Cervico-brachial, or pain that radiates from your neck to the upper back region and through your arm and hand (also referred to as the upper limb,) is likely related to a compression of the nerve roots in the neck region of your spine, called cervical spine. A herniated disc at the cervical spine, bone spurs or spinal stenosis, or the narrowing of the spine can cause pressure on the nerve root affecting your upper limb, or even the spinal cord. This can lead to pain, numbness and sometimes weakness affecting the arm-hand, and rarely the whole body below the neck region. This disc disease often affects one or more discs simultaneously.
Main Risk Factors
Age: while herniated disks can occur for adults or older ages and cause typical neck with arm pain, but disc degeneration, bone spurs and lumbar stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal and foramen) can cause pain, numbness and even weakness to one or both arms. These conditions are more common among older people
Smoking cigarettes: smoking tobacco increases the risk of developing a disc disease.
Lifestyle: lifting heavy weights, bad posture, and twisting your back can likely lead to sciatica.
Signs & Symptoms:
Radiating pain from your neck through to your arm-hand might be an indication of compression of the nerve roots at your neck region of your spine. The range of pain may be mild to more severe. Some people experience it like an electric shock that is triggered by coughing, sneezing or moving the neck. Some people have numbness, tingling or weakness in the affected arm or hand.
Diagnosis:
At Bonex Klinik, a spine specialist will assess the medical history of the patient, then move to a physical exam, checking for muscle strength, sensation and reflexes. Patients may need imaging tests such as an x-ray, MRI, CT scan and/or electroneuromyography (ENMG) for the accurate diagnosis.
Conservative Treatment:
The spine specialist will give you a plan for your neck pain radiating to the arm and/or hand (cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy) treatment, according to the case. The plan may feature anti-inflammatory, painkilling, and muscle relaxing medications, spinal injections, and/or physical therapy-rehabilitation. Pain clinics and spinal injections can also be used to try to alleviate the pain.
Surgical Treatment:
If the patient does not show improvement from a conservative treatment approach, our spinal surgeons will proceed with any necessary procedure to alleviate neck problems due to cervical disc herniation, protrusion or related problem. The main indicators for surgery in cases of cervical disc problems, are the following:
- Chronic and extreme pain-numbness to the arm and/or hand
- Weakness of the upper limb (arm or hand)
- Loss of body movements, balance and sensation indicates compression of the spinal cord
The surgeon will use microsurgical techniques to decompress the nerve and/or spinal cord, remove the disc, and replace the disc if necessary. The surgery can be performed using conventional, mini-open, minimally invasive spinal surgery (MIS), or microsurgical techniques, depending on the case. For best results with fewer risks to the patient, Bonex Klinik offers top tier technology to perform spinal surgeries, including spinal neuronavigation, which acts like a “GPS”, and “O-arm” acquiring 3D images for the surgeon to accurately perform each step of the procedure.
Why Bonex Klinik
At Bonex Klinik, innovative treatment plans are designed specific to cervical spine and neck treatment that addresses the source of pain. Our expert team of clinic staff is able to successfully explore which options of treatment are best for you after a thorough assessment. Using top-tier technology, Bonex Klinik doctors are able to address the source of pain and create a simple to understand patient care plan getting you back to life as soon as possible. We recognize that in seeking treatment you have many options. You will find an excellent team of healthcare professionals at Bonex Klinik with a specific collaborative planning team that will help you achieve the pain free outcomes you desire.
From diagnosis to discharge, cervical spine treatment is developed by your highly trained team of specialists specific to what you require.
