Radiculopathy

What is radiculopathy?

Radiculopathy happens when a nerve root in the spine becomes compressed or inflamed causing pain, tingling or weakness. Because the nerves in your spine extend from your back and neck into your arms and legs, irritation at the source can cause symptoms anywhere along the nerve’s path. Many people describe this pain as sharp, burning or electric, often shooting down an arm or leg.

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Diagram of the cervical spine showing C1 to C7 vertebrae, spinal cord, and nerve compression effects.

Anatomy of the spine

Your spine is made up of small bones stacked on top of each other (vertebrae) with soft discs that act as cushions. Nerve roots branch out from your spinal cord and exit through small openings between the vertebrae. If those spaces become smaller — because of wear and tear, disc changes, arthritis or other conditions — the nerve can get pinched, causing radiculopathy.

Overview

Symptoms

Symptoms can vary depending on which nerve is affected and may include:

Sharp or shooting pain in the neck, back, arms or legs
Tingling or “pins and needles” sensations
Numbness in the hands, fingers, feet or toes
Muscle weakness
Worsening pain with certain movements or positions

Causes

Radiculopathy may be caused by:

Herniated or bulging discs
Bone spurs or spinal arthritis
Degenerative disc disease
Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
Injury or repetitive strain

Your risks can increase over time due to age-related changes, posture and lifestyle factors.

Diagnosis

Our spine specialists will start with a thorough evaluation of your symptoms, medical history and physical examination. To help identify the source of nerve compression, advanced imaging tests, including MRI or CT scans, may be ordered. In some cases, nerve studies such as electromyography (EMG) may be used to help assess how well the nerve is functioning.

Why treatment matters

It is important to seek prompt evaluation of radiculopathy especially if your symptoms are getting worse or you are having weakness, significant numbness, loss of coordination or changes in bowel or bladder function. These symptoms may indicate more serious nerve compression that requires urgent care. Even if your symptoms aren’t this severe, delaying care can lead to ongoing nerve irritation, prolonged pain, or, in some cases, permanent nerve damage and weakness.

Nonsurgical treatment

Most cases of radiculopathy improve without surgery. Treatments including physical therapy, targeted exercises and medications focus on relieving nerve irritation and reducing pain. Your doctor may also recommend steroids or image-guided spinal injections to decrease inflammation around affected nerves.

Surgical treatment

If your symptoms are severe or do not respond to nonsurgical methods, your specialist may recommend surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve. Surgery involves removing the portion of herniated disc or bone that is pressing on the nerve to relieve pressure on the nerve, relieve pain and restore mobility.