What is a Cervical Disc Prolapse ?

The tissue between the bones in your neck is called intervertebral discs. The discs are composed of a soft gel-like center and a tough outer lining.Cervical herniated disc pain and related signs are typically felt in one arm or the other. Symptoms can vary depending on which disc has herniated and which nerve root has become pinched or inflamed. 

  • This includes damage to the disc without external deformity.
  • It may result from whiplash or other trauma to the neck.
  • Degenerative disc disease can progress to internal disc disruption.

History and Physical

  • Fever, chills
  • Night sweats
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • History of inflammatory arthritis, malignancy, systemic infection, tuberculosis, HIV, immunosuppression, or drug use
  • Unrelenting pain
  • Point tenderness over a vertebral body
  • Cervical lymphadenopathy

Differential Diagnosis

  • Brachial plexus injury
  • Degenerative cervical spondylosis
  • Muscle strain
  • Parsonage-Turner syndrome
  • Peripheral nerve entrapment
  • Tendinopathies of the shoulder