Symptoms and Causes of Cervical Radiculopathy
The nerves that connect to your cervical spine (neck) extend out to the following body parts.
- Arms
- Shoulders
- Chest
- The upper back.
Because of this, depending on which nerve root is injured, the neurological symptoms caused by cervical radiculopathy might spread from your neck to any one of or a combination of these body regions. Cervical radiculopathy often only affects one side of your body, such as your right arm rather than both arms.
The following neurological signs of cervical radiculopathy that may develop in your neck include:
- Numbness
- Pain
- A “pins and needles” sensation or tingling
- Weakened reflexes
- Muscular weakness
Different people are affected by cervical radiculopathy. You could have one or all of the aforementioned neurological symptoms.
Those who suffer from cervical radiculopathy frequently describe the pain as sharp or burning. Certain neck movements, such as stretching or straining it, may make the pain worse. Some cervical radiculopathy patients report feeling less pain when they rest their hands on top of their heads. The afflicted nerve root may experience a brief release of pressure as a result.
When a nerve root in your neck (cervical spine) becomes compressed (pinched) and irritated, it results in cervical radiculopathy.
There are two basic causes of this compression:
- Age-related degenerative alterations to the spine (cervical spondylosis)
- A bulging or herniated neck disc [1]