Symptoms of Herniated Disk in Neck

Headaches, blurred vision and ear pain are associated symptoms of herniated disk in neck.  Many people today suffer from herniated disks and this is the primary cause of the symptoms like headaches that tend to start at the base of the head and radiate upwards.  In some cases a herniated disk is also the cause of blurred vision and ear pain, in rare cases a patient may experience along with pain in the neck, severe pain when chewing. Usually a disk is damaged by an accident or trauma.  There are many cases where repeated strain or subtle trauma can also cause a herniated disk.  Violently twisting ones back or trying to lift heavy weight can also contribute to a herniated disk in the neck.Symptoms of herniated disk in neck can develop with gradually or very suddenly.  Generally this depends on your spinal history and the type of trauma incurred.  Many patients often complain about waking up with a twisted neck that is incredibly painful to try and straighten.  Other symptoms can be numbness or tingling in either one of the patient’s arms or in some documented cases both arms.In order to properly determine if a patient suffers from a herniated disk in the neck a series of x-rays should be taken.  In some cases if disk herniation isn’t readily seen an MRI or CAT may be ordered.  Since a herniated disk of the neck can range from focal to broad base, the it will be necessary to see if it is contained or non-contained.  This is done by injection a dye into the fluid in the vertebral canal; an x-ray is then performed to see if the fluid is leaking into the spinal cavity.