5 Most Popular Symptoms of Cervical Disc Disease

The discs between your vertebrae are flexible and plump when you are young to help you quickly turn and move your spine. However, aging comes with issues such as degeneration of these discs, causing complications. The many years of straining and stressing your neck can affect your cervical discs, making them stiffer and causing chronic neck pain in most cases. Fortunately, medical specialists like the cervical disc disease Roswell specialists know how to manage the situation. Your doctor evaluates your symptoms to understand the complexity of your problem and recommend the proper treatment for you. You can experience the following due to cervical disc disease.

Neck Pain

Chronic neck pain is the most common sign of cervical disc disease. However, neck pain can also be caused by other issues or injuries. Therefore, it is best to seek medical attention when your neck is painful before you make assumptions about what is happening or wait for the pain to disappear. Also, do not attempt self-treatment for chronic pain as it could be due to cervical disc disease, and some practices can worsen the situation. Although many affected people are seniors, do not underestimate neck pain even when young.

Shoulder Pain

Your neck and shoulders are connected, and issues on your cervical discs can also extend the shoulder pain. Look into your daily activities and evaluate any factor that could have caused your shoulder pain, such as heavy lifting. That shoulder pain could be due to cervical disc disease, especially when your neck hurts. The pain might be mild but sometimes can be severe and last for a few days. Do not wait for such misery to go away. Let your doctor confirm the cause and guide you on the proper treatment.

Nerve Pain

Sometimes you can experience a sharp pain that feels like an electric shock due to nerve issues around the cervical discs. The pain radiates from the shoulders to the lower extremities through your hands, arms, and sometimes fingers. Most likely, the pain is felt on one side of the body at a time. Please talk to your doctor when one side of your body is in pain. You can tell it originates from your shoulders or around the neck.

Neurological Complications

You are more likely to experience other neurological issues besides nerve pain when cervical disc disease compromises the nerves. It is expected to experience numbness, tingling, weakness, or feeling pins and needles in your hands, arm, or fingers. You can also experience shoulder weakness which might affect your ability to complete tasks. Note that you can share these issues alongside the nerve pain that radiates from the shoulders to either side of your body.

Pain with Movement

Cervical disc disease can cause instability and inflammation in the affected area causing limited motion. You might notice that your pain is less at rest but worsens with movement or activity. The pain can go away in a few weeks if it is not related to the cervical disc disease but can persist and worsen if otherwise. Pay attention to other symptoms you are experiencing to differentiate between cervical disc disease and any other form of pain.

Neck pain, the most common symptom of cervical disc disease, also has other causes. Therefore, you can only be sure about the reason through an accurate diagnosis. Contact APEX Spine and Neurosurgery specialists for more information and help.