Hi, I Have Been Dealing With Chronic Neck Pain Mri Showed Herination At C5 C6 And C6 C7 With Managable Pain Should I Consider Surgery Or Therapy

Posted on Sat, 18 Aug 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 18 Aug 2018 Answered on

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi, I have been dealing with chronic neck pain for about a year. I had an mri done about a year ago and it showed disc herination at c5 c6 and c6 c7. The pain has been manageable in the past, It would flare up I would rest and the pain would subside. Lately the pain has not abated with rest. For the past 6 weeks I have had non stop pain. It hurts when I turn my neck in either direction. Is this an issue that would normally require surgical intervention or could physical therapy help the symptoms? .

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Physical therapy- cervical traction can help.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
The persistent pain in the neck can be due to the herniated disc and the muscle spasm associated with it. This alone is not an indication for surgery. In case there are symptoms of nerve root compression like tingling , numbness or weakness of muscle strength in the hand or arm then a surgery may be needed. For this pain, a cervical traction along with oral muscle relaxants can help. You can also use a cervical collar after consulting your orthopedician.

Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar