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Cervical Spine Injuries

Dr. Sam Koo is a hand and upper extremity expert and orthopaedic surgeon.  On this week’s Beacon’s Corner, Dr. Koo introduced Dr. Ian Rodway to discuss cervical spine injuries.  Symptoms include hand or arm pain and numbness, so often times patients will seek the help of the wrong specialist.  For example, if numbness in the hand persists, a patient may seek out a hand specialist.  In reality, however, the injury may be deeper than it seems.  In fact, this type of pain or numbness in the arm or hand can often come from cervical spine injuries, and not from an injury to the hand, elbow, shoulder, or arm itself.

Dr. Rodway is a fellowship trained and board certified orthopedic surgeon at Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.  He offers non-surgical as well as surgical options to alleviate hand and arm pain and numbness.  In many cases, the cause of such pain is a pinched nerve in the neck.  This will result in weakness, pain, or numbness in an arm.  This type of injury is similar to what cause so much ongoing pain to NFL quarterback Peyton Manning after 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

Often times patients think that this pain is due to a shoulder or arm injury. Nerves can be pinched by disc herniations, arthritis, or bone spurs, which often results in other areas being impacted.  When symptoms of a pinched nerve are present, the source can be treated through anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and cortisone steroid injections.

After the non-surgical options have been tried, if there is still pain or numbness, some surgical options may be considered.  If surgery is necessary, most patients are able to return to full functionality and activities with little or no restrictions.

If you are experiencing persistent numbness, weakness, or pain that may be caused by cervical spine injury, please contact one of the spine specialists at Beacon Orthopaedics.

 

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