You need a thorough physical examination to point out what nerve is compressed. Grip strength can be the C8 nerve (somewhat rare) but the C6 nerve can occasionally have this effect. See the section on this website “symptoms of cervical nerve injuries” to understand what these nerve root symptoms can cause.
“Intermittent tingling in my pointer finger and thumb” is typically the C6 nerve which might fit with your CT scan findings. I am unclear why the CT scan was performed as an MRI is a much better tool for discovering the cause of nerve compression and there is no radiation used.
A CT scan by itself (without a myelogram-the dye injected in the CSF space) is not a good tool to determine what is occurring in the canal or the nerve root exit zone. I assume you have a C^ nerve compression problem and you should consider an MRI and then a SNRB (selective nerve root block-see website).
It is my opinion that an artificial disc is not useful where there is central canal stenosis (narrowing of the central canal compressing the spinal cord). In this situation, you want to stop motion of this segment as extension (bending the head backwards) can put the cord in jeopardy if the artificial disc allows too much motion. An ACDF (see website) is a much procedure for this situation.
Dr. Corenman
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.