Ten Treatment Options For Cervical Radiculopathy
Cervical radiculopathy typically causes patients to have arm pain that is consistent with the particular nerve root that is being compressed. The most common cause is from a cervical disc herniation, which is called a “slipped disc” in layman’s terms. This pain may go into the shoulder area, down into the arm, or may extend all the way into the hand and fingers. The pain is typically burning and extremely irritating to patients. This article refers to treatment options for this diagnosis, not for other issues like tumors or fractures.
What are the available therapeutic options? Here are 10, starting with the most aggressive.
1) Surgery. Cervical disc surgery for radiculopathy is indicated for developing motor weakness that is not getting better. If motor weakness is watched for more than 3 to 6 months, it is unclear if even a satisfactory decompression will restore proper motor function. If an individual tries nonsurgical treatment for over 6 weeks and it doesn’t work, then surgery can be considered as a simple quality of life decision.
2) Interventional pain management. Often times the disc herniation will go away by itself, by disintegration. One of the methods to avoid surgery in the meantime is an epidural steroid injection. It can bathe the nerve root in a soothing anti-inflammatory material and reduce pain, thereby making life tolerable while the piece of disc pushing on the nerve root slowly disappears.
3) Physical Therapy. PT can help a lot in patient suffering with radiculopathy. The patient may need an epidural injection first along with pain medication, but physical therapy can improve range of motion and decrease pain.
4) Spinal Decompression Therapy. This is a nonsurgical traction that was FDA cleared back in 1996. It has been shown to work well for low back problems but in addition has shown satisfactory options for treating neck radiculopathy. Usually this treatment lasts for 20 sessions.
5) Chiropractic Treatment. Neck adjustments have been shown to be successful for neck pathology along with radiculopathy. The associated risks have been shown to be low, with deaths occurring in well under one in a million.
6) Narcotic Pain Medications. In acute situations, these can be extremely helpful. The pain from radiculopathy can be disabling, and these medications may allow the patient to be much more functional.
7) Non narcotic medications. These include neuromodulators like gabapentin, NSAIDS, and acetaminophen. They can assist with pain relief just as much as narcotics and should be first line treatment.
8) Muscle Relaxers. Muscle spasms are common with radiculopathy. Helping reduce them may decrease the patient’s overall pain.
9) Acupuncture. Acupuncture helps with many musculoskeletal issues including radiculopathy.
10) Massage. Can also decrease spasms and allow muscle relaxation.
Want to find out more about Phoenix Chiropractors, then visit Preferred Pain Center’s site on how to choose the best Arizona Pain Center for your needs.