Cervical radiculopathy typically presents with which combination of symptoms?

• A. Severe bilateral leg claudication
• B. Isolated hearing loss
• C. Pain, weakness, numbness, or difficulty controlling muscles, worsened by head movement
• D. Face droop without arm symptoms

Answer: (C)

Cervical radiculopathy happens when a cervical nerve root is irritated or compressed, causing symptoms that travel down the arm in the nerve’s distribution. The key sign is a combination of pain, weakness, numbness, or difficulty controlling the muscles, and those symptoms are often made worse by neck movement or certain positions. That’s exactly what this option describes—the arm-focused stuff that can come with nerve root irritation and is typically aggravated by moving the head.

The other scenarios don’t fit: leg claudication points to vascular disease in the legs, not a cervical nerve root issue; isolated hearing loss involves the inner ear or cranial nerve VIII, not a cervical nerve root; and facial droop with no arm symptoms suggests a facial nerve palsy or a stroke rather than radiculopathy.