I had sent this in an email back to Justin Rhodes as he put out the word, sorry, this may be late to the party, he replied and ask that I post. I wasn't registered with the site but I am now so I just copied and pasted. Again, may be a little late to the party.
As a chiropractor it is hard to say do this etc without health history and exam etc. so all advice are generalizations that may or may not apply and this information is educational and not to be construed as medical advice. (sorry, litigious world we live in,
)
The treatments etc will vary greatly on what is causing the radiculopathy.
Most common cause is disc degeneration/herniation that bulges and presses into the nerve creating the radiculopathy.
Factors are Posture, history of trauma or injury, age, repetitive motion/posture, known degeneration/arthritis
Self treatment, I would advise increasing postural awareness, and can even use gentle home traction. They make over the door units that use bags of water and pulleys to essentially lift up on the head and take pressure off of the disc and nerve. When acute there will be a lot of inflammation so anti-inflammatories etc may be useful. MD will often prescribe prednisone or some similar steroid. Ginger, turmeric, are anti-inflammatory herbal/supplement treatments than can be used. Ice packs/cryotherapy may be helpful as well.
Generally movement is good( slow and gentle) , but only within pain-free range of motion. NO stretching. Stop with pain or change in symptoms.
Being a biased chiropractor I would say consult one as well.
If the problem is due to other conditions it can be more complicated
tumor—no home treatment, see a Dr
Stenosis-probably pain management until surgery is a more viable option.
Sorry, can’t really go into more detail with given information.
