Cervical Radiculopathy eMedicine Sports

Description: Cervical radiculopathy is a dysfunction of a nerve root of the cervical spine. The seventh (C7; 60%) and sixth (C6; 25%) cervical nerve roots are the most commonly affected. In the younger population, cervical radiculopathy is a result of a disk herniation or an acute injury causing foraminal impingement of an exiting nerve. In the older patient, cervical radiculopathy often is a result of foraminal narrowing from osteophyte formation. Factors associated with increased risk include heavy manual labor requiring lifting of more than 25 pounds, smoking, and driving or operating vibrating equipment. The purpose of this article is to provide information on the presentation, evaluation, differential diagnosis, and treatment of cervical radiculopathy.
Synonyms and related keywords: burner syndrome, pinched nerve
Author: Gerard A Malanga, MD 2005 Updated Dec 2009