Radiculopathy is a common condition that may involve lower back pain or neck pain near Miami. When the pain occurs in the neck, it is referred to as cervical radiculopathy. This condition is a dysfunction of the nerve root. Often called a “pinched nerve,” it occurs due to the compression or irritation of the nerve. This causes neck pain, along with pain that may radiate to the shoulder and down the arm. The underlying cause of cervical radiculopathy could be any medical condition that results in dysfunction of the nerve.
An orthopedic surgeon may determine that a patient’s cervical radiculopathy stems from degenerative disc disease of the upper spine, for example. This condition involves the gradual deterioration of the intervertebral discs in the spine. When the integrity of a disc is compromised, it may be more likely to herniate or rupture. The herniated material may then compress the nearby nerves. Alternatively, an orthopedic doctor may diagnose a patient with cervical spinal stenosis, which refers to the narrowing of the spinal canal in the upper spine. This causes nerve compression by reducing the amount of space in the spinal canal.
