THE CERVICAL DISCS

Mark Perren-Jones from The Haven Spa and Health Clinic

The cervical discs are like shock absorbers that lie between the verterbrae. The main purpose of these discs is to absorb shock when you move. Without them, the shock would have to be absorbed by the verterbrae themselves, bone on bone.

Each disc is composed of two parts – a strong outer covering called the annulus fibrosos, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus pulposos. The nucleos pulposos is very important because this is where the spinal discs store oxygen and nutrients for proper health, as well as healing any problems that develop with the disc.

This is extremely important considering that the spinal discs do not have a very good blood supply. Your body normally depends on the blood to bring oxygen and nutrition for proper health, but because the spinal discs don’t have this normal blood flow, the nucleus is absolutely vital.

Some of the most common conditions that can develop with a neck disc are a cervical spine herniated disc (sometimes also referred to as a slipped disc, bulging disc, or herniated disc), and cervical disc disease ( a form of arthritis).

In the case of a cervical spine herniated disc, the strong outer covering tears, and the jelly in the center of the disc begins to move into the weak area. This creates a “bulge” in the disc.  however, the pain experienced from this it actually comes from the spinal nerves, which are located directly behind each disc (which is where the discs tend to bulge).

Believe it or not, the spinal discs are actually designed to not feel pain. This makes sense when you consider that the main function is shock absorption. If they could feel pain, you would be hurting with every movement you made!

The spinal nerves are very sensitive, so any amount of pressure from a bulging disc will cause pain. Also, because these nerves control everything in the body, it’s also common for other symptoms to develop, which you may not associate with the spine.