The cervical, or neck, vertebrae are numbered C1 through C7, from top to bottom. This is a delicate area of the spine, and in fact, the vertebrae and discs in this area are smaller than the thoracic (chest) and lumber (lower back) areas. A C5-C6 herniated disc is when a tear occurs on the outside fibrous ring of a disc in your cervical spine, or neck, causing the soft material within the disc to bulge out. As a result, this bulge places pressure on the nerves that reside around that disc.

All vertebrae are also associated with muscles and nerves. In the case of a C5-C6 herniated disc, the nerves in that area are responsible in some part for control of the lungs, the heart, the jaw muscles, chest muscles, skull muscles, neck muscles, the sinuses. A person with a C5-C6 herniated disc will notice symptoms that include neck pain, as well as numbness and weakness in the arms and hands. There could also be chest pain, problems breathing, lockjaw, headaches, and severe sinus issues.

The cause of a C5-C6 herniated disc is typically associated with some kind of trauma, such as a sports injury, a car wreck, a fall, or some other type of event that causes injury to the cervical spine. However, there are causes that are not so traumatic. You might be surprised to know that sleeping with multiple pillows at night can cause or exacerbate neck problems. Using multiple pillows every night can have an accumulative stressful effect that can lead to a C5-C6 herniation.

Also, activities that require a lot of bending, twisting, or stress on the neck can cause a herniated disc in the cervical spine. Apart from these kinds of injuries, there is also the possibility of simple wear and tear that occurs over time. As discs become old and less resilient, the can be a weakening of the outer wall of the disc, which can cause it to become herniated.

If you have neck pain that leads to other symptoms – such as numbness in the hands or trouble breathing – especially if you’ve recently been involved in some kind of fall or accident, then you’ll want to see a doctor to make sure you haven’t herniated one of your cervical discs.

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