What is cervical radiculopathy?↓

Sometimes referred to as cervicalgia, cervical radiculopathy is a condition involving the nerve(s) in your neck. When a nerve is injured, compressed or pinched in this region, it can produce symptoms such as pain, tingling/numbness or weakness. Typically it can affect the neck, into the upper back/shoulder, into the arm or hand. One, some or all of these areas can be affected and the symptoms will be different for each individual. Physical therapy sessions will focus on pain management and gentle exercises to improve neck range of motion and strengthening to improve support for the neck. The exercises will not only focus on your neck but likely the upper back. These muscles are important in order to provide a stable base for your neck to rest on, exercises might include resistance band rows or lat pull downs. Mobilization techniques/manual therapy may also be appropriate to address soft tissue and joint restrictions. Each session will be tailored to your specific needs that day.

Do I need neck surgery? ↓

Depends, the large majority of cases do not require surgery despite positive findings on MRI or imaging. Most will resolve with conservative treatment a.k.a physical therapy. During your initial evaluation and even during follow up visits, your physical therapist will educate you on how physical therapy can help with you specific symptoms and whether or not you’ll require a consultation with a surgeon.

How can physical therapy help? ↓

Because the symptoms and pain are individual, each patient will have a different presentation at therapy. A physical therapist will do a thorough medical history review including gathering all the information about your current pain levels, current functional deficits and how this impacts your daily activities. A movement assessment will be performed including observation of activities such as walking or getting in/out of a chair as well as movements specific to your pain location and symptoms. With this information your physical therapist can develop a personalized treatment plan to help relieve your back pain and get you back to your normal routine. Your physical therapist will likely prescribe a combination of exercises, stretches and activities to avoid while you’re recovering as well as advise you on how to resume activities once you find relief.

Common Treatments↓

- sample
- sample

This is paragraph two of the answer.