The number of young people with herniated discs in their neck has been growing, a doctor said, advising people to take breaks regularly, and exercise their shoulder and neck muscles to avoid the condition.
Cervical disc herniation is considered a degenerative disease and people with the condition are often office workers and drivers, who maintain bad posture for prolonged periods, Taipei City Hospital’s Heping branch Department of Neurosurgery doctor Chuang Yuan-cheng (莊淵丞) said.
Traffic accidents and sports injuries can also cause cervical disc herniation, he added.
Giving an example, he said the branch has admitted a woman, surnamed Wang (王), who complained of sore shoulders, and occasional numbness and weakness in her hands.
Wang said she thought her conditions were caused by a “knot” in her shoulder muscles, but the doctors diagnosed her with cervical disc herniation, Chuang said.
There are seven neck vertebrae, each supported by an intervertebral disc, enabling the neck to move and rotate, he said.
Herniation of a disc at a higher segment of the neck could pressure the first and second vertebral nerves, and cause pain in the back of the head or neck, which some patients ascribe to vertigo, he added.
If the herniation occurs at a lower segment, as in Wang’s case, it affects the shoulders and hands, he said.
TREATMENT
Most cases of cervical disc herniation can be treated, Chuang said.
Doctors often prescribe anti-inflammatory medication to alleviate physical discomfort while the patients undergo physical therapy, he said, adding that about 10 percent of patients need surgery.
The surgery is minimally invasive and patients rarely develop complications, Chuang said.
The operation removes the herniated disc and replaces it with a bone graft, Chuang said, adding that the patient would need to wear a neck brace for one to three months following surgery, and could only remove it after doctors are certain that the graft has not shifted.
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