Linda
I had a herniated disk in my neck a year and a half ago. There are cushions between the bony disks all down your spine. When that cushion has pressure put on too much such as in an injury, the cushion bulges out one side and can even rupture. That bulge or rupture then puts pressure on the surrounding nerves and thus the pain that goes different places. I had no pain in my neck, but had back pain and pain that went down my right arm. I thought I had strained a muscle in my back. My doctor didn't discover it until after about 4 weeks, the pain had not gone away and then my fingers started getting numb. That's when they ordered an MRI and the herniated disk was discovered. I was lucky, I did not have to have surgery. But it took three months before the pain went away and now I have to be careful what I do as I could injure myself again. I can't lift or push heavy items. Can't ride rollercoasters or go water or snow skiing. Some people have to have surgery if the pain does not go away and I was told that it needs to be done within three months or you could be left with a permanent chronic pain even though the surgery corrects the initial problem. Now if the herniated disk is in the back, things and results are different. Hang in there. I hope this helps.