Are you in New York or New Jersey? Are you experiencing radiculopathy symptoms such as pain, numbness, arms & legs weakness, and tingling? You require a spine specialist’s attention near you because you may be suffering from either cervical radiculopathy, thoracic radiculopathy, lumbar radiculopathy.
Radiculopathy is a spinal condition describing pain, tingling, and numbness due to nerve root compression. Spinal nerve roots are nerve origins from where they branch off from your spinal cord to connect to different body parts. Nerves cause sensations by sending impulses to the brain.
Continue reading to understand more about different types of radiculopathy, the symptoms, plus how our New York Spinal Specialists alleviate all symptoms of radiculopathy.
Radiculopathy Causes and Risk Factors
Radiculopathy occurs due to compressed spinal nerves, causing numbness, tingling pain, and weakness in the innervated regions by the compressed nerve. The nerve compressions may come from herniated discs, osteoarthritis, thickened surrounding ligaments, or from a bone spur, tumors, etc.
Most commonly, radiculopathy affects the lower back neck region and occurs less typically in the spinal portion of the spine column. That causes three types of radiculopathy: cervical radiculopathy, thoracic radiculopathy, and lumbar radiculopathy.
If you participate in activities placing excessive load on your spine, or you’re involved in contact sports and heavy labor, you have increased chances of radiculopathy. Also, you’re predisposed if your family has a history of spinal disorders and radiculopathy. Let’s look into these Radiculopathy types.
Lumbar, Thoracic and Cervical Radiculopathy
If you’re sitting or walking, and you experience deep, steady radiating pain through the backside of your leg to the foot region. That is due to compression of the sciatic nerve; hence the leg pain is described as sciatica.
Cervical radiculopathy occurs when the neck nerve is compressed or irritated at the point where it leaves the spinal cord. That can result in shoulder and localized neck pain and muscle weakness, and numbness that travels down the arm into the hand. Lumbar radiculopathy occurs in the lower region of the spine.
Thoracic radiculopathy occurs due to a compressed nerve root in the thoracic spine. The symptoms follow a dermatomal distribution, causing numbness and pain that wraps towards the front of your body.
Diagnosing Radiculopathy
To diagnose radiculopathy, our specialist will perform a physical examination that includes observing for troubled sitting. Also, assessing for coughing plus leg and arm weakness or numbness or tingling in the back or leg sensation or reflex changes, hypersensitivity pain in the arm or shoulder worsening pain with neck or head Diagnosis plus medical history taking.
In addition to physical assessment, we may run specific tests or scans such as an X-ray to view disc narrowing or bone alignment, an MRI scan to get soft-tissue images and nerve roots of your spinal cord, plus a CT scan to see the fine bone’s fine details. Electromyography plus Nerve conduction studies also help to pinpoint whether the problem is neurological or muscular.
Radiculopathy Treatment By New York Surgical Specialists
At New York Centre for Spine Excellence, our various interventional nonsurgical treatments for lumbar radiculopathy include exercises and Physical therapy and exercises to stabilize the spine and create a more open space for spinal nerve roots. Medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), reduce swelling and pain and analgesics to relieve pain.
With the help of an x-ray machine, epidural steroid injection helps alleviate the nerve compression if the above solutions aren’t effective. Where radiculopathy persists despite all the nonsurgical treatment, especially with severe radiculopathy, our specialists go for surgical spinal canal and spinal nerve root surgery to eliminate the nerve compression of the affected nerves.
Our surgical procedures include laminectomy and discectomy. In a laminectomy, we remove small bone portions covering the involved nerve root to give it additional space, while discectomy eliminates disc portions that are herniated, compressing the nerve.
Radiculopathy Patient’s Treatment Responses
There are infection risks, complications from anesthesia, plus bleeding. After recovering from radiculopathy surgery, some patients may still have sharp pain or other symptoms. What is the outlook for radiculopathy?
Most radiculopathy patients respond well with conservative treatment such as medication and Physical therapy or chiropractic treatment, and symptoms often improve within six weeks to three months. Surgery recommended patients usually improve after a recovery period. Following treatment, most people can work and take part in other daily activities.
Preventing Cervical, Thoracic, or Lumbar Radiculopathy
New York spine specialists believe prevention is better than a cure. Therefore, take frequent breaks when doing repetitive work and wear supportive shoes. Also, look for shoes with good arch support and avoid wearing high heels for extended periods.
What’s more? Incorporate exercise into your daily routine because staying fit can help protect your spine. Plus, maintaining good spinal posture and a healthy weight. Use safe methods to lift heavy objects and prevent back. Remember to bend your knees as you lift, not your back. Also, as you move bulky objects, ask for help.
Radiculopathy FAQs
How Do I Relieve Nerve Root Pain?
You can use analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxers to alleviate radiculopathy pain. Oral steroids plus steroid injections ease inflammation and swelling around the nerve root to prevent pain from worsening.
Is Nerve Compression Permanent?
Rarely, radiculopathy may continue with weakness and numbness worsening despite treatments. The longer the signs prevail, the chances of paralysis increase.
How Long Does Cervical Spine Compression Take to Heal?
Generally, patients with radiculopathy recover within six to twelve weeks to heal, if not sooner.
What Is the Best Painkiller for Nerve Pain?
Tricyclic antidepressants, such as doxepin (Sinequan), amitriptyline (Elavil), and nortriptyline (Pamelor), effectively ease nerve pain. Also, serotonin-reuptake inhibitors like duloxetine and venlafaxine.
Radiculopathy affects the quality of life, reducing your productivity and affecting your general health. That’s why New York Spine Specialists provides dedicated spine radiculopathy therapy for all New Yorkers and everyone around the globe. Contact us today at (516) 355-0111 or request an appointment.
Our dedicated staff, state-of-the-art facilities, and multicultural accommodations. If you have any queries or you want to visit our facilities in NYC, Westchester, Secaucus, and other locations, feel free to contact us. We wish you good health.