Radiculopathy

Disease of one or more spinal nerve roots (radicles = "roots").

Radiculopathy means disease affecting one of the nerve roots that arise from the spinal cord, travel for a short distance in the spinal canal, and then exit through one of the neural foramina alongside the spinal column on their way to the neck, arms, legs, trunk, or abdomen. Radicular symptoms can include weakness, pain, or loss of feeling in the area of the body to which the affected nerve goes.

Causes of radiculopathy are usually mechanical (sudden pulling on the arm can injure a cervical (neck) nerve root, pressure from a herniated disc in the neck or lower back can cause a "pinched nerve", a nerve root can also be irritated causing pain or weakness due to formation of scar tissue [epidural fibrosis/ adhesive arachnoiditis] around it ......)

Treatment can be with physical therapy, medication (oral or injected around the affected nerve root), or surgical (last resort).

Symptoms: pain, weakness, and/or numbness on one side of the body in a portion of an extremity (arm or leg) in the distribution of one of the spinal nerve roots.

Signs:: weakness in muscle innervated by that root: (spinal cord segments).  sensory loss (inability to feel light touch, hot/cold, pinprick) in a distribution more or less dermatomal.  reflex decrease or absence.

(compare: Myelopathy)

Roots

Spine

Table:  Radiculopathy clinical presentation by root

Radiculopathy - pathophysiology

Cervical disc herniation - presentation

Cervical disc herniation - workup

Cervical discectomy - procedure

Lumbar disc herniation - presentation

Lumbar disc herniation - workup

Lumbar discectomy - procedure

Lumbar stenosis - presentation

Cauda equina syndrome - presentation

Lumbar laminectomy

Spine surgery Specialty Center

figure: nerve root compressed in foramen by herniated intervertebral disc

Table: clinical features radiculopathy by spinal level

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