Synonyms
Cervical brachialgia, neck pain, radiculopathy, nerve root pain, back pain, low back pain, lumbar syndrome, root irritation syndrome, compression syndrome, herniated disc, facet syndrome, vertebral joint pain, myofascial syndrome, tendomyosis, spondylogenic reflex syndrome, spine, cervical spine
Definition
Cervicobrachialgia is a mostly chronic pain syndrome that affects the neck and one or both arms. The reasons for its development are manifold. Regardless of the underlying cause, it is usually the nerves that run along and past the cervical spine and experience a certain irritation for various reasons.
Causes
Often it is quite harmless tension of the so-called short cervical muscles that leads to increased pressure on the nerves that pull out of the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae. This results in increased irritation, which leads to the stated symptoms of cervicobrachialgia. Tensions are also usually associated with the other causes and additionally delay the recovery process.
It is not uncommon for these to be degenerative diseases of the cervical spine, which lead to a pain syndrome in this area of the body. Incorrect posture and overloading can lead to uneven wear and tear of the cervical vertebrae, which in turn leads to irritation of the nerve fibres in this region with every movement of the head. Since the nerves radiate into the arms at the level of the cervical vertebrae 6 and 7, the symptoms are always indicated there in addition to the cervical complaints.
Also, instead of a purely degenerative disease of the cervical vertebral bodies, a herniated disc of the cervical spine may occur. This would then also have to take place between vertebrae six and seven if the disease were to be called cervicobrachialgia. Accidents can also lead to such severe changes in the cervical spine that corresponding restrictions and complaints can occur.
In almost all cases, the complaints are based on mechanical problems that lead to strong pressure on the nerves in the area of the cervical spine. Traumas of the cervical spine usually occur in car accidents, motorcycle accidents or various sports accidents. While severe injuries are often accompanied by paraplegia, lighter injuries are more likely to lead to a chronic course.
The acute symptoms after a spinal trauma can be caused not only by the altered vertebral bodies but also by bleeding after the trauma, which can often lead to nerve constriction days and weeks after the accident. All benign and malignant neoplasms in the area of the cervical spine also have a pressure-increasing effect. Certain tumours can also grow slowly or quickly and trigger cervicobrachialgia as the first symptom.
