How to Treat Cervical Radiculopathy
Neck pain can cause incredible discomfort for patients. It may lead to tension headaches and pain in other areas of the body, such as the hands, arms and shoulders. The reason for your neck pain could be cervical radiculopathy, a relatively common condition that can significantly affect your quality of life. Learn what cervical radiculopathy is, the available treatment options and the healing process.
What Is Cervical Radiculopathy?
Cervical radiculopathy occurs when the cervical vertebrae compress the spinal cord nerve root. The nerve in the neck is pinched as a result. Seven small vertebrae comprise your cervical spine, which starts at your skull base, and this is where cervical radiculopathy occurs.
Nerves send messages between your muscles and your brain through your cervical spine. Nerve roots expand through your vertebrae openings, also known as foramina. Damage to the nerve roots can cause pain and a loss of sensation.
Cervical Radiculopathy Symptoms
Standard symptoms of cervical radiculopathy include:
- Hand or shoulder muscle weakness.
- Limited upper limb reflexes or spasms.
- Neck movement makes the pain worse.
- Burning or sharp pains in your neck, hand, arm or shoulder.
- Tingling sensations, or “pins and needles”.
Symptoms typically localize on one side of the body. However, it’s possible to experience bilateral symptoms, meaning they occur on both sides.
5 Causes of Cervical Radiculopathy
Any pressure on the nerve roots can result in damage. However, five common causes of cervical radiculopathy are:
- Trauma or injury: Falling over and other accidents may lead to issues such as vertebral or disc damage.
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD): Changes to your spinal disc can come with age and wear and tear.
- Osteophytes (bone spurs): Along the bone edges of your spine, bony growths may develop to meet at the joints.
- Spinal stenosis: Spinal stenosis causes pressure on the nerves and spinal cord due to the narrowing of spaces in the spine.
- Herniated discs: This condition occurs when the soft, rubbery center of an intervertebral disc pushes through the tough outer layer and irritates the surrounding nerves. It’s usually in the lower back, but a herniated disc can happen anywhere in the spine.
What Makes Cervical Radiculopathy Worse?
Several activities and habits can aggravate cervical radiculopathy. Limiting them as much as possible can make recovery much smoother.
Tension or Stress
Although stress is not always physical, your muscles can become tense during periods of stress. As a result, your muscles feel tight, limiting your ability to conduct certain activities and irritating your cervical radiculopathy. Simple techniques such as meditation and deep breathing can help limit aggravation to the nerves.
Straining and Heavy Lifting
As cervical radiculopathy can affect your arms, shoulders and hands, poor handling of heavy objects will provoke the condition. Stick to light weights at the gym, and stop immediately if you feel abnormal pain, numbness or tingling. Remember to breathe while lifting — holding your breath puts more pressure on your spine.
Bending Neck Movements
From painting a wall to looking down at your laptop or phone, twisting and bending neck movements add unnecessary stress to your spine and aggravate the nerves. Looking up and down, as well as twisting your neck side to side, may cause significant discomfort.
Imperfect Posture
Sitting for long periods at your computer without correct support, scrolling social media and reading are key culprits of poor posture. Especially if you have cervical radiculopathy, ensure you take appropriate action to limit these stresses on the cervical spine.
Sudden Movements
Making abrupt movements, such as turning your head quickly, can aggravate cervical radiculopathy. For example, playing sports may require sudden head movements. Patients dealing with cervical radiculopathy should take care to avoid high-impact movements.
How Do You Treat Cervical Radiculopathy?
Sometimes, cervical radiculopathy improves on its own without the need for treatment. However, if your condition shows limited signs of improvement, both surgical and nonsurgical options are available. Below are potential treatments to discuss with your care provider:
Medication
Medication can help relieve symptoms of cervical radiculopathy. Types of medications include:
- Corticosteroids: A prescription of corticosteroids may help alleviate the pain associated with cervical radiculopathy. The medication aims to reduce the inflammation and swelling around the nerve.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen, target the inflamed area to relieve pain. You can obtain them without a prescription.
Physical Therapy
A strength training regimen that includes stretches for your neck muscles may help alleviate cervical radiculopathy. Your physical therapy techniques should be tailored to your requirements, considering your overall health and the affected areas of your neck. A physical therapy program begins with small exercises and progresses in terms of strength.
Steroid Injections
You may need a cervical epidural steroid injection (ESI). The injection is administered in the area of the spinal nerve and aims to reduce irritation and inflammation. Swelling may also decrease, but the results of these injections vary from person to person. Your spine specialist will advise on whether injections are the best course of action.
Cervical Collar
Widely known as a neck brace, a cervical collar limits neck movement and helps relieve the painful symptoms. Velcro holds the material in place. It’s advisable to wear a neck brace for about one to two weeks — wearing it for longer than the recommended time frame may cause degeneration of muscle tissue.
Surgery
For severe and relentless cervical radiculopathy pain, you may need to undergo surgery. Your spine specialist will advise further on whether surgery is an appropriate avenue to explore.
How Long Does It Take to Heal From Cervical Radiculopathy?
The recovery time for cervical radiculopathy depends on the severity of the condition. After starting your course of medication, you may begin to feel progress within a few weeks. Some patients may take a bit longer to recover fully. Especially after a spine fusion, the bone may take between six and 12 months to become solid.
Sticking to your physical therapy program can help speed up your recovery time.
How to Sleep With Cervical Radiculopathy
The discomfort caused by cervical radiculopathy can make it tricky to sleep. The healing process is affected by poor-quality sleep and stress on the body. To achieve the best sleeping pattern possible, follow the tips below:
Adjust Your Sleeping Position
Find a suitable sleeping position that is comfortable and does not cause any pain. Sleeping in a reclining position, side sleeping or sleeping on your back may help relieve pressure on your neck. Minimizing discomfort with your sleeping position will allow you to gain the quality sleep you need to recover fully.
Buy a Suitable Pillow
Using a supportive cervical pillow can ease pressure on your neck and improve your alignment. If you do not have a cervical pillow, a memory foam pillow adjusts to your head and neck shape, offering better sleep quality.
Stretch Before Bed
Before bedtime, introduce some gentle stretching exercises to help relieve tension and stress. For example, gently rotating and lifting your neck helps calm your spine muscles, which can aid in falling asleep.
Try Ice and Heat Treatment
When winding down for the night, try alternating between an ice pack and a heat pack to target swelling, pain or inflammation. Heat therapy is particularly beneficial for inflammation and pain, whereas cold treatment works well to reduce swelling.
Treat Cervical Radiculopathy With Help From a Specialist
Spine Institute of North America specializes in delivering tailored programs to tackle your cervical radiculopathy. When you visit one of our New Jersey treatment centers, you’ll receive personalized, compassionate support from our experienced board-certified specialists. We’ll work with you to determine the appropriate care approach based on your unique symptoms and condition.
Contact our team today for support and advice on cervical radiculopathy treatment.
