How do you fix a C5 C6 disc bulge?

Someone seeking traditional medical treatment for C5-C6 disc bulging is often looking to remedy the pain and discomfort disrupting their daily life. This treatment will likely involve being prescribed medication such as steroids for inflammation, injections, physical therapy, disc surgery, or spinal-fusion surgery.

How serious is a bulging disc C5 C6?

If the C5 and C6 discs are bulging, they only cause pain about 50 percent of the time, but this condition can lead to a straightened neck; this leads to tension on the spine, known to cause numbness, pain, and tingling throughout the upper body.

How to fix C5 and C6?

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery involves removing the C5-C6 intervertebral disc to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or C6 nerve root. The disc is replaced by an implant or bone graft, allowing biological fusion of the adjacent C5 and C6 vertebrae.

How do you fix a C5 C6 disc bulge? – Related Questions

How long does it take for C5 and C6 to heal?

The recovery process following surgery for cervical disc herniation usually lasts between four to six weeks.

What nerves do C5-C6 affect?

From C5 and C6, the upper and lower subscapular nerves supply the upper and lower portions of the subscapularis. The lower subscapular nerve also innervates the teres major.

What causes C5-C6 degeneration?

It develops when one or more of the cushioning discs in the cervical spine starts to break down due to wear and tear. There may be a genetic component that predisposes some people to more rapid wear. Injury may also accelerate and sometimes cause the development of the degenerative changes.

What happens when C5 is damaged?

Damage to the C5 spinal cord often results in paralysis of both the upper and lower body, otherwise known as quadriplegia. By participating in rehabilitative therapies, individuals can learn to adjust, cope, and manage the outcomes of this type of cervical spinal cord injury.

What causes C5-C6 injury?

What Causes a C5/C6 Injury? A car accident is possibly the most common cause of a C5-C6 disc or vertebrae injury. In even the most minor crashes, drivers can suffer from whiplash, which primarily injures the cervical spine due to the forceful whipping motion of the head.

What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve at C5-C6?

C5-C6 (C6 nerve root): Pain, tingling, and/or numbness may be felt in the thumb side of the hand. Weakness may also be experienced in the biceps (muscles in the front of the upper arms) and wrist extensor muscles in the forearms. The C5-C6 disc is one of the most common to herniate.

What parts of the body are affected by C5-C6?

c5-c6 is one of the most common levels for a cervical disc herniation to occur. A c5-c6 herniated disc can affect the nerves that control the muscles in the arms, neck, shoulders, hands as well as the head, eyes, ears, or thyroid gland.

Can C5-C6 cause paralysis?

An injury to the spinal cord at the C5-C6 level may cause pain, weakness, or paralysis in the arms and/or legs. There may be loss of bowel and bladder control or breathing problems in some cases. Nonsurgical treatments are often tried first for pain that stems from C5-C6. In rare cases, surgery may be considered.

Can C5-C6 cause shoulder pain?

Patients with C5 or C6 radiculopathy complain of shoulder area pain or shoulder girdle weakness. Typical idiopathic neuralgic amyotrophy (INA) is also characterized by severe shoulder pain, followed by paresis of shoulder girdle muscles.

Can C5 C6 cause upper back pain?

Common C5 and C6 Disk Herniation Symptoms

Cervical disc herniation causes neck pain, but it is usually characterized as a burning or stinging pain, unlike mechanical neck pain. Some of the most common symptoms of cervical spine disc herniation include: Pain in the neck, shoulders, or upper back.

Can C5 C6 cause headaches?

Even pathology in C5 or C6 nerve roots have been reported to cause headache.

Can C5 C6 cause dizziness?

MRI of the neck revealed a C5-C6 disk herniation, abutting the thecal sac. Comment: Nystagmus in this case does not begin immediately but starts after about 10 seconds of head turning. This is the most common association between neck injury and dizziness.