Sharing experiences with symptoms and treatment of cervical disc herniation (C5-C6)

The symptoms of cervical disc herniation I experienced around September 2018 are still vivid. It had been over six months since I had been living an irregular life due to night shifts. That day, I was working overtime with the determination to stay up all night due to a backlog of work, when suddenly my neck became stiff, my arms lost strength, and I felt a heavy sensation in my head, causing me to suddenly lie back. A colleague quickly called 129, and I was taken to the nearest emergency room, where they started with a head examination. My blood pressure was around 140 (systolic) at that time, and since I fell backward, they suspected something was wrong with my head. The emergency room doctor focused on my head, I think. Since it wasn't a large hospital, MRI wasn't available that night, only a CT scan was performed, which showed no significant abnormalities. I was admitted and received medication and injections, then discharged the next day. However, after that, I couldn't sit upright, and persistent pain from my neck to my right shoulder blade felt like being cut with a knife. The headache from the back of my head to the crown was indescribable. The pain was so severe at night that I couldn't sleep even for two hours, so I stopped working and went to a large hospital. They diagnosed it as cervical disc herniation, performed C-SPINE CT and MRI scans, and diagnosed herniation at the C5-6 disc level. For reference, I don't have any photos or prescriptions from a few years ago. I had to work and couldn't rest properly, so the symptoms lasted quite a long time, and my condition continued to worsen.

I have been receiving traditional Korean medicine treatments as well as chiropractic treatments regularly. For the past two years, I think I have been focusing on daily traditional Korean medicine and physical therapy. I also received acupuncture with herbal injections and chiropractic adjustments. I felt like I was floating all day, which affected my concentration and was quite unbearable. Since the condition wasn't severe enough to require surgery, I have been combining medication (including sedatives: I couldn't sleep at night due to pain that felt like a stabbing sensation) and physical therapy for over three years.

I've spent quite a while just searching for YouTube videos related to cervical spine issues and looking for other helpful methods.

I found that symptoms caused by a herniated disc can vary slightly depending on which cervical vertebra is affected.

The most noticeable symptom I experienced was a stiff neck and a line from my neck down to my shoulders that was as hard as a stone, making the pain indescribable. I especially felt a headache rising from the back of my head that persisted all the way to the crown, leaving my head feeling foggy. When a stabbing sensation like a knife started near my right shoulder blade, the pain spread throughout my back, making it impossible to lie down.

Right now, the pain has really decreased almost like a lie. Besides hospital help, the methods I found are pillow and neck stretching products and exercises.

Discs have a tendency to return to their original position, so maintaining proper posture can naturally lead to healing. However, in cases like mine where symptoms are severe and daily life is difficult, natural healing cannot be expected.

The neck stretching exercises I learned through YouTube are still being consistently practiced whenever I have free time.

The pillow used for sleeping was just as important as exercise.

Shall I call it a dedicated pillow?

The cervical spine is supposed to maintain its natural C-curve, but since my neck is straight, I have severe headaches.

Let's briefly touch on the cervical spine.

Sharing experiences with symptoms and treatment of cervical disc herniation (C5-C6)

Just by changing one pillow, my sleep time increased, and when I wake up in the morning, my neck, which was stiff like a stone, along with the shoulder area, also improved.

It's much less stiff now. I only saw the effects of manual therapy on the day I received it and the next day, but since I had to take time out every time due to cost issues, it was quite inconvenient. Since I started using a pillow, I have felt the pain gradually improve.

The next thing I found through my search was a neck stretching product that provides 15 minutes of neck stretching each day.This morning, I woke up and did some body stretching while supporting my neck with a neck stretcher, and before going to sleep, I always lie down and do neck stretching for about 10 minutes before falling asleep.Even now, on days when work is overwhelming and I feel stiffness in the back of my neck, I use it. When I first started using it, I often placed it behind my chair at work and stretched frequently, which was very helpful.

Since herniated cervical discs tend to recur once they occur, I try to maintain good posture during daily activities.

Since I spend a long time sitting in a chair working and often look at my phone, I realized that neck stretching should become a daily routine.

When you think of McKenzie method, you mainly think of the back, but since our spine is connected as one continuous structure, if a neck disc problem persists for a long time, it can also affect the lower back.

I will introduce a simple and effective method called the "Mokmekenji Method" that is easy to follow in daily life.✅Just maintaining proper posture can prevent cervical disc herniation.