Cervical Radiculopathy

What is cervical radiculopathy?

Cervical radiculopathy is a condition that results from a pinched nerve in cervical spine (neck region). The symptoms of pain, numbness, tingling and weakness may radiate from the neck down the arm and into the hand, or sometimes only affect the hand. Cervical radiculopathy may occur by itself, or in conjunction with pinched nerves elsewhere in the upper extremity, as seen in carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome. The cumulative effect of multiple sites of nerve compression is called double crush syndrome.

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Overview

Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Why treatment matters

Suspected wrist fractures warrant emergent treatment if you are experiencing hand numbness and tingling, severe or “tight” swelling, significant deformity of the wrist, or any open wounds around the wrist (possible open or compound fracture).

Even without these warning signs, it is best to seek urgent treatment as the results of delayed treatment of scaphoid fractures often leads to undesirable outcomes such as nonunion (won’t heal) or malunion (heals crooked).

Patient with an arm cast for wrist or hand injury

Nonoperative treatment:

Splinting and casting are the mainstays of nonoperative treatment of scaphoid fractures that are stable and not badly displaced (out of alignment). Scaphoid fractures are typically not able to be “set” straight without surgery. Cast treatment usually lasts 6-8 weeks as these are slow-healing fractures.

Operative treatment:

Surgical repair of scaphoid fractures is often required when the fracture pieces are unstable (won’t stay in place), or not healing properly with cast treatment. We perform a regional block to numb the arm and then make a small incision at the wrist to restore the alignment of the broken scaphoid and hold the pieces in place with an internal metal screw. Even with operative treatment, there is a risk of nonunion (won’t heal) or malunion (heals crooked).

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Our board-certified specialists are here to help you heal. They can often diagnose the problem in one visit and get you started with a personalized treatment plan. We offer a wide variety of treatment options.