Cervicothoracic Junction Disc Herniations Respond to McHenry Chiropractic

Thoracic disc herniations. They are not very common. They’re not discussed 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. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic welcomes unusual! Unusual calls for care and attention. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic tends to unusual presentations like thoracic disc herniations, especially those at the C7/T1 level of the spine aka the cervicothoracic junction where the neck links with the upper back.

C7/T1 disc herniations are unusual from their neighbors, cervical disc herniations (neck) and thoracic disc herniations (mid-back). Why? They tend to herniate laterally (out to the side) instead of centrally. What makes that unusual? The C7/T1 disc level does not normally have Luschka joints. These joints secure the intervertebral discs in place and decrease the risk of herniation. They allow flexion and extension and restrain the extent of lateral flexion in the neck. There is a report of a rare occurrence of a central C7/T1 disc herniation that caused lower extremity numbness and weakness as well as gait disturbance though in a patient who tells of no or very little hand pain or numbness that would otherwise be anticipated. (1) Be confident that your McHenry chiropractor will do a careful examination and work 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 inclined to be misdiagnosed due to their unusual neurological findings. C7/T1 disc herniations (aka herniations of the C8 disc) produce weakness in hand muscles.  The C8 nerve roots exit between the C7 vertebra and the T1 vertebra. (4) They are positioned above the C8 disc making it unusual for a disc herniation to press on the C8 nerve. (5) Nonetheless when it does, a C7/T1 disc herniation usually sends pain down the arm into the ring and pinky fingers (which sometimes confuses the case as pain here is also indicative of ulnar neuropathy). (3,4) It will not confuse your McHenry chiropractor though! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is ready with the tests to do and questions to ask to make the diagnosis.

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