What is Cervical Radiculopathy: Pinched Nerve in Your Neck

Your spinal cord is the biggest collection of nerves in your entire body (other than your brain). The spinal cord is protected and supported by the spine bones - vertebrae. The stacking of the spine bones on top of each other creates a protective tunnel which is termed the spinal canal. It is almost like a super highway. All the nerves of the spinal cord travel through the spinal canal to get to all parts of your body. The individual spinal nerves exit the spinal cord through small holes termed foramen - the exit ramps of the super highway. Between the bones of the vertebrae are joints and vertebral discs which cushion the spine and allow for some motion of your spine. The discs and joints help to form the foramen. Occasionally, the exiting nerves can become pinched or compressed by arthritis from the joints or from discs which break down and herniate. A pinched nerve leads to radiculopathy. When it occurs in the neck, it is termed cervical radiculopathy (as opposed to myelopathy, when the spinal cord itself is pinched and not just an individual exiting nerve).

So, what is cervical radiculopathy exactly? Sure, it’s a pinched nerve, but why does it happen? What are the symptoms? How is it diagnosed, and, most importantly, what do you do when it happens to you?

Here are a few things you need to know about this condition.

1.   What causes cervical radiculopathy?

The most common reason for cervical radiculopathy is due to the breakdown and herniation of the discs or osteoarthritis of the joints of the spine. Other causes can be trauma and metabolic conditions.  

Cervical radiculopathy can happen to anyone, but some people are considered to be at a higher risk. For instance, older adults are more likely to develop osteoarthritis, which is why they’re more susceptible to this radiculopathy. Also, bone spurs and herniated discs are more common in middle-aged and older adults.

Seemingly unrelated, smokers are at a higher risk. Due to reduced blood flow to the spinal discs (caused by smoking), their degeneration can be a bit faster. As a result, you could have spinal radiculopathy. Although the connection between smoking and cervical radiculopathy isn’t one that is universally accepted.

2.   What does a pinched nerve feel like?

So, what is cervical radiculopathy? Well, there’s one even better, more relevant question: what does a pinched nerve feel like? In fact, when people ask the first question, nine times out of ten, they actually want to know the latter.

The first symptom is pain. It’s usually sharp or burning, but it’s often radiating from the site of the pinched nerve to other areas. You may feel it anywhere from the neck to the shoulder down to your arms, hands, and into the fingers. You may even feel it in the lower back (in case of sciatica). In the case of cervical radiculopathy, it will usually be from the neck and can be associated with neck pain.

Other symptoms are numbness (with a loss of sensation), tingling, weakness, and even altered reflexes. You may see that your reflexes are significantly diminished or slower. With spinal cord compression they can be significantly increased.

Also, with pinched nerves, the pain is made worse with certain movements or positions.

3.   What makes cervical radiculopathy worse?

A bit earlier, while discussing symptoms, we mentioned that some movements make the pain worse. Well, there are other factors that contribute to this.

First of all, poor posture will increase the pressure on the cervical spine, which will significantly worsen the symptoms.

Heavy lifting, especially while doing shoulders (barbell shoulder press, for instance), and if you’re employing improper lifting technique.

Improper sleeping positions are also a common reason why you might want to look up cervical radiculopathy. Still, while this will cause neck pain and may make your cervical radiculopathy worse, it doesn’t mean that there’s always a correlation.

A sedentary lifestyle will make this worse and if you’re spending most of your day sitting or lying down with little to no exercise, you might want to warm or stretch the area at least once per day. Just bear in mind that a sedentary lifestyle doesn’t directly cause radiculopathy; it just weakens your muscles and makes your posture worse.

An injury can be a cause of cervical radiculopathy, but it could also make an existing radiculopathy worse.

4.   Will a pinched nerve go away on its own?

Other than googling, “What is cervical radiculopathy?” The most common question you’ll probably hear is, “Will a pinched nerve go away on its own?

Whether or not the injury will heal depends on the severity of the case. Mild cases may go away on their own, and moderate cases can improve with the right conservative treatment. Severe cases, however, will likely not get better on their own.

Recovery, however, is affected by a number of factors.

• Lifestyle modifications: A more dynamic lifestyle, maintaining a good posture will already make a huge difference. Strengthening surrounding muscles can also help.

• Medical intervention: Early medical intervention and appropriate treatment will definitely facilitate your recovery process.

Depending on the severity of the situation and factors affecting recovery, you may heal anywhere from a couple of weeks to months.

5.   How do you fix a pinched nerve?

Lastly, the question “What is cervical radiculopathy?” is usually followed by inquiries about a treatment. So, how do you fix a pinched nerve? Well, let’s start with the direct treatment.

Cervical radiculopathy treatment

Treatments for a pinched nerve range from non-invasive to invasive.

Rest, applying cold and heat, gentle stretching, and physical exercises are generally effective. If you can’t handle the pain, over-the-counter pain relievers can be very helpful.

If nothing else helps, your doctor may prescribe corticosteroid injections. This will reduce the nerve's inflammation, reducing the pressure.

Cervical radiculopathy exercises

There are so many exercises for cervical radiculopathy that are capable of making things considerably better for you.

Exercises like:

• Chin tucks

• Neck extensions

• Neck lateral flexion

• Neck rotation

Each of these exercises increases flexibility, improves your posture, and even strengthens surrounding muscles, making muscle spasms less likely.

Surgical Treatments

If all else fails and you are still symptomatic, surgery may be an option. Surgeries range from

Decompression and spinal fusion or decompression and disc replacement. The type of surgery needed is patient specific and a discussion you should have with your spine surgeon.

Wrap up

So, what is cervical radiculopathy?

The simplest answer is that it’s a pinched nerve in your neck that can happen for a number of reasons. This includes age related arthritic changes and various other conditions including injuries. You can treat it conservatively non-invasively or minimally invasively, physical therapy and exercise give great results, and with milder cases, it’s possible it will pass on its own.

If not, you can find relief from cervical radiculopathy - reach out to the specialists at the Orthopedic Institute of NJ today to explore effective treatment options today.