C8 Disc Herniations Respond to Plainville Chiropractic

Thoracic disc herniations. They are not very ordinary. They’re not talked about much. But thoracic disc herniations do exist. The C7/T1 disc herniations are even more unusual and are presented in the spine literature more because of their unusualness. Layden Chiropractic welcomes unusual! Unusual warrants care and attention. Layden Chiropractic tends to unusual presentations like thoracic disc herniations, especially those at the C7/T1 spinal level aka the cervicothoracic junction where the neck joins with the upper back.

C7/T1 disc herniations are unusual from their adjacent segments, cervical disc herniations (neck) and thoracic disc herniations (mid-back). Why? They tend to herniate laterally (out to the side) rather than centrally. What makes that unusual? The C7/T1 disc level does not typically have Luschka joints. These joints hold the intervertebral discs in place and decrease the risk of herniation. They permit flexion and extension and limit the extent of lateral flexion in the neck. One medical report documents a rare episode of a central C7/T1 disc herniation that instigated lower extremity numbness and weakness along with gait disturbance though in a patient who had no or very little hand-related symptoms that would otherwise be expected. (1) Be confident that your Plainville chiropractor will do a careful examination and figure out the source of your pain with knowledge of unusual incidences like this.

C7/T1 disc herniations account for 3.5% to 4% of all herniated cervical discs. (2,3) They are likely to be misdiagnosed due to their unusual neurological findings. C7/T1 disc herniations (aka herniations of the C8 disc) instigate weakness in hand muscles.  The C8 nerve roots exit between the C7 vertebra and the T1 vertebra. (4) These nerves lie above the C8 disc making it unusual for a disc herniation to compress the C8 nerve. (5) But when it does, a C7/T1 disc herniation usually shoots pain down the arm into the ring and pinky fingers (which may be confusing as pain here is also indicative of ulnar neuropathy). (3,4) It won’t confuse your Plainville chiropractor though! Layden Chiropractic knows the tests to do and questions to ask to make the diagnosis.

Listen to a podcast about neck pain helped with Cox Technic.