Cervical Disc Bulge

INTRODUCTION

In between the bones of your spine (vertebrae) lies a structure designed to absorb shock and help to make your spine flexible. These are called intra-vertebral discs and consist of a gel-like centre (nucleus pulposus) surrounded by an outer layer made of robust, criss-crossing fibres (annulus fibrosus). Sometimes the outer layer can degenerate or tear, due to age-related deterioration, employment or an injury. This causes the gel-like centre to bulge against the weakened outer layer and potential contact a nerve as it exits the spinal cord (refer to the picture for an illustration of this).

PRESENTING SYMPTOMS

A cervical disc bulge can cause neck stiffness, pain, muscle spasms, pins and needles, numbness, pain or weakness in your shoulders, upper back and arms depending on which discs are affected. Headaches can also be a symptom of a cervical disc bulge.

Symptoms are often worse with sustained postures like sitting, driving, looking at a computer/tablet/mobile phone or watching television. Having your arms in front of you, for example when cooking, ironing or vacuuming can also make symptoms worse. Certain movements of the neck will be painful and lifting things can often exacerbate symptoms.

HOW PHYSIOTHERAPY CAN HELP

Our physiotherapists will first aim to get your symptoms under control. This can be done via massage to ease muscle tightness and pain and increase how much you can move your neck. We can also mobilise the vertebrae of your neck which can help with stiffness and pain. Light movements and stretches will be prescribed that you can do at home to help reduce symptoms.

Once symptoms are controlled, we will start you on an exercise program designed at improving the strength of your neck muscles. This stage is very important as it will ensure the long-term health of your neck and decrease the frequency and severity of pain flare-ups, which are common with cervical disc bulges. Deep neck muscle control and coordination is often impaired in patients with cervical disc bulges, therefore we take our time in teaching you how to regain control of these muscles. Once you've got this down pat, we work on increase strength and coordination of the bigger muscles of the neck, to ensure your cervical spine is well supported.

We also provide advice on sleeping position, pillows, and work ergonomic guidance to help you get through the day as pain-free as possible. If need be we can use other treatment options such as taping, dry needling, traction or bracing depending on your situation.

If you have a cervical disc bulge that is impacting your quality of life, book an appointment with one of our physiotherapist's so we can help you get back to your best!