Radiculopathy is a set of conditions where a nerve does not work (and send pain signals to the brain) properly. With this type of a condition, the problem with the nerve may be localized close to the spine, but the pain or sensation of pain can radiate from that place through the where the nerve ends (such as through an arm or down a leg). The image shows where the pain may be felt through the arm.
Neuropathic pain and Radiculopathy can come from pressure through a ruptured disc, degenerative bone conditions, arthritis or other injuries that put pressure on the nerve roots. In middle-aged people however, normal degenerative changes in the discs can cause pressure on nerve roots.
Neck And Arm Pain is an infographic put together by Mount Sinai hospital in New York, and it’s worth looking at.
While not specific to neuropathic pain, the poster points out several important points and tips:
- Exercise and keep your weight under control, but don’t strain your neck or do anything too aggressive.
- Don’t smoke
- And of course, see your doctor if your pain lasts longer than 8 weeks, you experience neck or back pain along with pain across other extremities, you have numbness or tingling, or if your muscles aren’t responding as they normally do.
At Allevio Pain Management in Toronto, our physicians can help you understand and decide your best course of actions, and should a procedure make sense, they have specific tools to help them make sure the procedure is done properly. Be very careful when you have any work done to your neck or spine that is being done properly by specialists, and that they are using proper tools to help them.