There are 8 cervical nerve roots on each side of the neck. Any of those nerve roots can be compressed by a bulging disc. The most common discs involved in hand and arm pain are the ones compressing the C5, C6 or C7 nerve roots.
The pain distribution depends on which nerve root is compressed:
-The C5 nerve root is usually compressed by the C4-C5 disc & causes pain and /or numbness in the shoulder or down the middle of the arm & forearm.
-The C6 nerve root is usually compressed by the C5-C6 disc & causes pain and/or numbness on the outer aspect of the arm & forearm reaching the thumb.
-The C7 nerve root is usually compressed by the C6-C7 disc & causes pain and/or numbness on the dorsal aspect of the arm & forearm and reaches the second and third fingers.
Note that hand and occasionally forearm pain and numbness can be the result of a pinched nerve in the elbow (ulnar nerve) or the wrist (median nerve i.e. carpal tunnel syndrome).
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