Radicular Arm Pain and the Upper Cervical Spine

In the upper cervical spine, there are four main structures to focus on. They are:

1. The Foramen Magnum of the Occipital bone 

2. The Atlas vertebra (1st cervical bone)

3. The Axis vertebra (2nd cervical bone) 

4. The Brainstem of the Nerve System. 

The Brainstem exits from the Foramen Magnum. The Atlas and Axis bones protect and surround the Brainstem. The brainstem connects all the nerves from the brain to the nerves of the body. 

Regarding Radicular Arm Pain the secondary focus is on the Brachial Plexus nerve structure.

The Brachial Plexus is a network of nerves formed by the lower four cervical nerves and the first thoracic nerve (C5, C6, C7, C8, and T1). This plexus extends from the spinal cord, travels through the neck, over the first rib, and into the armpit. It supplies nerve information to the chest, shoulder, arm, forearm, and hand.

The Nerve System in general has four main functions: 

1. It controls all the movements we make

2. Senses everything we feel

3. Regulates all our body organs

4. Relates us to the outside world

When nerves get stressed, it effects their sensitivity, perception and behavior to perform these functions. There are three types of stresses we deal with in life. The stresses are physical, chemical and emotional in nature. These stresses create nerve tension and spine imbalance. 

One specific job of the brainstem is to adapt to these stresses and help bring the spine back into balance. If the stresses are too great for the brainstem to adapt, compensations arise. One particular compensation that occurs in the upper cervical spine is a vertebral subluxation.

A vertebral subluxation will cause the Atlas and Axis bones to get locked in a misaligned position. This lock will perpetuate spine imbalance and Nerve System tension. This tension will lead to abnormal sensitivity, perception and behavior of the brainstem and connecting nerves. Nerve System function is disrupted.

Over time, this disruption can lead to symptoms of the involved nerves. The usual symptoms of Radicular Arm Pain are:

• Pain that spreads into the arm, neck, chest, upper back and/or shoulders

• Numbness or tingling in fingers or hands

• Muscle weakness, lack of coordination, or the loss of reflexes in your arms

If we reference the Brachial Plexus we can see that it associates with Radicular Arm Pain symptoms.

The goal of Chiropractic is not to medically treat the symptoms of Radicular Arm Pain. The aim of Chiropractic is to correct nerve tension and spine imbalance. Chiropractors correct this by adjusting the vertebral subluxation of the upper cervical spine. 

Correcting the subluxation better optimizes the function of the brainstem and associated nerves. The Nerve System overall can sense, perceive and behave at a greater potential when a subluxation is corrected.  

- Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP

Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.