Cervicobrachialgia is not a disease in itself, but a symptom that can occur in the context of various diseases and can have very different causes, although it is most often caused by a slipped disc in the cervical spine or other degenerative changes (wear and tear). The common denominator is then ultimately that the main symptom is severe pain that emanates from the cervical spine and radiates into the arm (hence the begrioff: “cervico-” = neck, “brachi-” = arm and “algie-” = pain). Depending on the underlying causes of cervicobrachialgia, there are different patterns of pain distribution.
If a herniated disc of the cervical spine or similar is responsible for the symptoms, then they are caused by a certain nerve root being pinched. As a result, pain occurs that can be felt in the exact area (also called the dermatome) of this one nerve. For the segment of the 6th cervical vertebra, this is classically the area of the thumb-side upper and lower arm and the thumb itself.
If, on the other hand, the segment of the 7th cervical vertebra is affected, the pain typically manifests itself from the shoulder via the middle upper and lower arm to the second to fourth finger. If the pain is not so clearly identifiable, but rather spreads rather diffusely, it can be assumed that either peripheral nerves, the entire border strand (a nerve strand located on both sides of the spine) or completely different causes (such as trauma, tumors, malformations or inflammation) are responsible for the symptoms. If you suspect a slipped disc as the cause of your cervicobrachialgia, we recommend our topic: Symptoms of a slipped disc of the cervical spinePain is the primary complaint in cervicobrachialgia.
The word “cervicobrachialgia” itself already contains the fact that there is pain in the neck and arm. However, this symptom is accompanied by other complaints and pain in other areas, depending on the cause of the cervicobrachialgia. The most common cause of cervicobrachialgia is the irritation of nerves in the context of a herniated disc in the cervical spine.
The nerves emerge from the spinal cord at these vertebrae in strands and carry motor and sensitive fibres to supply the arms and hands. Away from the neck, shoulder and upper arm, the pain can therefore spread over the entire course of the nerves, right into the hands. This type of nerve irritation with subsequent pain is called “radiculopathy”.
In an emergency, in addition to tingling and slight numbness of the fingers, paralysis can also occur. This condition must be treated acutely. The pain symptoms that are associated with cervicobrachialgia depend on the underlying disease.
A herniated disc can lead to dull and motion-dependent pain in the spine itself. Such pain can also occur with muscle tension in the neck. Often a headache in the back of the head is added to this.
The pain can be alleviated with light painkillers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac to maintain mobility in the neck for the duration of the therapy. Apart from pain, patients with cervicobrachialgia usually complain of a hardening of the muscles adjacent to the spine. This sometimes results in limited head mobility in one or more directions.
In addition, a knocking pain is often noticed over the affected spinous process of the vertebra on the back. If the cervicobrachialgia is caused by a herniated disc, the pain is often accompanied by a feeling of weakness in the muscles controlled by the corresponding nerves and/or a sensory disturbance of the skin in the above-mentioned affected areas. It is also important to note that the intensity of the symptoms cannot always be reconciled with the objectifiable findings of an affected person.
For example, some people with pronounced degenerative changes may experience only very minor pain, while others suffer from severe pain, and imaging techniques can hardly detect any pathological process. This is why it is so important in the case of cervicobrachialgia to take the patient’s medical history very accurately and to take it seriously, since the symptoms described by the patient are the most important basis for deciding on a therapy in question.
