radiculopathy

(pinched nerve)
Injury or damage to nerve roots in the area where they leave the spine.
(Types)
• cervical radiculopathy: Occurs in a nerve in the neck, resulting in pain in shoulders, and muscle weakness and numbness that travels down the arm into the hand.
• thoracic radiculopathy: Occurs in the upper region of the back, resulting in tingling, pain, and numbness that can extend to the front of the body.
• lumbar radiculopathy: Occurs in the lower region of the spine. Most commonly, the lower back is affected. It is associated with sciatica pain.
(Causes)
• disc degeneration
• disc herniation
• spinal stenosis
• other trauma
(Treatment)
Non-surgical treatment:
• rest or activity modification
• weight loss: Reduces pressure on the problem area.
• physical therapy: Strengthens the muscles and prevent further damage.
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioid medicines, muscle relaxants: Manage the symptoms.
• epidural steroid injection: Reduces inflammation and relieve pain.
Surgery:
• anterior discectomy and fusion: Removes the problematic disk or bone spurs and then stabilizes the spine through spinal fusion. Most common.
• posterior laminoforaminotomy: Thins down the lamina for better access to the damaged nerve and removes the bone, bone spurs, and tissues that are compressing the nerve root. If the compression is due to a herniated disk, the portion of the disk that is compressing the nerve is removed as well. Not requiring spinal fusion to stabilize the spine, maintaining better range of motion and quicker recovery will be possible.
• decompression surgery: Treats compressed nerves in the spine. Consists of laminectomy, discectomy, and spinal fusion.
• spinal fusion: Permanently joins together two or more vertebrae so there is no movement between them. Uses a bone graft (e.g. autograft, allograft) to help promote the fusion. They are placed into the space left where the disk has been removed. Most autografts are harvested from the iliac crest of the hip.
• artificial disk replacement: Replaces a worn or degenerated disk in the spine with an artificial disk made of metal or a combination of metal and plastic.
Cf. peripheral neuropathy

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