Case Report: Acute on Chronic Lumbar Radiculopathy

In this week's episode of the Spine & Nerve podcast Dr. Nicolas Karvelas and Dr. Brian Joves wrap up the series on lumbar radiculopathy with a case presentation.   This is a case of a young man who presented with a severe acute on chronic lumbar radiculopathy after the holidays. As he was already managed by our office, he presented very acutely (about 1-2 weeks into his flare). Important concepts that are emphasized with this case are: natural history of lumbar radiculopathy, electrodiagnostic evaluation for lumbar radiculopathy, and a stepwise approach to diagnostic workup and management of a debilitating case of lumbar radiculopathy. Listen in as the docs walk us through this case and their management choices. This podcast is for information and educational purposes only, it is not meant to be medical or career advice. If anything discussed may pertain to you, please seek council with your healthcare provider. The views expressed are those of the individuals expressing them, the may not represent the views of Spine & Nerve.   References: 1. McCormick Z, Cushman D, Caldwell M, Marshall B, Ghannad L, Eng C, Patel J, Makovitch S, Chu SK, Babu AN, Walega DR, Marciniak C, Press J, Kennedy DJ, Plastaras C. Does Electrodiagnostic Confirmation of Radiculopathy Predict Pain Reduction after Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection? A Multicenter Study. J Nat Sci. 2015 Aug;1(8):e140.