Radiculopathies Treatment

NEW YORK CITY & LONG ISLAND’S TOP DOCTORS FOR RADICULOPATHIES

Vertebrae are the bones that make up your spine. The spinal cord, in turn, runs through a canal in the center of these bones. From here nerve roots split from the cord to go in between vertebrae and travel throughout various areas of your body. Radiculopathies occur when a nerve root within the spinal column is pinched or damaged. When this happens it can affect different areas along the spine altogether, such as: cervical, thoracic or lumbar.

Board-certified physicians ready and qualified to treat all spine-related conditions are who make up our team at New York Spine Institute. Through diagnosis, they can understand and personalize a treatment plan for every patient in order to provide the highest level of excellence.

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Why Choose New York Spine Institute

Quality Care

Based upon your specific diagnosis, our experienced doctors here at NYSI, are prepared to give you personalized and high quality. All of this is done in order to make sure that you are aware of your proper treatment options.

Industry Leaders

Working under the supervision of our trusted medical director, Alexandre B. de Moua, M.D. FFOS, our spin doctors at NYSI are industry leaders well versed with various neck and spine disorders. All are ready to provide our patients with acceptable treatment options.

Multiple Languages

At NYSI we make sure that our staff are well versed in a variety of languages so that we are able to communicate accordingly with our patients. Languages that our staff speak are Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German and Russian. We are prepared to help serve all of our patients needs.

Understanding The Causes Of Your Radiculopathies

Radiculopathies can occur from a variety of sources. Many common ones are as follows:

A herniated disc applying pressure to the nerve root
Sciatica
Degenerative disc disease
Bone spurs
Tumors of the spine
Osteoarthritis or spinal arthritis
Compression fractures
Spondylolisthesis
Spinal stenosis
Diabetes
Cauda equine syndrome (uncommon but serious)

Additional factors that can aid in the development of radiculopathy:

Aging
Overweight
Poor posture
Improper lifting techniques when lifting weights or other bulk items
Repetitive motions
Family history of degenerative bone conditions

Types of radiculopathies are as follows:

Lumbar. This occurs with the lower back and can be referred to as sciatica. The nerve roots that are involved with the sciatic nerve are often involved. This is the area that is most frequently affected by radiculopathies.
Cervical. This involves compressed nerve roots in the neck (cervical spine). The nerve roots here primarily control sensations in your arms and hands, so symptoms will be noticed there.
Thoracic. This happens when nerve roots are compressed within the thoracic area of the spine, otherwise known as the upper back. This is the least common area for radiculopathies to occur. However, symptoms of this can follow a dermatomal distribution and can result in pain and numbness that wraps all the way around to the front of the body.

Treatment Options For Radiculopathies

Radiculopathies are commonly treated without the requirement of surgery. However, dependable on the severity of it and other health conditions the patient may have, doctors may recommend certain medications. These can be:

Non-steroidal drugs (ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen)
Injectable steroids or oral corticosteroids
Narcotic pain medications
Physical therapy
Ice and heat application
Soft cervical collar

Sometimes surgery may be recommended depending on the cause of the nerve compression. Surgical procedures may include:

Repair of a herniated disc
Widening of spinal canal space
Removing bone spur
Fusing bones together

Some strategies can actually help with the prevention of nerve compression pain. Such as:

Maintaining good posture whenever you’re sitting or standing
Using proper lifting techniques
Regular physical activity including weight bearing exercises
Developing core strength
Maintaining a healthy weight
Taking frequent breaks and involving stretching into your daily routine

Every case is different though, and after the cause of the radiculopathies are assessed along with the overall health of the patient and additional individual factors then can treatment be planned accordingly.

*The effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment will vary by patient and condition. New York Spine Institute does not guarantee certain results.