Spinal pathologies

Cervical Disc Herniation

A cervical disc herniation is a pathology of the cervical spine caused by the displacement or protrusion of the intervertebral disc, which can cause compression of the cervical nerve roots or, in more advanced cases, of the spinal cord.

This alteration can cause neck pain, pain radiating to the arm (cervicobrachialgia), tingling, loss of sensation, muscle weakness, and significant functional limitation.
Cervical disc herniation is one of the most frequent causes of neck pain and radiculopathy in adults, especially in the context of degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc.

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What is an intervertebral disc?

The intervertebral discs act as shock-absorbing structures between the vertebrae of the spine. They consist of a gelatinous central core and an outer fibrous ring that provides stability and absorbs loads and force vectors.
With aging, degenerative processes, trauma, or mechanical overload, the disc can deteriorate and shift towards the spinal canal or nerve foramina, producing neural compression and neurological symptoms.

What are the most common symptoms?

The symptoms will depend on the size and location of the herniated disc, as well as the degree of nerve or spinal cord compression.

The most common symptoms include:

Persistent neck pain
Pain radiating to shoulder, arm or hand
Tingling or loss of sensation
Muscle weakness in upper limbs
Cervical stiffness and limitation
Interscapular pain
Cervicogenic headache associated

In more severe cases, when spinal cord compression is present, gait disturbances, loss of manual dexterity, or more significant neurological symptoms may appear, requiring urgent evaluation.

Specialized diagnosis

Diagnosis requires a detailed clinical and neurological assessment along with advanced imaging studies.

Treatment of cervical disc herniation

Treatment will depend on the intensity of the symptoms, the degree of neural compression, and the patient’s clinical evolution.

In many cases, initial treatment is conservative and may include:

Specialized pharmacological treatment
Physiotherapy and cervical rehabilitation
Postural re-education
Pain management and inflammatory control

When pain persists or there is neurological involvement, advanced interventional techniques may be used, such as:

Discoplasty using Radiofrequency
Regenerative Treatments
Minimally invasive disc decompression techniques

In selected cases with significant compression or failure of conservative treatment, minimally invasive or endoscopic cervical surgery may be necessary.

At VERTEBRA SpinePain & Regenerative SURGERY CENTERS we provide a comprehensive and personalized approach to cervical pathology using advanced diagnostic techniques, interventional procedures and minimally invasive image-guided surgery, having developed our own techniques over more than four decades of experience.

Our goal is to relieve pain, preserve neurological function, and improve the patient’s quality of life through precise treatments tailored to each clinical situation.
VERTEBRA Clinic is a pioneer in the international field of Advanced Cell Therapies (cultured and expanded Adipose Tissue Stem or Mesenchymal Cells AD-MSCs) in its own Surgical Center and in high-level facilities for their production and storage (Biosafety Level III Clean Room)