Question
On the back of my neck, a vertebra is very prominent. I believe it is the 7th cervical vertebra as i have read that this vertebra can be very prominent. Beside this I have excellent posture and no pain. The vertebra right beneath it is slightly more prominent than the rest of my spine but it doesnt look abnormal. The best way that i can describe it is like this: when I lean forward, my neck does most of the bending first while the thoractic portion remains very straight relative to how my neck bends forward. I have noticed in other people that the upper thoractic spine bends more so than mine. I would say that the large vertebra has to make up for what the upper vertebra of the thoractic spine lacks in flexability. This is my guess at what is causing the vertebra at the base of my neck to be so prominent. When I stand straight up and i feel the vertebrae around the area, the large vertebra and everything beneath it lines up perfectly, the vertebra above the large vertebra line up perfectly. But the vertebra above the prominent vertebra feels like it is attached to the prominent vertebra such that the vertebrae above the prominent one are moved slightly forward toward the anterior. Ive had many compliments on my posture so it LOOKS normal but people have noticed this "horn." Others' necks feel more smooth while mine is more "kinked." Would a chiropractor be able to help me with this issue? Do you have any advice for my spine? Have you heard of a similar problem as I have not found anything relating to this on the internet?

Thank you,
Carl

Answer
Carl,

Thanks for the question and I hope I can provide some answers.

Yes I have seen this before and as with most,  you most likely simply have a larger spinous process on the C7 vertebrae than normal.  This is most likely no concern.  However, if you feel that your motion is somewhat restricted in the area, you may want to see a chiropractor and have a plain film xray of the region.  The xray will be a definitive answer as to whether there is an issue present or not.  The chiropractor can also check the motion segments to determine if proper motion is present or not.  While you are not experiencing any problems now, motion restriction tends  to lead to degenerative arthritis problems later.  I recommend just consulting with someone and maybe getting a simple 2 view xray series to check it out.

God Bless,

Dr. Boss