Treatment for Pinched or Irritated Spinal Nerves
A pinched or irritated nerve can cause much more than pain in your back or neck.
When a spinal nerve root becomes compressed or inflamed, symptoms can travel into your arm, hand, buttock or leg.
At ECPC Pain Specialists, our board-certified interventional pain medicine physicians evaluate the underlying cause of radiculopathy and develop individualized treatment plans designed to reduce pain and improve function.
What Is Radiculopathy?
Radiculopathy occurs when a nerve root near the spine becomes compressed or irritated. Depending on where the affected nerve is located, radiculopathy can occur in the neck, upper back or lower back.
Cervical radiculopathy affects nerves in the neck and may cause symptoms into the shoulder, arm or hand.
Lumbar radiculopathy affects nerves in the lower back and may cause symptoms into the buttock or leg.
What Causes Radiculopathy?
Several conditions can place pressure on a spinal nerve root, including:
- Herniated or bulging discs
- Degenerative disc changes
- Bone spurs
- Arthritis
- Spinal stenosis
- Changes in the alignment of the spine
- Trauma or injury
Age-related changes in the discs and bones of the spine can also contribute to nerve compression.
Symptoms of Radiculopathy
Symptoms depend on which nerve is affected.
You may experience:
- Sharp, shooting or burning pain
- Numbness
- Tingling or “pins and needles”
- Muscle weakness
- Pain traveling down an arm or leg
- Difficulty sitting, standing or walking comfortably
Cervical radiculopathy may cause pain, numbness or tingling that travels from the neck into the shoulder, arm or hand. Lumbar radiculopathy can cause symptoms that travel from the lower back into the buttock and leg.
How Is Radiculopathy Diagnosed?
Your physician will begin with a detailed history and physical examination. Depending on your symptoms, imaging such as an X-ray, CT scan or MRI may be helpful.
An EMG and nerve conduction study may also be used in some situations to help determine whether symptoms are coming from a spinal nerve root or another type of nerve problem.
Treatment for Radiculopathy
Treatment depends on the cause and severity of your symptoms.
Conservative treatment may include physical therapy, activity modification and medication.
For patients who continue to experience significant symptoms, interventional treatments may include:
- Epidural steroid injections
- Cervical selective nerve-root blocks
- Lumbar epidural injections
- Other targeted spinal injections
- Radiofrequency procedures when another pain generator is identified
- Spinal cord stimulation for selected chronic conditions
Your treatment plan will be based on your specific diagnosis rather than simply treating the presence of a pinched nerve on an imaging study.
Take the Next Step
If pain, numbness or tingling is traveling from your neck or back into an arm or leg, an accurate diagnosis is an important first step.
Contact ECPC Pain Specialists to schedule an evaluation.