Anatomic issues related to cervical and lumbosacral radiculopathy
Two pages on PainSci cite Goldstein 2002: 1. The Complete Guide to Low Back Pain 2. The Complete Guide to Neck Pain & Cricks
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
The anatomy of cervical and lumbar spinal nerves is well established. Knowledge of the normal and pathoanatomy of impingement of these roots is helpful in the diagnosis of radiculopathy in many cases. Frequently, symptoms and signs do not correlate with expected anatomical patterns. Variations of nerve roots, spinal nerves, and plexuses occur commonly. Neuroanatomical anomalies and musculoskeletal abnormalities account for many of the variations seen with unexpected radicular patterns. Unfortunately, the delineation of segmental innervation has been achieved by several different methods and definitive studies are lacking. Although there is a regular and orderly progression of innervation within each individual, it is likely that innervation patterns differ considerably between individuals.1
related content
- “The anatomic relation among the nerve roots, intervertebral foramina, and intervertebral discs of the cervical spine,” Tanaka et al, Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 2000.
- “Do L5 and s1 nerve root compressions produce radicular pain in a dermatomal pattern?,” Taylor et al, Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 2013.
- “Symptom provocation of fluoroscopically guided cervical nerve root stimulation. Are dynatomal maps identical to dermatomal maps?,” Slipman et al, Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 1998.
- “Exploration of sensory impairments associated with C6 and C7 radiculopathies,” Rainville et al, Spine J, 2016.
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