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.
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.
Surgical treatments available for herniated discs at C5-6 include minimally invasive endoscopic laser repair, spinal fusion and artificial discs.
You can usually resume light activities two weeks after the injury, and it takes around six weeks to fully heal.
Each case is different and will depend on important patient/condition variables such as patient age and overall health, condition severity, and causation, common symptoms of C5-C6 disc issues is a dull ache, or a sharp pain, that is most intensely felt in the back of the neck.
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.
Complete vs Incomplete C6 Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injuries can be complete or incomplete. A complete spinal cord injury results in no motor control or sensation below the level of injury because all neural pathways have been permanently damaged.
Outcome of surgical management for cervical disc herniation has shown a success rate of 66 to 98% [8].
When a bulging or herniated disc occurs in the C5-C6 region, it can cause sharp pain that radiates from the neck to the shoulder, arms, hands, and fingers. It can also lead to muscle weakness, numbness, spasms, headaches, and neck stiffness. There may also be a cracking or popping sound when moving the neck.
Vertebral and disc pain from C5-C6 may occur suddenly following an injury or gradually increase over a period of time. Typically, a dull ache or sharp pain may be felt at the back of the neck. The neck's range of motion may also decrease. There may be crepitus (a snap, crackle, or pop sound) with neck movements.
C5-C6 disc bulging can be a painful and debilitating condition affecting the quality of life. Traditional medical treatment may involve medication, physical therapy, and surgery.
Unfortunately, at this time, there is no “cure” for a cervical spinal cord injury or any way to outright reverse damages caused by one. However, that doesn't mean that you can't can't regain some function. Many cervical SCI survivors attain some level of recovery through different types of treatment.
Your treatment options for cervical disc degeneration
Targeted exercises through physical therapy. Weight loss. Anti-inflammatory medications or injections. Heat and cold therapies.
What is the best sleeping position for neck pain? Two sleeping positions are easiest on the neck: on your side or on your back. If you sleep on your back, choose a rounded pillow to support the natural curve of your neck, with a flatter pillow cushioning your head.
Cervical nerve 6 controls the extensor muscles of your wrist and is involved in the control of your biceps. C6 provides sensation to the thumb side of your forearm and hand.
The qualified answer to this question is yes, a person can walk again after suffering a spinal cord injury. This is possible because the spinal cord is capable of reorganizing itself and making adaptive changes through a process known as neuroplasticity.
A patient with C6 radiculopathy usually feels pain or numbness from the neck to radial side of the biceps, forearm, the dorsal web space of the hand between the thumb and index finger, and to the tips of those fingers.
Sit in a high-back, firm chair with arm rests. Sitting in a soft couch or chair will tend to make you round your back and won't support the curve of your back. At work, adjust your chair height and workstation so you can sit up close to your work and tilt it up at you. Don't hunch or lean over your work.
At night our body temperature fluctuates and goes down a bit. Most people tend to sleep in a cooler room as well. The thought is that damaged nerves might interpret the temperature change as pain or tingling, which can heighten the sense of neuropathy.
Additionally, from C5 and C6, the axillary nerve supplies the motor function of the deltoid and teres minor, as well as the sensory aspect of the overlying skin, the superior lateral cutaneous nerve of the arm, and the skin of the lateral shoulder and arm.
It has been reported that pain from the C2-3 and C3-4 cervical facet joints can radiate to the occipital area, frontotemporal and even periorbital regions. Even pathology in C5 or C6 nerve roots have been reported to cause headache.