Cervical Radicular Pain and Radiculopathy

From WikiMSK

Revision as of 20:32, 22 April 2021 by Jeremy (talk | contribs)

This article is a stub.

Differentiating the Level

Based off data from Rainville et al. [1] The asterix indicates the only area where there is a statistical difference, with impaired in the distal radial aspect of the dorsal forearm more common in C6 than C7 radiculopathy.

It is not possible to distinguish C6 from C7 radiculopathy with a sensory examination of the so-called dermatomes.

Shoulder Girdle Pain

(a)C5 and C8 cutaneous nerves traverse up and down the spine of the scapula, respectively, whereas the courses of C6 and C7 cutaneous nerves are not found.
(b) The site of radicular pain involving the C6 root overlaps with that of the C5 root, and also involves the posterior deltoid.[2]

Scapular and shoulder pain can occur with cervical nerve root irritation.

Mizutamari et al found the following pain referral pattern:

Nerve root Shoulder Girdle Region
C5 Suprascapular region
C6 Suprascapular to posterior deltoid region
C7 Interscapular region
C8 Interscapular and scapular regions


References

  1. โ†‘ Rainville et al.. Exploration of sensory impairments associated with C6 and C7 radiculopathies. The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society 2016. 16:49-54. PMID: 26253986. DOI.
  2. โ†‘ Mizutamari et al.. Corresponding scapular pain with the nerve root involved in cervical radiculopathy. Journal of orthopaedic surgery (Hong Kong) 2010. 18:356-60. PMID: 21187551. DOI.

Literature Review