The results form the basis for determining which treatments will provide optimal healing. Nerve Conduction Studies – to assess nerve damageĪn accurate and comprehensive view of the injury is provided by these easy-to-tolerate diagnostics.X-rays – to analyse spinal alignment, disc degeneration, arthritis.CT Scan – provides information about bone abnormalities.MRI – provides an enhanced view of body structures, including the spinal cord.The diagnosis is based upon symptoms, medical history, and a physical examination and as-needed tests such as: The diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy is made by a neurosurgeon. If you experience sudden onset of weakness, please seek medical attention at an emergency room. You have progressive numbness or weakness of a movement in your arm.You can’t touch your chin to your chest due to neck stiffness.Consult a neurosurgeon if you are experiencing: Your doctor is your first line of defence against long-term problems due to cervical radiculopathy. The majority of injuries occur between the ages of 15 and 30, and after the age of 65. Neck injuries are more common in men than women. Various bone conditions (ankylosing spondylitis, for example).Compression fractures from arthritis, osteoporosis, or cancer.In a paper on cervical injury, authors identified these common reasons for spine injury: A slipped disc in the cervical spine can also cause cervical radiculopathy. Depending on the particular nerve that is affected, symptoms include:Ĭervical radiculopathy can be a result of neck injury, or it can be caused by slow arthritic changes in the cervical vertebrae. What are the Symptoms of Cervical Radiculopathy?Ĭervical radiculopathy can cause partial or complete loss of sensory and/or motor function. If the degenerative changes cause narrowing of the small tunnels where the nerves leave the spine, the nerves can become compressed and stop functioning properly. Like all bones and joints in the body, the cervical spine is susceptible to degenerative changes and arthritis. Though strong and flexible in many ways, the cervical spine is also delicate and susceptible to damage. This portion of the spine also supports the head and facilitates blood flow.

The structure protects the spinal cord and nerves and their vital function to send messages of movement and sensation from the brain to all points in the body. It is comprised of seven specific bones (vertebrae) as well as intervertebral discs that separate them. The phrenic nerves run anteriorly to the subclavian arteries, but posterior to the subclavian veins.The phrase ‘cervical spine’ refers to a well-engineered construction of bones, nerves, muscles, ligaments, and tendons found in the neck. These are responsible for motor and sensory supply to the diaphragm, as well as for sympathetic output. The C3, C4, and C5 roots contribute to form the phrenic nerves. This function is necessary for proper speech and swallowing. All of the muscles supplied by branches of the ansa cervicalis, along with the thyrohyoid, are infrahyoid muscles, and therefore serve to depress the hyoid bone. This structure gives rise to the nerves to the sternohyoid, sternothyroid, and superior and inferior bellies of the omohyoid muscles. More specifically, one end of the loop, the superior root, is derived from C1 (and possibly C2, depending on the literature), while the other, the inferior root, comes from C2 and C3. The ansa cervicalis (“handle of the neck” in Latin), is a loop of nerves that lies superficial to the internal jugular vein, composed of the C1 to C3 nerves. Anatomically, these nerves travel closely to the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII). The Cervical Nerves innervate numerous muscular structures. The C1 spinal nerve gives rise to the nerve to the geniohyoid and the nerve to the thyrohyoid that both function in the oropharynx.

Cervical spine nerves impingement x ray