Acute Cervical Radiculopathy in Weight Lifters

In brief: While weight lifting, three athletes experienced neck or shoulder/scapular pain that radiated down the arm and that was associated with segmental weakness and paresthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging and/or cervical spine radiographs showed degenerative changes of the cervical spine, and each athlete was diagnosed with acute radiculopathy. Conservative management of such patients involves restricted activity, the use of analgesics and anti-inflammatories, and the application of a cervical collar. Once the symptoms have subsided, the athlete can gradually resume activities, provided that there are no structural lesions of the cervical spine that will predispose the athlete to further injury.