I Think I Have Early-Stage Cervical Disc Herniation: Which Hospital Should I Go To?

If the numbness extends down your arm, neurosurgery is the right department. Orthopedics focuses mainly on joints and bones, so diagnosing an early-stage disc problem often tends to be unclear.

Agreed, neurosurgery, let's go.

Well, saying "go to both" just sounds like dodging responsibility. If you have morning neck stiffness along with arm numbness, nerve compression is suspected, so isn't the order to first go to neurosurgery for an exam and get an MRI if needed? There are a lot of people who went to orthopedics first, got told to just stretch for a few weeks, and wasted time. But this is just my experience, so take it as a reference only.

I had something similar. I got an MRI at neurosurgery, and since it was early stage, I managed with medication and physical therapy. I'm almost back to normal now. Don't worry too much.

I'd say the opposite. In the early stages, conservative treatment takes priority over surgery or procedures, so it might be better to go to an orthopedic clinic and get manual therapy and traction first. If you go to neurosurgery, they'll probably want to do an MRI right away, and that's not cheap either. Either way, it's important to pick one place and stick with it consistently. If you keep hopping from one place to another, they can't track your progress, and you end up worse off.

Morning stiffness might be a pillow or posture issue—let's check that first.