Definition
Pseudoradicular syndrome is a disease in which muscles and joints do not work together properly. This often causes pain in the back, but also in the arms and legs. For those affected, this feels like nerve pain, which can occur, for example, in the case of a slipped disc.
Hence the name pseudoradicular syndrome: It appears as if the complaints originated from the nerve roots (lat. Radix). However, there is no injury to the nerves during the disease.
The causes
The cause of pseudoradicular syndrome is usually a malfunction of muscles and joints. The pain of the disease originates in the spine. This consists of many individual vertebrae, each of which is connected to a joint.
The spine is normally stabilized by the supporting muscles of the back. The musculature becomes particularly active during movements. In most cases, however, these muscles are no longer sufficiently developed to fully protect the spine.
Especially after unaccustomed movements, individual vertebral bodies can easily tilt against each other and get stuck in position. The body notices that something is wrong at this point and tries to stabilize the affected part of the spine by tensing the muscles. This muscle tension then usually triggers the pain and can spread reflectorically.
Depending on where in the spine the problem lies, adjacent parts of the back are affected, but the tension can also continue in the arms and legs. Anyone who has ever suffered a short-term irritation of the nerves due to a herniated disc, an accident or other causes has had his brain “learned” the nerve pain as it were. For this reason, the pain of pseudoradicular syndrome is often perceived by these people as real nerve pain. Back pain.
The accompanying symptoms
Accompanying symptoms of pseudoradicular syndrome are radiating pain and muscle tension. On the one hand, the pain is located directly at the affected area of the spine, and on the other hand the pain radiates into other parts of the back. For example, if the lumbar spine is affected, the overlying thoracic spine has to take over more work, whereupon the problem of tension shifts to the thoracic spine.
If the spinal column sends the signal for muscle tension, this information can also spread to the arms and legs. In the pseudo-radicular syndrome in the lumbar spine area, usually only the legs are affected. If the syndrome is located further up, in the cervical or thoracic spine, the tension tends to radiate to the arms.
Particularly in the case of problems in the thoracic spine, breathing can also be made more difficult because the entire thorax must move against the tension. Other accompanying symptoms are discomfort in the skin. The skin nerves are also controlled by the spinal cord.
Irritations of the spinal column can therefore also irritate the skin nerves for a short time. A clear distinction between pseudoradicular syndrome and actual nerve damage is provided by strength testing in arms and legs. A loss of strength can only occur due to nerve damage and is not an accompanying symptom of pseudoradicular syndrome.
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