Which term describes radiating pain into the arms or legs?

• A. Spondylolisthesis
• B. Spondyloarthritis
• C. Radiculopathy
• D. Pronation

Answer: (C)

Radiculopathy describes nerve root–related pain that radiates from the spine into the arms or legs. When a nerve root is irritated or compressed—often from a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or foraminal narrowing—the pain travels along the course of that nerve. This radicular pain typically follows a dermatomal pattern and may be accompanied by numbness, tingling, or weakness in the affected limb.

Understand that spondylolisthesis involves slippage of one vertebral body over another and can cause nerve symptoms, but the radiating limb pain is the result of radiculopathy, not the definition of the condition itself. Spondyloarthritis refers to inflammatory spinal diseases and is not defined by radiating nerve pain. Pronation is simply a forearm movement and has no relation to nerve-root–driven radiation.