Patient resources
Definitions
Cervical Radiculopathy is where there is a neurological deficit within the upper limb, often occurring with radicular pain, in keeping with a single nerve root level.
Typical Signs & Symptoms
Cervical radiculopathy can present clinically as pain, sensory loss, motor weakness and reflex deficit in the distribution of the affected nerve root.
Prevalence
The annual incidence of cervical radiculopathy in men is 107 in 100,000 and in women is 64 in 100,000. The most commonly affected nerve roots are C7 (50 - 70%), C6 (>20%), C8 (10%), and C5 (2 - 10%).
Risk Factors
- White race
- Cigarette smoking
- Prior lumbar radiculopathy
- Other risk factors that have been proposed include lifting heaving objects, frequent diving from a board and driving equipment that vibrates.
Prognosis
Most people with cervical radiculopathy will improve regardless of the treatment, with over 85% of acute cervical radiculopathy resolving without any specific treatments, within 8 to 12 weeks.
Differential diagnosis
The differential diagnosis is broad but includes trauma and non-musculoskeletal disease processes that can be classified as neoplastic, inflammatory, infectious, vascular, endocrinological or neurological.