A Herniated Disc in the Neck is Often Misdiagnosed
For some individuals, a herniated disc in the neck will never cause pain. For others, the condition may manifest as shoulder or arm pain and numbness, or cause debilitating neck pain and headaches. Since the symptoms associated with a herniated disc fall within a wide variety of types and severity, and each patient experiences them differently, the condition is frequently misdiagnosed. Why is this?
Radiating Pain
Usually, herniated disc material must, in some way, come in contact with the spinal cord and/or its nerve roots for symptoms to develop in a patient. However, the disc itself can be painful if its nerve fibers are inflamed or irritated due to the herniation. In general, patients can experience any of the following symptoms:
- Mild to severe pain in a targeted location in the neck
- Numbness and/or tingling in the shoulders, arms, and hands
- Upper body muscle weakness
Nerve compression can cause symptoms to arise in seemingly unrelated areas of the body because the signals of pain that a pinched nerve transmits travel the length of the nerve. Depending on the location of the herniated disc, mild neck pain might be the only symptom, which can easily be confused as a muscle strain or sprain. Another patient might only experience numbness in one hand, and a doctor may begin to focus treatment of the issue to the hand itself, never associating the numbness with a spinal condition. A herniated disc in the neck can also be misdiagnosed as:
- Shoulder or arm pain
- Migraines or headaches
- Chest pain
- Carpal tunnel
- Muscle pain
- Dislocated vertebra, or spondylolisthesis
Ascertaining a Proper Diagnosis
As with any other health condition, diagnosing a herniated disc in the neck will likely begin with a medical history and physical exam. If a doctor suspects that nerve compression symptoms are present, additional neurological tests may be conducted to measure a patient's sensations and reflexes. To ultimately confirm the presence of a herniated disc, however, imaging tests such as an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computed tomography) scan may be needed.
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