What is Radiculopathy?
In layman’s term, a radiculopathy is known as a “pinched nerve”. This is where one or more than one nerve can be affected provoking nerve pain. One of the most common examples of radiculopathy is Sciatic pain.
What Can Radiculopathy Cause?
Radiculopathy can result in pain (radicular pain), weakness, altered sensation (paresthesia) or difficulty controlling specific muscles, loss of balance, tiredness to walk. This prompts the patient to seat, hunch down or lean forward, often called “The Shopping Cart Syndrome“. This condition is also known as “Neurogenic Claudication”.
Treatments for Radiculopathy
Pinched nerves happen when surrounding bone, cartilage, muscles, tendons or a herniated disc put pressure on the nerve or nerves disrupting its function and triggering pain. If the impeachment is not too severe, they can respond well to anti-inflammatory therapy, e.g., NSAID’s (Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Naproxen, etc.).
In turn, if epidural steroid injections last more than 3-4 months, that would be another alternative to help to control the discomfort. However, if the problem is too severe the patient might and up needing surgery.
Another alternative is a minimally invasive procedure that could be an interspinous dynamic spacer also known as “The Vertiflex Procedure”. A minimally invasive alternative could be and interlaminar fusion like “StabiLink.
