The human spine is subject to a variety of stresses that expose it to injury and degeneration. Your cervical spine, or neck, is particularly susceptible to wear and tear due to its relative frailty, the weight of the load it bears and the nearly constant bending, flexing and rotational forces it must endure. Arthritis and herniated, or ruptured, disks are among the manifestations of chronic neck injury. Fortunately, most of these degenerative changes – including multiple herniated disks – will heal or stabilize without causing permanent nerve damage.

Central Versus Peripheral

Your nervous system is composed of two principal but interconnected divisions. Your central nervous system includes your brain and spinal cord. Your peripheral nervous system is comprised of nerve fibers – cranial and spinal nerves – that emerge from your central nervous system. It is generally accepted that injuries to your central nervous system are incapable of healing, whereas damage to your peripheral nervous system will heal as long as the sheaths surrounding the nerves remain intact. Herniated disks compress peripheral nerves, but they do not disrupt the nerves’ critically important nerve sheaths. Therefore, once your disks heal, your nerves should recover.

Disk Herniation

When a disk herniates, its soft inner core protrudes outward and impinges on a nearby nerve root, causing pain and numbness in the area normally served by that particular nerve. Doctors call this “radicular” pain. The extent of the nerve root’s compression and the length of time it is compressed influence the severity of your symptoms and the course of your recovery after the disks have healed or undergone surgical treatment. Nerves that are tightly compressed for long periods of time take longer to heal – sometimes several months. However, herniated disks alone, even when several disks are involved, do not typically cause permanent nerve damage.

Bony Changes

According to Dr. Jason Eubanks at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, herniated disks are not the only cause of radicular pain. The complex joints between the bones of your cervical spine are also subject to injury and degeneration, which eventually manifests as arthritis. As arthritis progresses, the openings that serve as conduits for your nerve roots can become narrowed by bony overgrowth. Since herniated disks and degenerative arthritis often coexist in your cervical spine, your nerves can be compromised by any combination of herniated or bulging disks and encroaching bone.

Prognosis

A 1994 study conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, demonstrated that 32 percent of patients with cervical radicular pain had recurrent symptoms, and 26 percent required surgery to deal with unmanageable pain. However, 90 percent of the study’s 561 participants were without pain or were only minimally incapacitated after 14 years of follow-up. Another study published in the August 1996 issue of “Spine” showed that 24 of 26 patients with MRI-documented cervical disk herniations recovered without surgery, and 21 returned to their previous occupations. Multiple disk herniations may take longer to heal than single disks, but permanent nerve damage is unlikely to result from disk herniations. If your symptoms don’t improve within six to eight weeks, or if they worsen at any time, see your doctor for an evaluation.