Cervicothoracic Junction Disc Herniations Respond to Fort Wayne Chiropractic

Thoracic disc herniations. They are not very common. They are 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 due to their unusualness. Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc embraces unusual! Unusual deserves care and attention. Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc tends to unusual presentations like thoracic disc herniations, specifically those at the C7/T1 level of the spine aka the cervicothoracic junction where the neck joins 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 have a habit of herniating laterally (out to the side) instead of centrally. What makes that unusual? The C7/T1 disc level doesn’t normally have Luschka joints. These joints secure the intervertebral discs in place and lessen the risk of herniation. They permit flexion and extension and limit the amount of lateral flexion in the cervical spine. There is a report of a rare occurrence of a central C7/T1 disc herniation that produced 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 expected. (1) Be confident that your Fort Wayne chiropractor will perform a careful examination and uncover the root cause of your pain with awareness of unusual occurrences like this.

C7/T1 disc herniations make up 3.5% to 4% of all herniated cervical discs. (2,3) They are inclined to be misdiagnosed owing to their unusual neurological findings. C7/T1 disc herniations (aka herniations of the C8 disc) cause weakness in hand muscles.  The C8 nerve roots exit between the C7 and T1 vertebrae. (4) They lie 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 fires pain down the arm into the ring and pinky fingers (which sometimes confuses the case as pain here is telling of ulnar neuropathy). (3,4) It won’t confuse your Fort Wayne chiropractor though! Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc is ready with the tests to do and questions to ask to determine the diagnosis.

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