Cervicothoracic Junction Disc Herniations Respond to Williamson 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 shared in the spine literature more due to their unusualness. Apple Country Chiropractic embraces unusual! Unusual deserves care and attention. Apple Country Chiropractic tends to unusual presentations like thoracic disc herniations, specifically those at the C7/T1 level of the spine which is also known as the cervicothoracic junction where the neck connects 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 tend to herniate laterally (out to the side) instead of centrally. What makes that unusual? The C7/T1 disc level doesn’t typically have Luschka joints. These joints hold the intervertebral discs in place and lessen the risk of herniation. They allow flexion and extension and control the extent of lateral flexion in the cervical spine. There is a report of a rare existence of a central C7/T1 disc herniation that instigated lower extremity numbness and weakness along with gait disturbance though in a patient who tells of no or very little hand pain or numbness that would otherwise be expected. (1) Know that your Williamson chiropractor will do a careful examination and figure out the root cause of your pain with knowledge of unusual occurrences like this.

C7/T1 disc herniations make up 3.5% to 4% of all herniated cervical discs. (2,3) They tend to be misdiagnosed owing to their unusual neurological findings. C7/T1 disc herniations (aka herniations of the C8 disc) produce weakness in hand muscles.  The C8 nerve roots exit between the C7 and T1 vertebrae. (4) They are positioned above the C8 disc making it unusual for a disc herniation to compress the C8 nerve. (5) Nevertheless when it does, a C7/T1 disc herniation usually sends pain down the arm into the ring and pinky fingers (which may be confusing as pain here also suggests of ulnar neuropathy). (3,4) It won’t confuse your Williamson chiropractor though! Apple Country Chiropractic 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.