What You Need To Know About Cervical Disc Disease

Almost everything is subject to wear and tear, including parts of the human body. Repetitive stress when lifting, turning, and bending has been found to cause neck pain for many people. According to statistics, approximately one in three people has experienced neck pain at least once in their life. With degenerative disc diseases, the condition goes further beyond the normal pain. It is excruciating with weakness and numbness in the hand and shoulder. Apex Spine and Neurosurgery specialists treat cervical disc disease in Roswell to help patients improve their neck condition. Book an appointment today to eliminate neck and back pain.

What are the symptoms of cervical disc disease?

Patients with this condition express symptoms that include:

• Neck pain: Neck pain is the most common symptom of degenerative disc disease. Patients feel pain and stiffness, which could worsen to last for hours and even days.
• Nerve pain: Patients experience a sharp pain that feels like an electric shock. Sometimes, it could travel downwards to the shoulder and fingers. The pain often occurs on one side of your body.
• Neurological symptoms: People with cervical disc disease also experience numbness or tingling sensations down the arms to the fingers. The symptom can be so severe that it interferes with an individual's routine functioning.
• Pain with movement: Degenerative disc pain tends to aggravate with movement or too much rest. Therefore, you should get checked further if your neck pain is behaving similarly.

Diagnosing Cervical Disc Disease

The doctor follows a couple of steps during diagnosis:

• Medical history: The doctor reviews your past medical history and asks you critical questions to aid in diagnosis. It is essential that you do not leave out details as they will help establish a treatment plan.
• Physical examination: The doctor then performs several physical exams, including testing the range of motion. In this part, they may ask you to perform a variety of movements to determine the extent of your problem. For severe pain, the doctor may require additional study, which includes imaging for confirmation.
• Imaging: Where imaging is necessary to confirm, the doctor uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a CT scan, or X-ray to get an inside image. The scans are useful for determining where the degeneration has occured and check to see if other conditions might contribute to the symptoms.

With the information above, the doctor can now comfortably make an accurate diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.

Treatment of Cervical Disc Disease

• Medications and injections: The doctor may recommend certain medications to ease pain and discomfort. They may also inject a drug directly into the infected area.
• Physical therapy: The doctor may work with you in exercises to strengthen neck muscles according to your needs. They will also recommend several lifestyle changes to reduce pain and aid in recovery.
• Surgery: If pain is still around months after treatment, the doctor may opt for surgical treatment. Surgery is also used if you have neurological symptoms.

If you are experiencing one or multiple symptoms mentioned above, book an appointment today with Apex Spine and Neurosurgery to discuss your treatment options. Surgery is rarely used, but it is the most effective. Experts also have a range of minimally invasive procedures to eliminate pain with the least discomfort possible.