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Understanding Radiculopathy - Nerve Roots and Dermatomes

By Anne Asher, About.com

Updated November 17, 2008

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Part 1- Nerve Pain

Learning to distinguish between nerve pain and other types of pain (such as muscular) can help you recognize serious problems requiring medical attention, such as radiculopathy. It might also help you understand what is happening in your body when you have back or neck pain.

Many times degenerative disk disease, or other problems involving the intervertebral disk lead to unbearable back pain. This might be due to accompanying damage to the nerve root.

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