A small disc herniation at T5-6 can cause three different types of symptoms. The most rare symptom is myelopathy, the dysfunction of the spinal cord. This almost never happens with the size of disc herniation you have.
The second is radiculopathy or compression of the spinal nerve that exits the cord. This will cause radiating chest pain as you had previously described. Normally, this pain will disappear over time.
The third is local spine pain from the degenerative disc disease. This is the most common symptom of a thoracic herniated disc.
Your disorder as described and symptoms are not serious and you can use common treatment methods. Chiropractic, massage, physical therapy, medications and epidural injections (rarely facet injections) are the treatment options.
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.