Herniated Disc – Neck

A cervical (neck) disc herniation is a common cause for a trapped nerve feeling in your neck or shoulder. Trapped nerve pain is one of the worst pains in the world as it is a neurogenic (nerve) pain. Trapped nerve pain is called a radiculopathy and in the neck it is a cervical radiculopathy. So what is a cervical disc and why can it herniate and pinch a nerve in your neck? Today I will discuss a cervical disc herniation causing a trapped nerve in your neck and shoulder. The anatomy of a cervical disc herniation, and what is the most common cervical spinal nerve to be pinched or trapped and how you would know your neck and shoulder pain could be from this common trapped nerve.

See in the following video how Jon Cena, WWE superstar had a sudden traumatic cervical disc herniation that required anterior cervical fusion surgery. The neurosurgeon in the video explains briefly about the cervical disc anatomy and herniation repair and why they operated in Jon Cena’s case so quickly mainly due to the sudden muscle paralysis/weakness in his right arm.

Cervical Spine Anatomy

The basic normal cervical spinal anatomy is to have an intervertebral disc between two vertebrae bones. The cervical disc would be the cushion lifting the two vertebrae apart. The two vertebrae move on top of each other at two main joints called facet joints (zygapophyseal joints). The spinal chord passes through a hole in the middle of the two vertebrae called your spinal canal. Nerves come off the spinal chord called nerve roots and they pass through another side hole between the two vertebrae called the intervertebral foramen (IVF).

So it is important to know what makes up the boundary walls of the intervertebral foramen (IVF) as this is where a trapped nerve from a cervical disc herniation happens. The boundary walls are:

Front – Intervertebral Disc,
Roof – Top vertebrae bone
Floor – Bottom vertebrae bone
Back – Facet joints of top and bottom vertebrae, ligament flavum

Cervical Disc Anatomy

The intervertebral foramen (IVF) has limited space for the nerve root to pass through. So when a cervical disc herniates disc material passes into the limited space and can be called a space occupying lesion. The disc material is usually the annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus fibrosus (NF). The annulus fibrosus is the hard outer layer of a cervical disk, whilst the nucleus fibrosus is the softer inner core. The annulus fibrosus (AF) can bulge or have micro tears in it. The tears would allow the nucleus fibrosus (NF) to herniate out of the middle of a cervical disc. So that is what a cervical disc herniation is. That cervical disc herniation is what can cause your problematic trapped nerve neck and shoulder pain.

Most Common Trapped Nerve

The most common trapped nerve from a cervical disc herniation is C7 (7^th cervical). Then it would be C5 and C6 nerves. There are 7 vertebral bones in your neck (cervical spine). So each cervical disc has its own numbers like C6-7. This would mean we are talking about the cervical disc between the 6^th and 7^th neck vertebrae bones. The C7 spinal nerve root is usually pinched or trapped by a disk herniation at the C6-7 cervical disc .

So if you are reading this post because you have read and MRI report or been told you have a cervical disk herniation between the C6-7 disk causing a C7 radiculopathy now you know what your doctor or the radiologist is talking about.

C7 Trapped Nerve Symptoms

The C7 nerve gives you skin sensation, muscle power and more. So symptoms of a trapped C7 nerve can show if you have:

1. Numbness or pins and needles in your finger tips

2. Weakness in your triceps muscle, and flexing your wrist
3. Pain around your shoulder blade
4. Pain down back of your shoulder and arm

These are some of the most common things or symptoms you would notice if you maybe had a trapped C7 nerve.

How to Confirm a C7 Trapped Nerve

Your chiropractor or doctor could be able to tell from a thorough neurological and orthopaedic examination of the cervical spine. When a C7 is under stress it does show signs of nerve irritation. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell and so further investigation may include cervical x-rays or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is the best currently to show a cervical disk herniation because x-ray cannot show if a disk is herniated. Click here to read about neck pain relief from a trapped nerve in your neck or shoulder.