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- Caring for your Spine
- Emerging Spinecare Trends
- Evaluation of Spinal Disorders
- Exercise and The Spine
- Intervention - Spinal Disorders
- Intervertebral Disc
- Non Surgical Options
- Nutrition and Spinecare
- Options for Spine Treatments
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Prevalence of Spine Disorders
- Sleep and the Spine
- Spinecare Introduction
- Spinehealth and Disease
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Spine Disorders
Radiculopathy
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TREATMENT OPTIONS
Conservative (non-surgical) treatment is often attempted in most cases of radiculopathy. Conservative care may include one or more of the following approaches; rest, chiropractic care, nutritional intervention, spinal axial decompression, physical therapy, medications, and selective spinal injections. Conservative care of radiculopathy that is slowly improving should be attempted for a minimum period of 6-8 weeks. Radiculopathy may result in weakening of muscles which the nerve root connects to (innervate). If this occurs, the treatment approach should not be limited to the spine but should include physical rehabilitation of the involved extremity or extremities. Patient-specific exercises can be prescribed by a physical therapist for the targeted strengthening of muscles and other supporting tissues to relieve pressure on affected spinal nerve roots. Weight loss or weight management may be recommended to reduce stress on the spine. Activity modification, proper posture and exercise are an important factor for the conservative and surgical treatment of radiculopathy. The use of medications may include the use of pain killers, muscle relaxants and/or anti-inflammatory agents. Epidural corticosteroid injections, selective nerve root blocks, and epidural lysis (destruction) of adhesions may also be used to treat radiculopathy. Temporary use of a soft neck collar may be prescribed for individuals with cervical radiculopathy. If conservative treatment does not help resolve the radiculopathy, more aggressive intervention such as decompressive surgery may be recommended. The primary purpose of surgery is to take pressure off of affected nerve roots or the blood vessels serve them and to stabilize the involved spinal segments. Spinal surgery may involve one or more of the following approaches; laminectomy and/or microdiscectomy. This type of surgery typically provides relief of radicular pain/leg pain for the majority of patients. Surgical decompression of a spinal nerve root helps to promote recovery of nerve function. Patients, who suffer from severe extremity pain or other serious symptoms such as progressive muscle weakness, may require surgical intervention prior to the 6-8 weeks of non-operative care. Spine surgery for the relief of radicular pain in the arms or legs is generally more reliable than surgery performed only for the relief of neck or low back pain. An effective treatment approach requires an accurate and timely diagnosis. The goal is to resolve the underlying cause of radiculopathy and to promote recovery of the nerve root. In complicated cases the nerve root may not fully recover despite an appropriate conservative and/or operative approach. |
