One of the few conditions that can be treated using minimally invasive spine surgery by a neurosurgeon in Dallas includes cervical disk herniation. Dr. Bidiwala, a Dallas based neurosurgeon, is an advocate for using the most cutting-edge and established technologies to help his patients, and he expertly applies his engineering background to deliver personalized treatment to each of his Dallas patients.
A cervical herniated disc occurs when the inner core of a disc in the neck herniates or leaks out of the disc and presses down on an adjacent nerve root. It is usually prevalent among the 30-50-year-old age group. Even though a cervical herniated disc may arise from trauma or a neck injury, the symptoms usually start suddenly. A Dallas neurosurgeon like Dr. Bidiwala can diagnose this.
The pain that appears in the arm because of a cervical herniated disc is the result of the herniated disc material pressing on a cervical nerve. As a result of this pressure, pain travels along the nerve pathway down the arm. Alongside the arm pain, there can also be numbness and tingling down the arm and in the fingertips. There can also be the presence of weakness in the muscle.
Even though the discs in the cervical spine are not very large, there is not a lot of space for the nerves. So even a small cervical disc herniation can pinch the nerve causing immense pain. The pain in the arm is usually more intense as the nerve is the first to become pinched.
Symptoms of a Cervical Herniated Disc
Several symptoms in the neck, arm, hand, fingers, and also parts of the shoulders can result from a herniated disc in the neck. The location of the herniated disc determines the resulting pain patterns and neurological deficits.
The cervical spine is built around the 7 stacked bony building blocks of the spine that we know as the vertebrae. They numbered C1 through C7 from top to bottom. The cervical disc herniation affects the nerve that exits the spine at the C5-C6 level, causing the C6 nerve root to be affected.
The pain pattern from a cervical herniated disc is referred to as a cervical radiculopathy.
For a herniated disc, the herniated portion of the disc beneath the nerve root can be removed. As a trained neurosurgeon in Dallas, Dr. Bidiwala is able to perform this procedure with his minimal invasive surgery method. This relieves the pressure on the disc and allows the body’s self-healing properties to take over. Although it might take a few weeks to fully heal, patients often experience immediate pain relief.
If you suspect that you have a cervical herniated disc and wish to see a Dallas neurosurgeon, contact Dr. Bidiwala now. As an experienced neurosurgeon, he can diagnose and treat any spinal injuries requiring minimally invasive spinal surgery.