By: Dr. Ron Daulton, Jr.

A C5-C6 herniated disc can be a very frustrating and debilitating health condition for an individual to live with.  This article will discuss what a C5-C6 herniated disc is, the most common symptoms associated with it, causes, and treatment options for healing this condition.

In order to understand what a herniated disc is, we must first discuss what the discs of the spine are, and how they are put together.  There are 23 spinal discs, and they are located between each set of vertebrae (bones of the spine).

These discs serve a couple of purposes – first of all, they are a special type of ligament, which holds the vertebrae of the spine together.  Second, they act as a cushion and shock absorbers, so the bones of the spine can move freely without causing you pain.

Their structure is pretty simple, but very important because of what they do.  Each disc of the spine is composed of a firm outer layer (called the annulus), and a jelly center (called the nucleus).  I often refer to them as “jelly doughnuts” because of this.

When a disc herniates, the outer layer tears, and the jelly begins to push through the weak area of the disc.  This condition can be incredibly painful, but what makes this interesting is that the discs of the spine are designed to not feel pain.

Why?  Well, think about it – if they are constantly absorbing shock, wouldn’t it be best of you don’t feel pain with every movement you make?  Of course, this leads to the next question – if the spinal discs don’t feel pain, what makes this condition so painful and debilitating?

The disc will usually herniate at the back, which unfortunately is directly by the spinal cord and the nerves of the spine.  The nerves control everything in the body, and if there is any pressure applied to them, they become aggravated, which can be very painful.

This condition can be very serious, though, simply because the nerves do control everything in the body.  For example, in the case of a C5-C6 herniated disc, the nerves that will be affected control the arms, heart, lungs, chest muscles, jaw muscles, neck and skull muscles, sinuses, and many other things.

Because of this connection, it is very common that a person suffering with this condition will not only experience neck pain, but may also experience pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms and hands, chest pains, difficulty breathing, headaches, jaw pain, sinus problems, etc.

The cause of a C5-C6 herniated disc is usually some type of injury or trauma to the neck.  Car accidents, falls, sports-related injuries, etc.

However, this condition can also be caused by other, less obvious means as well.  For example, if you sleep with more than one pillow at night, this puts a lot of strain on the discs of the neck, which over time can lead to this condition.

Essentially, any activity that requires a lot of bending and twisting of the neck can cause damage to a C5-C6 disc.  In addition to this, the discs of the spine can begin to deteriorate over time due to wear and tear, which leads to weakening of the outer wall of the disc.  This can also lead to a herniated disc over time.

So, what can be done about this condition?  Most doctors will begin by prescribing medications (usually pain relievers and muscle relaxers), which will usually provide temporary relief, but also have some problems associated with them.

For example, these types of medications can be very toxic to the liver and kidneys and lead to problems with these organs over time.  Also, the medications essentially just dull the pain – they do not actually heal the disc.  Because of this, they usually don’t provide any long-term benefit.

Physical therapy is also recommended in most cases.  This is a more effective treatment option than medications, but it is usually more effective when combined with other forms of treatment (such as chiropractic care and massage therapy).

Pain injections are also commonly used, such as cortisone and epidurals.  These can also be effective for pain relief, but realize that the problem is the same here as with the medications – any relief you experience is usually temporary because it is not actually correcting the cause of the problem.

In addition to that, cortisone is known to cause the joints of the body to deteriorate more quickly, which is why cortisone injections can only be given a maximum of 3 times a year.

Surgery is the last option, but this is really a last resort.  The success rate of spinal surgery is only 16% according to a research study in the medical journal “Spine.”  The odds are not in your favor, which is why you will rarely find a doctor recommending this as a first option.

There are other alternatives to traditional medical treatments that are also very effective.  Chiropractic, massage therapy, and acupuncture are probably among the most effective alternative treatments for a C5-C6 herniated disc.

However, I’ve found that these treatments, as well as the medical treatments discussed previously are usually most effective when utilized in specific combinations.

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