HEP: Cervical Radiculopathy
Patient Education
What’s going on?
Sometimes your neck pain can cause pain in your arm.
Positions, like looking up or turning your head to the side of your pain, can cause pressure on sensitive structures making your neck and arm pain worse.
How long will it take?
Depending on the severity of the problem, it can take anywhere from 8-12 visits spread over 6 weeks. Most tissues take about 6 weeks to heal, but research shows this problem can get better with physical therapy and acupuncture.
How will we treat your condition at IHSM?
At IHSM, a doctor of physical therapy will perform a detailed physical examination of your neck, shoulder, and arm in order to determine which nerve is involved and where it is getting entrapped by doing specific movements that test how well the nerve is moving. Based on the findings, your therapist will design a specific treatment plan to ensure an optimal recovery.
In order to find where the nerve is entrapped, your physical therapist will start with assessing your neck and continue down the arm where the radiating pain is present.
Once the area of entrapment is found, your physical therapist will help the nerve start moving better by stretching your stiff neck bones/muscles and/or by moving the tissues in your arm and neck to improve it’s mobility.
Treatment may also include neck traction to take the pressure off of the sensitive structures in your neck.
Modalities such as acupuncture, or electrical stimulation may also be used to decrease inflammation and control the pain in your neck.
Your therapist will also work with you to help explore ways to perform bothersome activities in a more comfortable manner.
What can you do to help yourself?
Avoid end range postures of neck rotation, extension or bending your neck to the side. Focus on the range of motion in the directions that reduces the pain.
Follow the directions that your physical therapist provided on how to use a towel or positioning to provide self traction to your neck.
Support your arms with pillows or armrests to help decrease the tissue load on the neck.
Instructions:
Do these exercises only if you do not have pain or numbness running down your arm or into your hand. Do not do any exercises that make your neck pain worse.
About IHSM
Integrative Health and Sports Medicine, LLC is a one-stop health and wellness center. Our mission is to restore our patients to a healthy, pain-free, and productive life. By combining orthopedic physical therapy techniques, sports medicine, acupuncture, and Chinese medicine, we are able to treat conditions and achieve results in cases that have not responded well to modern Western medicine.
We are located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Please email us at info@integrativesports.com to schedule a consultation and let us help you on your journey to optimal health.