Arm Pain Versus Neck Pain: A Novel Ratio as a Predictor of Post-Operative Clinical Outcomes in Cervical Radiculopathy Patients

Abstract

This study identified specific symptom locations and health-related quality of life (HRQL) scores, which were associated with postoperative pain and disability improvement. In particular, baseline arm pain greater than neck pain was determined to have the greatest impact on whether patients met at least 50% improvement in their upper body pain score. These findings are important for clinicians to optimize patient outcomes through effective preoperative counseling.