Pinched Nerve in the Neck: Cervical Radiculopathy Treatment in New Jersey

It starts as neck pain, stiff, achy, maybe a dull ache across the shoulder. Then something travels down your arm. A burning sensation. A sharp jolt from the neck into the forearm or fingers. Maybe numbness. Maybe that pins-and-needles feeling that just will not quit.

What you’re describing is almost certainly a pinched nerve in the neck. The medical term is cervical radiculopathy, but the name matters less than the fact that it’s very treatable, and most patients do not need surgery.

Dr. Todd Koppel trained in pain management at The New York Hospital and the Hospital for Special Surgery, widely recognized as the leading orthopedic institution in the country. He has been diagnosing and treating cervical spine conditions in New Jersey for nearly 30 years.

What Causes a Pinched Nerve in the Neck?

The cervical spine contains nerve roots that branch off the spinal cord and travel down into the shoulders, arms, and hands. When one of those roots is compressed, it causes pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness along the entire path that the nerve travels. Compression typically happens in one of two ways:

• A herniated disc in the neck pushes into the space the nerve occupies
• Bone spurs from cervical arthritis narrow the opening through which the nerve passes (the foramen)

Many patients have a combination of both.

Herniated disc in the neck

Is It Your Neck or Your Shoulder?

This is one of the most common questions Dr. Koppel hears, and for good reason, since both can cause surprisingly similar symptoms. Here’s a useful distinction:

If pain and symptoms travel from the neck down into the arm, especially with numbness, tingling, or weakness in the hand or fingers, the problem is more likely in the cervical spine. Shoulder conditions tend to produce pain concentrated in the shoulder joint itself, particularly with specific movements like reaching overhead.

An MRI helps determine the problem, but only with a comprehensive evaluation and physical examination can the problem be determined. Dr. Koppel doesn’t guess at a diagnosis. He confirms it.

Symptoms of a Pinched Nerve in the Neck

• Neck pain with stiffness or reduced range of motion
• Sharp, burning, or shooting pain from the neck into the shoulder, arm, or hand
• Numbness or tingling in the arm, forearm, or fingers
• Weakness in the arm or hand with difficulty gripping, typing, or lifting
• Symptoms that worsen when tilting the head back or turning to one side

Treatment Options at Garden State Pain Management

Cervical Injection Therapy

A targeted cervical injection places anti-inflammatory medication directly around the compressed nerve root using imaging guidance. For many patients, this single treatment provides significant, lasting relief. Done in the office in about 15 minutes.

Cervical Injection Therapy

Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection

A cervical steroid injection delivers medication into the epidural space surrounding the nerve roots in the neck, targeting inflammation at the source rather than masking the pain.

Epidural Steroid Injections

Selective Nerve Root Injection places medication precisely at the nerve which is believe to be involved. This both helps diagnose the problem, but also helps alleviate any pinching on the nerve, as well as any nerve inflammation which may exist.

Radiofrequency Ablation

When facet joints in the cervical spine are contributing to neck pain, RFA provides longer-term relief by interrupting pain signals from those joints.

Radiofrequency Ablation

Minimally Invasive Disc Procedure

For the small number of patients with persistent or worsening neurological symptoms from a significant disc herniation that has not responded to injections, Dr. Koppel may recommend a minimally invasive disc procedure.

Minimally Invasive Discectomy

What to Expect During Recovery

Most patients with a pinched nerve in the neck begin to notice meaningful improvement after one or two targeted injections. The timeline depends on how long the nerve has been compressed and how inflamed it is. As a general rule, the sooner it’s treated, the faster and more complete the recovery.

If you have been managing this pain on your own for a while, that’s not a reason to wait longer. It’s a reason to come in sooner.