Radiculopathy differs from other forms of referred pain in that the conduction of the nerve is reduced. In its less severe form a small reduction in strength, sensation or reflexes may be seen in the area of the body supplied by the affected nerve. Radiculopathy normally arises when there is compression of the nerve from a spinal structure such as a disc. This is often referred to as a "trapped nerve." Treatment involves decreasing the pain, improving deep muscle control, improving awareness of lumbar position and addressing the symtoms in the nerve tissue.


It is important to differentiate radiculopathy from neuropathic pain because in neuropathic pain there is no conduction loss and the pain is normally present due to tension or irritation of the nerve. In this situation the nerve needs to be treated with special manual techniques that sooth the irritated/ tensioned nerve.