If you experience pain along your spine that feels like tingling, numbness, and even muscle weakness, you may have something called radiculopathy. It’s not ordinary back pain caused by bad posture, but a pinched nerve somewhere along your vertebrae, sending out signals of distress.
At Space City Pain Specialists we focus on pain management, have extensive knowledge of how the spine works and the different afflictions related to it. We share the symptoms and types of radiculopathy, along with similar illnesses that can be confused easily with it in Texas at our clinic.
What Is Radiculopathy?
Radiculopathy —also called radiculitis in some cases— happens when the base of the nerves coming out of your spine become compressed or entrapped. This can happen after trauma where your back received an impact like a car accident, or as the result of a herniated disk that ends up taking space from the nerve canal.
In some cases, naturally occurring bone spurs are responsible for radiculopathy. These are little growths of bone common among people with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The beginning of symptoms can seem random because usually there is no trauma or accident involved.
Radiculopathy can happen anywhere along the spine, and the symptoms manifest a bit differently for each area. People over 50 are more prone to developing the condition, and treatment can range from physical therapy to surgery depending on how the patient responds and how intense the pain is.
Types of Radiculopathy
Pinched nerves along the spine are classified depending on what area of the body they are located in. The division is three-way, and each one will have relatively similar symptoms, except for the fact that some adjacent body parts may be affected due to the origin of the nerve.
- Cervical radiculopathy: This is when the pinched nerve is along your neck. It can create symptoms in the shoulders, arms and upper back. Moving your head in some directions can trigger pain.
- Thoracic radiculopathy: Encompassing from your upper back to the middle of your torso, it’s common amongst people with diabetes. The symptoms are felt in the abdomen, where a lot of organs are located, which is why it can be confused with issues in the heart, gallbladder, etc.
- Lumbar radiculopathy: Focused on the lower part of your back, the symptoms can affect not only the surrounding area of the pinched nerve, but extend into your l
How Is Radiculopathy Different From Other Types of Back Pain
When the diagnosis of radiculopathy is given without any other condition, the expectation is that small treatments can make the pain go away and reinstate the structure of the nerve. Minor procedures and time are the only remedies needed.
However, there are some complex medical conditions that can result in radiculopathy, some, even, are chronic, and treatment will look different as it should also take into account the root cause.
Some of these illnesses are:
- Myelopathy: This is when the spinal cord itself is compressed, rather than just the connecting nerves. If untreated, myelopathy can even lead to paralysis.
- Spondyolysis: Sometimes mixed up with lumbar radiculopathy due to similar symptoms, this condition is not the result of nerve compression, but of a crack in a lower vertebrae.
If your pain is not going away, worsening or causing any type of numbness, the best thing is to go to a medical professional to get a look at it. Pain can be a tricky thing to determine on your own, and to avoid severe complications in case something deeper is going on, a trained eye will be able to know the best course of action.
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Treatment for Back Pain and Radiculopathy in Texas
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, going to a doctor with your concerns is the next step you should take. While the ideal is that it’s nothing serious, the spine is one of the most delicate parts of the body, and time is a key factor in dealing with anything related to it. But where to find the right team of people that will both know how to approach your issues and listen to you and your personal needs?
At Space City Pain Specialists in Texas, you can find the highest quality of care for radiculopathy and any other kind of back pain. Both Dr. García and Dr. S. Canella are board certified pain management specialists, innovating in the field to help patients find a better quality of life, while maintaining a policy of patient-first care.
We can also offer bilingual services in Spanish for those who feel more comfortable with it. So if you are in Webster, League City, Texas City, Clear Lake, Friendswood, or the surrounding areas, you can book an appointment by calling us at 346-788-4430 or sending us an online message.
