Cervical disc herniation: when neck pain travels down the arm
Diagnosis and treatment of cervical disc herniation and cervicobrachialgia in Valencia — Dr. Antonio Vilatela, 3,500+ spine procedures.
Neck pain is common and usually benign. But when that pain starts to travel down the arm —with tingling in the fingers, loss of grip strength or electric-shock sensations on neck movement— we call it cervicobrachialgia, and its most common cause is a cervical disc herniation compressing a nerve root.
Characteristic symptoms
Radiating pain
From the neck to the shoulder, arm and hand, following the path of the compressed nerve.
Tingling and numbness
In specific fingers depending on the affected root (thumb, middle fingers or little finger).
Loss of strength
Difficulty gripping objects, opening jars or raising the arm.
Worse with the neck
Certain movements or sustained postures reignite the pain.
Why does it happen?
The cervical discs cushion the vertebrae of the neck. Over the years —or after strain and sustained postures— a disc can crack and push part of its nucleus toward the canal, compressing the nerve root that runs to the arm. Cervical disc degeneration is a natural process; the symptomatic herniation is its most troublesome expression.
Diagnosis
The neurological examination indicates which root is affected; the cervical MRI confirms the herniation, its size and its relationship with the spinal cord and roots. In selected cases it is completed with electromyography to quantify nerve damage.
Treatment: from least to most
1. Conservative (most cases). Scheduled analgesia, specific cervical physiotherapy and temporary activity modification. Most cervicobrachialgia improves significantly within 6–12 weeks without surgery.
2. Image-guided injections. When radicular pain persists, a guided cervical foraminal or epidural injection reduces inflammation of the root and speeds recovery.
3. Minimally invasive surgery. Considered with progressive loss of strength, signs of spinal cord compression or disabling pain that does not respond. Options include cervical discectomy with a disc prosthesis (arthroplasty) to preserve mobility, or with fusion of the segment.
Frequently asked questions
Yes: most improve with conservative treatment within 2–3 months. Surgery is reserved for cases with neurological deficit or refractory pain.
It depends on age, joint condition and the number of levels involved. The prosthesis preserves mobility; fusion is more versatile. It is decided case by case.
For office work, usually 2–4 weeks; for physical work, 6–12 weeks, always on an individualized basis.
Neck pain radiating into your arm?
Dr. Vilatela reviews your case in private consultation at Hospital La Salud Valencia and explains every option, from the least to the most invasive.