Nerve entrapments can cause a variety of pain symptoms and have just as many causes.
A number of pain symptoms relating to nerve entrapments can be contributed to the crossroads where the spinal cord, which runs from the brain to the lumbar spine, passes through the cervical spine.
Upper thoracic (back) and upper extremity pains may have their origin in the spine.
Impingement, or irritation of the cord, is caused by connective tissues (or tendons) rubbing against a bone. Symptoms of impingement include numbness, tingling or pain. Other factors that might cause impingement include cervical disc protrusion and excessive laxity, or muscle looseness.
The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that sends signals from the spine to your shoulder, arm, and hand. Impingement in the cervical intervertebral foramina, openings between vertebrae in this area, could produce both neurological and local area symptoms.
Cervical spinal stenosis results in the narrowing of the neural canal, which houses the spinal cord. Cervical spinal stenosis is a progressive condition that pinches the nerves of the neck. This condition relates closely to ischemia, a condition where blood supply is restricted to the nerves.