radiculopathy

noun

ra·​dic·​u·​lop·​a·​thy rə-ˌdi-kyə-ˈlä-pə-thē 

plural radiculopathies

: irritation of or injury to a spinal nerve root (as from being compressed) that typically causes pain, numbness, or muscle weakness in the part of the body which is supplied with nerves from that root : a pinched nerve of the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar region of the spinal column

Among patients with acute radiculopathy due to a herniated lumbar disk, a short course of oral steroids, compared with placebo, resulted in modestly improved function …

—Harley Goldberg et al.

In clinical epidemiology, 80% of cervical radiculopathies involve C6 or C7 roots.

—Masaya Mizutamari et al.

Examples of radiculopathy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tam is specifically addressing cervical radiculopathy, one of the most common causes of a pinched nerve in your neck. —Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 17 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin radicula + English -o- + -pathy

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

radiculopathy

noun

ra·​dic·​u·​lop·​a·​thy -ˈläp-ə-thē 

plural radiculopathies

: irritation of or injury to a spinal nerve root (as from being compressed) that typically causes pain, numbness, or muscle weakness in the part of the body which is supplied with nerves from that root : a pinched nerve of the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar region of the spinal column

… a compression radiculopathy of the left sixth cervical root.

—Daniel J. McCarty, The Journal of the American Medical Association

In the absence of radiculopathies or nerve entrapments, treatment should be directed to mechanical and orthotic correction of postures …

—Laura K. Smith, Neurological Rehabiliation