Natural History of Radiculopathy

Radicular pain is a frequent complaint of patients presenting to outpatient primary care and musculoskeletal clinics. Most cases of radiculopathy are self-limiting, and symptoms resolve over the course of weeks to months. There is spontaneous resolution of disc herniations, and clinical improvement correlates with morphologic resolution. Knowledge of the natural history of radiculopathy is crucial for the health care provider to appropriately counsel and treat patients with this disorder. Although each patient should be managed individually, the favorable prognosis of radiculopathy based on the natural history supports a conservative approach for the initial weeks to months for most patients.