Spine
Radiculopathy
Radiculopathy is a condition cause by a compressed nerve in the spine. You may experience pain, numbness or tingling as a result. It most commonly occurs in the lower back and neck.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms are pain, numbness and tingling in the arms or legs. You may also feel neck or back pain and light touch to the affected area may feel painful. If you develop weakness in the muscles, it may indicate nerve damage.
Treatment
The good news is most people get relief from anti-inflammatory medicines, physical therapy or chiropractic treatment, and avoiding activity that strains the neck or back. Symptoms often improve in six weeks to three months. You may also get relief from epidural steroid injection if the other treatments don’t work.
For some people, symptoms may not improve with these treatments, and surgery may be an option to remove the compression. Depending on the cause of your radiculopathy, this can be done by a laminectomy or a discectomy. A laminectomy removes a small portion of the bone covering the nerve to give it extra space. A discectomy removes the portion of the disc that is compressing the nerve.