South Edmonton Location
- Home
- Conditions
- Cervical radiculopathy
Cervical radiculopathy
A nerve root irritated in the neck, and the arm pain, numbness or weakness that follows it.
Book an appointment
What is cervical radiculopathy?
Cervical radiculopathy is irritation or compression of a nerve root as it leaves the neck. Because each root supplies a defined patch of skin and a defined set of muscles, the symptoms follow a pattern down the arm rather than spreading vaguely: pain into the shoulder blade and arm, often with pins and needles or numbness in particular fingers, and sometimes weakness. In younger people it is usually a disc; over about fifty it is more often bony narrowing where the nerve exits.
The pattern that points to a nerve root
Assessment tests the neck’s movement, the nerve’s response to position and tension, and reflexes, sensation and strength in the arm, to work out which root is involved and how irritable it is.
- Arm pain that is at least as bad as the neck pain, often worse
- Pins and needles or numbness in specific fingers rather than the whole hand
- Symptoms provoked by turning or tilting the head toward the painful side
- Relief from resting the hand on top of the head — an unusual but telling sign
- Weakness in a particular movement: lifting the arm, straightening the elbow, gripping
The signs that need urgent medical review
Compression of the spinal cord itself, rather than a single root, produces a different picture and needs prompt assessment:
- Clumsiness with fine tasks — buttons, keys, handwriting getting worse
- Changes to walking or balance
- Symptoms in both arms, or in the legs
- Any change to bladder or bowel control
- Severe neck pain after a significant fall or collision
What treatment usually involves
Most cases settle over weeks to a few months without surgery, and treatment is aimed at making that course tolerable and getting function back sooner.
The early work is finding positions that reduce the arm symptoms and organising the day around them — sleep position, screen height, how you drive. Gentle traction helps some people and is easy to trial.
As irritability drops, the plan moves to restoring neck and upper back movement, nerve mobility work, and endurance for the deep neck and shoulder blade muscles. Hands-on treatment is used where it helps you move more comfortably.
A surgical opinion becomes relevant when weakness is progressing, when cord signs appear, or when severe arm pain has not settled over a reasonable trial of conservative care.
Questions people ask
Is a pinched nerve the same as a slipped disc?
Not quite. A disc problem is one cause of a pinched nerve; bony narrowing of the exit canal is another, and is more common with age. The symptoms can be identical, which is why the assessment focuses on which root is involved rather than on naming the structure.
Do I need an MRI?
Usually not early. Degenerative findings in the neck are common in people with no symptoms at all, so a scan rarely changes the first several weeks of care. It matters where there is progressive weakness, signs pointing to the spinal cord, or a surgical decision to make.
How long does it take?
Most people improve substantially over six to twelve weeks, though tingling can linger after the pain has gone. Arm symptoms usually retreat toward the neck before they disappear, which is a useful sign of progress.
Is the numbness in my hand permanent?
Usually not. Most cases of cervical radiculopathy settle over weeks to a few months as the irritation at the nerve root reduces. Weakness that is getting worse, or numbness that is spreading, is the pattern that needs a faster medical review, and that is checked at each visit.
Should I get an MRI of my neck?
Not routinely. MRI is used when symptoms are severe, progressive, or not responding after a reasonable course of conservative care, or when surgery is being considered. In the early weeks it rarely changes what is done.
Is it safe to have my neck treated with hands-on techniques?
Yes, when the assessment has been done properly. Gentle mobilisation and traction-type techniques are commonly used for nerve root irritation. Forceful manipulation of an irritated neck is not, and you will not be asked to tolerate anything that reproduces arm symptoms.
Book a neck and arm assessment
Vertex Physiotherapy is at 6958 76 Ave NW #205, Edmonton, AB T6B 2R2. Call (825) 525-2852 or book online.