Cervical radiculopathy can be caused by anything that puts pressure on the nerves roots in the spine. In young people, cervical radiculopathy may be caused due to a pressure from the material from ruptured disc. It may also be caused due to a pressure from herniated disk. In older people, cervical radiculopathy may be caused due to degenerative changes in bones or discs, which can put pressure on the nerves. Degenerative disk diseases like arthritis may also cause the nerves to compress.
Cervical Radiculopathy symptoms
Even if cervical radiculopathy is caused due to damage in the spine, the symptoms can be felt away from the spine. The symptoms of cervical radiculopathy can be experienced in the areas where the damaged nerve travels. Some of the symptoms of cervical radiculopathy include pain, numbness, and weakness in the arm, hand or shoulder. You may also experience neck pain or headaches in the back part of your head and tingling of fingers and hands.
Cervical Radiculopathy diagnosis
The diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy is done by understanding a patient’s complete history and by performing certain physical examinations. To know the cause of pain, your doctor will firstly ask your complete medical history. He will then ask you to perform certain neck and arm movements to reproduce symptoms.
He may remove X-ray to see whether any degenerative disk problem has occurred. X-ray may give him an idea regarding the amount of degeneration occurred. He may also ask you to have MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and CT (Computed Tomography) scan to evaluate the spine.
