Thoracic Radiculopathy

Thoracic is the central part of the spine which consists of twelve vertebrae. The term radiculopathy refers to various symptoms which may include weakness, numbness, tingling and traveling pain. Thus a thoracic radiculopathy occurs in the middle part of the spine.

Radiculopathy can also affect the lower back or the neck part which is often referred to as lumbar radiculopathy and cervical radiculopathy. So far, thoracic radiculopathy is less common that is because of the rigidity of the thoracic spine. The lack of flexibility of this part of the spine saves it from too much stress when the body ages.

But then patients cannot be too confident nor rule out the possibility of a thoracic radiculopathy when they experience neck or back pain for the origins of the pain might be from the thoracic region. Only the right diagnosis can tell whether it is because of thoracic radiculopathy or not. Doctors usually make an initial physical exam and might request for MRI or CT scan to see the exact location of the irritated nerve root.

Several conditions that may contribute to thoracic radiculopathy are the following – Foraminal stenosis, spinal stenosis, Bone spur, Spinal Injury, Degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, bulging disc, osteoarthritis and diabetes especially for those are advance in age.

Thoracic Radiculopathy symptoms can usually be managed through conservative form of treatment which generally includes therapeutic massage, behavior changes, pain medications, physical therapy and exercise. On rare cases if pain still persists after months of conservative treatment then your doctor might recommend surgery as an option. There are different kinds of surgery today and there are great varieties of minimally invasive surgery. Discuss this with your doctor and know everything there is to know so you can make the right decision.

Surgery for thoracic radiculopathy is quite difficult to perform because of the close proximity of the abdominal organs and thoracic. It just carries a lot of risk that is why a latest studies aims to see the efficacy of endoscopic laminoforaminoplasty (ELFP) in treating thoracic radiculopthy. The study is done with twelve patients who suffers from radicular pain and treated with ELFP. The study showed seven out of twelve patients showed significant improvement when it comes to pain and they encounter no complications. In conclusion ELFP provides a good alternative to traditional laminotomy or fusion since they show similar success. The advantage for ELFP is that patient benefit from decrease risk of complications, quick recovery and short hospital stay (Int J Med Sci 2009).