MRI, many people have been found have some type of disk alteration, with more than 50 percent showing bulging disks and 21 percent showing herniations with no pain at all!

There are key findings in the history and examination that leads us to the diagnosis of a cervical disk injury. The disk patient often has arm pain, numbness, and/or muscle weakness that follows a specific pathway, such as numbness to the hand or certain fingers. Certain positions, such as looking up, sometimes irritate the neck and arm, and bending the head forward relieves the pain. Sometimes the patient finds relief by putting their arm up and over their head, as letting the arm hang down causes irritation.

Chiropractic treatments can be very successful in resolving cervical disk herniation signs and symptoms, and should certainly be tried before agreeing to a surgical correction. Often, the surgeon will recommend a fusion of two or more neck vertebrae, sometimes with a metal plate in the front of the spine. This increases the load on either side of the fusion and can create problems above and below the fusion. Consult with a Chiropractor first and learn your non-surgical options; you'll be glad you did!