The human spine is subject to a variety of stresses that expose it to injury and degeneration. Your cervical spine, or neck, is particularly susceptible to wear and tear due to its relative frailty, the weight of the load it bears and the nearly...
Radiculopathy refers to disease of the nerve roots where they exit the spinal cord. Cervical refers to the neck region. Cervical radiculopathy typically occurs as a result of pressure on the nerve from a bulging intervetebral disc or a bone spur...
Low back pain can affect people of all age groups and physical activity levels. Among its many causes is spinal stenosis, a syndrome that Dutch surgeon Henk Verbiest first described in 1954. Because it is primarily a degenerative and age-related...
The McKenzie rehabilitation method is a physical therapy methodology that teaches patients exercises to help manage pain that originates in the spine, according to Wellness.com. It is also effective at treating chronic neck pain that is caused by...
The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body, allowing for reaching up behind and across the body. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, this mobility comes at a price, with instability at the shoulder resulting...
A cervical radiculopathy occurs when a nerve or nerve root is pinched or irritated. Common symptoms include weakness, numbness and pain in the muscles and areas which the nerve affects, such as the arms, forearms, hands or fingers. A cervical...
Cervical radiculopathy refers to an abnormality affecting the nerves exiting the spinal cord at the level of the neck. Most commonly, this is irritation or pinching of the nerve by a herniated disc or bone spur. Pressure from the bulging disc or...
Osteoarthritis in the neck, also called cervical spondylosis, is a condition where the cartilage, bones and discs of the cervical spine are broken down by excessive wear and tear, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Cervical...
The cervical spine consists of seven vertebrae, the lower five of which are separated by five intervertebral discs. Intervertebral discs act as cushions and shock absorbers, but can wear out and degenerate over time. This process, called cervical...
Sciatica, the most common cause of radiating low back pain, occurs when the sciatic nerve running from your spine down your legs becomes irritated. The best therapy for sciatica often includes a focused exercise program that relieves your current...
The sciatic nerve extends from your lower back down to the anterior portion of both legs. Compression of nerve roots in your lumbar spine may cause sciatic nerve pain, or sciatica. Although exercise may worsen symptoms experienced from acute back...
An impinged nerve in your neck causes pain in your neck, upper back and radiating down your arm. Physical therapy can help, according to a study published in the "Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy" in 2005. Eleven patients with...
Compression anywhere below the T12 vertebrae can lead to lower back pain, shooting pain down the leg and possible loss of leg function in severe cases. One common compression syndrome below the T12 vertebrae is sciatica where an intervertebral...
Cervical degenerative disc disease occurs when the fibrous outer layer of the intervertebral disc begins to decay. This leads to the formation of microscopic tears and defects in the outer layer. As the vertebrae press on the disc, the more...
Sciatic nerve pain ranges from mild aches to numbness in the lower back, hips or legs as one or more discs along the nerve become compressed or irritated. Stretching exercises may help reduce pain from sciatic nerve injury or damage and prevent...
Cervical stenosis occurs when either the cervical spinal canal becomes narrowed, termed "central stenosis", or when lateral nerve foremen become narrow, termed "lateral stenosis". Both cause neck pain, although the spinal cord is injured with...
