The arm may experience numbness and tingling for various reasons, from heart disease to improper posture while sitting or sleeping. Undiagnosed arm numbness, however, may be a sign of a severe medical issue, such as nerve injury, cardiovascular disease, or a herniated disc. Heart attacks and strokes are potent triggers of arm numbness.
The neck’s (cervical spine) wear and tear or injury might result in issues that aggravate or compress the nearby nerves. This condition, termed cervical radiculopathy, is frequently brought on by a herniated disc or a bony development called a bone spur.
Cervical radiculopathy is one of the many musculoskeletal disorders that a neurosurgeon can treat. They can assist you in finding remedies to lessen tingling and pain while restoring functionality, allowing you to reclaim your quality of life. Find out more about cervical radiculopathy below:
Cervical radiculopathy in a nutshell
Radiculopathy, often known as a pinched nerve, is the compression, harm, or irritation of nerve roots at the point where they emerge from the spine. When this develops in the cervical spine, it leads to cervical radiculopathy.
You can move your arm and hand thanks to the nerve roots from the cervical spine to the arm. These roots provide sensation and electrical information. However, a nerve can’t operate normally when crushed or inflamed. Cervical radiculopathy may be the cause of tingling in your arms.
Symptoms
The neck, arms, and shoulders may experience various symptoms due to cervical radiculopathy. The most typical signs are:
- Tingling
- Numbness
- Headaches
- Muscle weakness.
Your arm or shoulder may be the only location where you experience symptoms; some activities may worsen your pain. Back-of-the-head pain from cervical radiculopathy is common, and some people experience flare-ups during which their symptoms worsen.
Some patients claim that putting their hands on their heads helps them feel less discomfort. That may momentarily ease pressure on the nerve root.
Treatment
There are different treatment options for cervical radiculopathy:
Nonsurgical therapy
Nonsurgical care is the first line of defense for cervical radiculopathy. Options for nonsurgical therapy include:
- Flexible cervical collar: Your doctor may recommend that you wear a soft cervical collar for some time to give your neck muscles a break and prevent excessive neck motion. This may lessen the pinching of the nerve roots brought on by neck movement.
- Physical treatment: Exercises can aid with pain management, neck muscle strengthening, and range of motion enhancement. It is occasionally possible to relax the neck’s joints and muscles using traction.
Medications.
Medication may make you feel better
in certain situations.
- If inflammation or irritation of the nerves is the cause of your pain, NSAIDs such as aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen may help.
- A short dosage of oral corticosteroids may aid in pain relief by lowering edema and inflammation near the nerve.
- Steroid injections are administered close to the injured nerve to lessen local inflammation.
Surgical Intervention
Your doctor can advise surgery if, after some time, nonsurgical and medication treatment does not help you feel better. Neurosurgeons might use a variety of techniques to treat cervical radiculopathy. Your symptoms and the affected nerve root’s location will influence the surgery your doctor advises.