Pinched Cervical and Lumbar Nerves
Chronic nerve pain can make everyday tasks challenging, limiting your ability to work, engage with your family and participate in the activities that define your life. Whether it radiates from your neck into your shoulders and arms or shoots from your lower back down through your legs, compressed nerve tissue often requires expert care.
Dr. Rojeh Melikian, an award-winning, fellowship-trained spine surgeon, specializes in diagnosing and treating radiculopathy. Radiculopathy is the medical term for a pinched nerve that occurs when surrounding tissue compresses a spinal nerve root. From our Southern California offices, we serve Marina del Rey, Brentwood and Newport Beach, providing individualized, motion-preserving solutions that address the structural source of nerve compression and restore your mobility.
Understanding Your Pinched Nerve Symptoms
The location of your symptoms reveals which region of your spine needs attention. Symptoms radiate outward from the spine along specific nerve pathways, creating distinct patterns that guide diagnosis.
A pinched nerve in the neck, also known as cervical radiculopathy, can cause symptoms such as burning pain, numbness or weakness that travel from your neck down into your shoulder, arm and hand. You might experience difficulty gripping objects, tingling in your fingers or sharp pain when you turn your head.
A pinched nerve in the lower back, also called lumbar radiculopathy, manifests as sharp pain, tingling or weakness radiating from your lower back through your buttocks and down one or both legs. Often called sciatica, this nerve pain can make standing, walking or sitting intensely uncomfortable.
Common Causes of Nerve Compression
Age-related degenerative spine conditions create the environment for nerve compression. One of the most frequent causes is a herniated disc, when the soft inner core pushes through its tough outer shell and directly presses against a nerve root.
Structural narrowing from spinal stenosis reduces the space available for nerve tissue, while foraminal stenosis constricts the passageways where nerve roots exit the spinal column. Bone spurs, thickened ligaments and disc degeneration all contribute to progressive nerve compression.
When to Move on From Conservative Pinched Nerve Treatment
Basic pinched nerve relief methods are appropriate first steps. Physical therapy, rest, anti-inflammatory medication and epidural steroid injections can provide temporary symptom management.
However, these approaches do not address the structural source of compression. When symptoms persist or worsen despite weeks of conservative care, you need a targeted structural fix to decompress the trapped nerve.
Advanced Pinched Nerve Surgery Options
Our commitment to outpatient, minimally invasive spine surgery reduces tissue damage and accelerates your return to normal activities. We prioritize a motion-preserving philosophy, utilizing artificial disc replacement rather than traditional fusion to maintain your natural spinal flexibility.
For cervical solutions, we offer anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) to remove the compressed disc and stabilize the segment, or cervical foraminotomy to enlarge the nerve passageway without fusion.
Lumbar solutions include microdiscectomy to remove the specific disc fragment compressing your nerve, and outpatient fusion procedures such as anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) and extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) for cases requiring structural stabilization. Dr. Melikian has achieved a zero MRSA infection rate to date, reflecting meticulous attention to surgical technique and patient safety. During your consultation, Dr. Melikian will evaluate your condition and discuss which approach aligns with your specific spinal anatomy and goals.
Reclaim Your Life From Nerve Pain
You do not have to accept chronic nerve pain as a permanent condition. Dr. Melikian will map out a precise surgical strategy tailored to your exact spinal anatomy, delivering the individualized care you deserve. Call us at 949-806-6946 or schedule your consultation, in-person or virtually, to take the next step toward recovery.