Cervical Radiculopathy

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Cervical radiculopathy refers to clinical symptoms of pain and neurological complaints brought on by a condition that affects a nerve in the neck (cervical spine region). Injuries at the level of the nerve root most often result in pain (radicular pain), weakness, numbness or difficulty controlling specific muscles.

What Causes Radiculopathy

The cervical nerves exit the cervical spine at each level and branch out to supply muscles that allow functioning of the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers and carry sensory fibers to the skin and muscles that provide sensation. Problems occur with nerve root impingement or any nerve root in the cervical spine is inflamed or irritated through compression.

Pain and radicular symptoms may radiate along that nerve’s pathway into the arm and hand. Radiculopathy is a mechanical compression of a nerve root that may be secondary to degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, facet joint degeneration/hypertrophy, ligamentous hypertrophy, spondylolisthesis, or a combination of these factors.