Out-of-state? Free MRI review + telehealth consult before you travel4.9 ★ · 619 Google reviewsBoard-certified — American Board of Orthopaedic SurgeryMinimally invasive, same-day spine surgery in Beverly HillsCall (424) 217-7463
Out-of-state? Free MRI review + telehealth consult before you travel4.9 ★ · 619 Google reviewsBoard-certified — American Board of Orthopaedic SurgeryMinimally invasive, same-day spine surgery in Beverly HillsCall (424) 217-7463
Cervical radiculopathy means a nerve root in the neck is being squeezed or irritated where it leaves the spine. The trouble starts in the neck, but most of the symptoms show up farther down. Pain, numbness, or weakness runs into the shoulder, arm, and hand along the route that one nerve supplies.
Most cases come from wear-and-tear changes: a disc that has herniated, or bone spurs and a narrowed opening (foraminal stenosis) crowding the nerve. An injury such as a car accident or a fall can cause it too. Because each nerve root supplies a known strip of the arm and hand, where you feel symptoms tells Dr. Melamed a lot about which level is involved.
✓Pain that travels from the neck into the shoulder, arm, or hand
✓Numbness or pins-and-needles in the arm or fingers
✓Weakness in the shoulder, arm, or grip
✓A sharp or burning pain that worsens when you turn or tilt your head
✓Reduced reflexes in the arm
✓Trouble with fine hand tasks, like buttoning a shirt
What causes Cervical Radiculopathy?
Herniated cervical disc pressing on a nerve root
Bone spurs and arthritis narrowing the nerve's exit (foraminal stenosis)
Disc degeneration and loss of disc height
Injury from a car accident, fall, or sport
Less often, instability, infection, or tumor
How is Cervical Radiculopathy diagnosed?
Dr. Melamed maps where the pain, numbness, and weakness travel and checks strength, sensation, and reflexes in both arms. An MRI shows which disc or bone spur is pressing on which nerve. X-rays or a CT scan add detail about the bone, and nerve studies (EMG) can help when the picture is unclear or when a nerve problem elsewhere in the arm needs to be ruled out.
How is Cervical Radiculopathy treated?
Many people with cervical radiculopathy improve without surgery. The first steps are usually physical therapy, posture and workstation changes, anti-inflammatory medication, and sometimes a steroid injection near the irritated nerve. Dr. Melamed gives that plan a fair trial.
Surgery comes up when arm pain doesn't settle, when weakness is getting worse, or when the spinal cord is also being compressed. Then the goal is to take pressure off the nerve with as little disruption as possible. Depending on what is pressing on it, that can be a minimally invasive foraminotomy or disc removal, an artificial disc replacement that keeps the level moving, or a fusion when the segment is unstable. Dr. Melamed matches the operation to the cause, not the other way around.
Will a pinched nerve in my neck get better on its own?
Often, yes. Arm pain from cervical radiculopathy frequently eases over weeks to a few months with therapy, medication, and activity changes. Worsening weakness, symptoms in both arms, or trouble with balance or hand coordination are reasons to be seen promptly.
How is this different from cervical myelopathy?
Radiculopathy is pressure on a single nerve root, so symptoms follow one path down one arm. Myelopathy is pressure on the spinal cord itself, which tends to affect hand coordination, balance, and walking. The two can happen together, and the difference changes how urgent treatment is.
Do I need a fusion for a pinched nerve in my neck?
Not necessarily. Many cases never need surgery, and when they do, a targeted decompression or a motion-preserving disc replacement may be enough. Fusion is used when the level is unstable or when other options won't do the job. Dr. Melamed explains which applies to you and why.
