What’s the difference between cervical radiculopathy and a brachial plexus injury?

What’s the difference between cervical radiculopathy and a brachial plexus injury?

While cervical radiculopathy and a brachial plexus injury have similar symptoms, they are different conditions.

Cervical radiculopathy (also known as “pinched nerve”) is a condition that results in neurological dysfunction caused by compression and inflammation of any of the nerve roots of your cervical spine (neck). Neurological dysfunction can include radiating pain, muscle weakness and/or numbness.

While cervical radiculopathy results from compression and inflammation, a brachial plexus injury more commonly happens due to tearing or overstretching the nerves in the plexus.

Brachial plexus injuries often involve multiple nerve roots and there’s usually an absence of neck symptoms, such as neck spasms and pain, unlike with cervical radiculopathy.