Cervicothoracic Junction Disc Herniations Respond to Paramus Chiropractic

Thoracic disc herniations. They’re not very ordinary. They are not discussed much. But thoracic disc herniations do exist. The C7/T1 disc herniations are even more unusual and are shared in the spine literature more because of their unusualness. Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center welcomes unusual! Unusual warrants care and attention. Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center tends to unusual presentations like thoracic disc herniations, especially those at the C7/T1 spinal level which is also known as the cervicothoracic junction where the neck connects with the upper back.

C7/T1 disc herniations are unusual from their adjacent segments, cervical disc herniations (neck) and thoracic disc herniations (mid-back). Why? They have a habit of herniating laterally (out to the side) rather than centrally. What makes that unusual? The C7/T1 disc level does not typically have Luschka joints. These joints secure the intervertebral discs in place and reduce the risk of herniation. They allow flexion and extension and limit the amount of lateral flexion in the neck. There is a report of a rare occurrence of a central C7/T1 disc herniation that produced lower extremity numbness and weakness in addition to gait disturbance though in a patient who had no or very little hand-related symptoms that would otherwise be expected. (1) Know that your Paramus chiropractor will do a careful examination and figure out the root cause of your pain with familiarity of unusual incidences like this.

C7/T1 disc herniations make up 3.5% to 4% of all herniated cervical discs. (2,3) They are likely 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 extend outward between the C7 vertebra and the T1 vertebra. (4) They sit above the C8 disc making it unusual for a disc herniation to compress the C8 nerve. (5) Nonetheless when it does, a C7/T1 disc herniation usually shoots 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 be confusing to your Paramus chiropractor though! Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center knows the tests to do and questions to ask to determine the diagnosis.

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