A C6 C7 disc that is
herniated can be one of
the most painful and
debilitating conditions
a person could ever
suffer with. This
article will discuss
what a C6 C7 herniated
disc is, how it occurs,
and 3 steps you can use
for relief.
The spinal
discs are a special type
of ligament that not
only hold the vertebrae
of the spine together,
but also act as cushions
and shock-absorbers
between each bone of the
spine.
They are composed of
2 parts - a firm outer
covering (called the
annulus), and a jelly
center (called the
nucleus). I often refer
to them as "jelly
doughnuts" because of
this structure. When a
disc herniates, the
"jelly" is essentially
being pushed out of the
doughnut.
What's interesting
about the discs of the
spine is that they are
designed to not feel
pain (think about it -
if they're shock
absorbers, wouldn't it
be a bad idea if they
were designed to feel
pain? You'd feel pain
every time you moved if
this were the case!).
So, why is a
herniated disc so
painful and problematic?
Well, the area of the
disc that usually
herniates is actually
right by the nerves of
the spine, which control
everything in the body.
These nerves are very
sensitive to pressure,
so if a disc herniates
and applies pressure to
one of these nerves, it
can be incredibly
painful.
What's even worse is
that it's not just pain
you will experience -
you will also experience
problems with whatever
the aggravated nerve is
controlling.
Let me give you a
very specific example,
since this article is
about a C6 C7 disc that
is herniated. The C6 C7
disc is also referred to
as the 6th Cervical
Disc. This disc is
located in the lower
part of the neck, near
the top of the
shoulders.
The nerve that would
be affected by the C6 C7
disc controls the arms,
the shoulders, the
heart, the lungs, the
thyroid gland, and many
other things.
Because of this, if a
C6 C7 disc herniates, it
is very common that a
person will not only
experience neck pain,
but you may also
experience pain in the
arms, weakness in the
hands and arms, shoulder
pain, chest pains,
uncontrollable sweating,
headaches, etc.
In fact, this
condition is often
misdiagnosed at first,
because the symptoms
aren't always in the
neck.
Let's discuss the
treatment options
available for a C6 C7
herniated disc before we
discuss the 3 tips I'll
be sharing with you to
help alleviate your
pain.
In most cases, the
treatments your doctor
recommends will be
medications (usually a
combination of muscle
relaxers and pain
killers), physical
therapy, pain injections
(such as cortisone or
epidurals), and surgery
(as a last resort).
Although these
treatments will often
provide relief, the
result is usually very
temporary. This is
because they are all
designed to do one thing
- numb the painful
nerve. These treatments
do not actually heal the
disc, which is why the
pain inevitably returns
for most people.
This begs the
question - if these
treatments don't heal
the disc, why use them?
Well, the truth of the
matter is that a C6 C7
herniated disc is one of
the most difficult
conditions to treat
because of how the disc
is made.
Remember we talked
about the jelly inside
the disc? Well, this
jelly is very unique,
because this is where
the discs of the spine
store the oxygen and
nutrients they need in
order to stay healthy.
The reason they do this
is because they don't
receive a lot of blood,
which is the normal way
our body receives oxygen
and nutrients for
healing.
This makes the disc
very difficult to heal,
simply because most
medical treatments
depend on the blood
stream to transport the
medication that is
chosen for treatment.
So, most of the
treatments are designed
to numb the nerve, which
really doesn't solve the
problem.
Unfortunately,
surgery is not a good
option for this
condition either (which
is why most doctors will
not recommend surgery
unless they have tried
everything else first).
The success rate of C6
C7 herniated disc
surgery is only 16%, so
the odds are not in your
favor.
So, what can you do
about this? Well, I'm
going to give you 3 tips
you can use from the
comfort of your home to
not only alleviate the
pain, but also get to
the source of the
problem and help the
disc heal, rather than
just numb the pain.
My first
recommendation would be
that you use ice over
the C6 C7 disc. Using
real ice rather than an
artificial ice pack will
provide better results.
Place the ice at the
base of your neck, and
leave it there for 15
minutes, or until you
feel numbness -
whichever comes first.
The real key with ice
is that you have to use
it multiple times, and
you have to be
consistent to alleviate
the pain. I recommend
that you repeat the ice
treatment every hour
that you're awake, and
you should start to
notice some relief after
3 or 4 treatments.
It usually takes
about 3 days of using
ice to notice
considerable relief, so
stick with it - this is
usually the fastest way
to relief.
My next piece of
advice is to be careful
with your sleeping
position. I'm referring
to a couple of things
here - first of all,
make sure you aren't
sleeping on more than 1
pillow. Elevating your
head too high is a big
problem with a
C6 C7 herniated disc,
because this position
adds a lot of extra
strain on the injured
disc.
In addition to that,
make sure you are not
sleeping on your
stomach. This also
aggravates the injured
disc, and you will
dramatically slow your
healing time. Always
sleep on your back or
sides.
My final piece of
advice is to gently
bounce on a therapy
ball. These are the
large balls you see
people using at gyms -
they usually use them to
work on their abdominal
muscles. Simply sit on
the ball, keep your head
looking straight ahead,
and gently bounce up and
down for about 5 minutes
a day.
I know that sounds a
bit odd, but remember
when we were talking
about the nutrients and
oxygen inside of the
jelly of the disc? Well,
the only way to get more
nutrients and oxygen
into the disc for
healing is to physically
pump it. Bouncing on the
therapy ball is a simple
way to accomplish this.
