Cervical radiculopathy: a common cause of neck, shoulder, and arm pain

Cervical radiculopathy is a medical term used to describe a condition that occurs when a nerve root in the neck (cervical spine) becomes irritated or compressed. This often leads to symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the neck, shoulder, arm, and hand.

Common symptoms include:

• Radiating arm pain

• Neck pain

• Numbness or tingling in the arm or hand

• Muscle weakness

• Difficulty with fine motor skills

For symptoms that don’t improve within 2 weeks with treatment using NSAIDs, you should be evaluated by a spine specialist. A thorough history and physical exam — along with an MRI of the cervical spine — will confirm the diagnosis.

For mild to moderate symptoms, treatment options usually include NSAIDs and physical therapy with traction. Fortunately, most patients feel relief within about 6 weeks. For moderate to severe symptoms, an x-ray guided injection of steroid around the compressed nerve can be helpful. For symptoms that do not improve with 6 weeks of non-surgical management, surgery can be considered. To learn more about surgery for this condition, click here.