CORRELATION BETWEEN RISK FACTORS FOR ONSET OF DISC HERNIATION AND LOCALIZATION OF THE PATHOLOGIC CHANGE

Abstract

Background: Almost 70% of the population suffers from neck pain at some point during a lifetime. Our aim was to show the impact of the risk factors on the incidence of disc herniation and the localization of the pathology. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which MRI data of the cervical spine and data from the questionnaire designed for the study were used. The focus group consisted of 98 subjects aged 35-70 years with refractory neck pain. Results: Our study showed that in male subjects 40% of the herniated discs were at level of C3/C4 and C6/C7 respectively, and 47.06% of the herniated discs were at C5/C6 level in female subjects. Sedentary work had a significant impact on the prevalence of cervical disk herniation (Chi-square=16.88; df=3; p=0.00082), most commonly found (46.15%) at C5/C6 level. Conclusion: Disc herniation is most common in the middle cervical spine (C5/6). Significant predictors for the analyzed risk factors of cervical discs herniation are: age, genetic predisposition and work-related daily slouching or straining the neck.