Cervical Radiculopathy

What is cervical radiculopathy?

Radiculopathy develops in your spine when the nerves suffer damage or compression. Lumbar radiculopathy (sciatica) affects the lower back, while cervical radiculopathy affects the neck.

The seven cervical vertebrae that form your neck protect the spinal cord, a nerve hub that connects your brain to the rest of your body. Nerves spread out from your spinal cord through gaps in the vertebrae to reach your organs and other tissues. 

Cervical radiculopathy occurs when something injures the nerve roots exiting your spine.

What symptoms does cervical radiculopathy cause?

Neck pain is a primary cervical radiculopathy symptom, but you could also experience:

• Tingling
• Prickling
• Burning sensations
• Numbness
• Weakness
• Loss of function

Symptoms often extend into the arms, following the path of the damaged nerve. 

What might cause cervical radiculopathy?

To determine the cause, your provider completes a physical exam and evaluates diagnostic images. In most cases, chronic cervical radiculopathy is due to long-term spinal disorders, such as:

• Degenerative disc disease 
• Herniated discs
• Spinal stenosis 
• Arthritis 
• Bone spurs

Cervical radiculopathy could also result from an acute injury that causes the vertebrae to move, damages the soft tissues, or results in swelling.

What treatments help with cervical radiculopathy?

Expert Pain typically begins your treatment for cervical radiculopathy with conservative measures. Physical therapy strengthens weakened tissues, improves your posture, reduces nerve compression, and helps to encourage healing in the damaged tissues by increasing blood flow. You might also need medication to reduce pain and inflammation.

Patients who don’t improve sufficiently with conservative approaches might require cervical steroid injections. These deliver anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving drugs directly to the affected spinal nerves. 

In most cases, you don’t need to prepare for the injection. Your provider sterilizes the injection site and positions you so their fluoroscopic (moving X-ray) device has a clear view. Your provider inserts the needle and follows the images on the screen to place your medication precisely.

What options are available for persistent cervical radiculopathy?

For more persistent cervical radiculopathy symptoms, you might benefit from Expert Pain’s advanced interventions. 

One option is radiofrequency ablation, which heats the nerves so they stop sending pain messages to your brain. Another is neuromodulation, which alters spinal nerve pain signals. Expert Pain uses the cutting-edge BurstDR™ and HF10 spinal cord stimulation devices.

For effective cervical radiculopathy treatment, call Expert Pain to schedule a consultation or use the online booking form to request an appointment.