They glide along the openings in the neck, along the muscles, and around joints when we move our head, neck, shoulders and/or arms. These channels are integral to the nerve’s ability to carry information to or from the spinal cord.Īdditionally, rather than being stationary, our nerves are in constant motion. Why does pinching in one area make the nerve more susceptible to a second pinch? Explanations vary from mechanical disruption of axon flow (how nutrients and sustaining compounds travel along the length of the nerve) to immune-mediated attacks on the sensory nerve cell centers (the dorsal root ganglion) or deregulation of the ion channels along the nerve. This is the so-called “double crush,” the pinching of the nerve in two distinct locations, in this case the neck and the wrist. It is believed that the pinching of the nerve in one area can predispose the remaining nerve to pinching as well.

In about 10% of carpal tunnel cases, there is also a cervical radiculopathy. We have 8 cervical nerves (C1 to C8), but those most commonly pinched are C5, C6, and C7.Ĭarpal tunnel syndrome is the single most common nerve pinch in the arm and actually occurs in the wrist. One of the more common scenarios involves pinching in the cervical spine where the nerve root leaves the spinal cord, a condition we call cervical radiculopathy. Fortunately, many of these are quite rare. In the upper limb, there are more than 200 ways a nerve can be pinched from the neck to the fingers. The nerve roots from our neck interweave in our upper chest (brachial plexus) to form trunks that branch out to form the three major nerves (radial, median, and ulnar) to our arms and hands. EMG and NCS are used to study the peripheral nervous system (from the spinal cord to the ends of our hands and feet) rather than the central nervous system (the connections within the brain to the spinal cord). One of our diagnostic tools is the electromyogram (EMG), often used in conjunction with nerve conduction studies (NCS). We use a variety of investigative tools to explore the relationships between our bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and nerves, and how they interact to allow us to do the wondrous things the human body and mind can do. It’s what we call a “double crush.”Īt Mayfield Brain & Spine, our physicians and staff deal with this and other complex interactions within the nervous system. At times a neurological condition causes double trouble, as when a nerve pinches in two places.

Emg cervical spine