[Models of pain development in radicular compression.].

The problem of nociception and pain development in radicular pain syndromes is not clarified. In the pathophysiology of pain of radicular compression caused by stenosis or disc prolapse, morphological complex nerve root/ganglion is the key structure. Chronic compression forces on the nerve structure cause structural changes. Structural deterioration is linked with a change in the electrical membrane properties of the affected nerve root. The membrane threshold shift in nociceptive fibers is an important prerequisite for pain perception in nerve root compression. New biochemical aspects in the pathophysiology of radicular syndromes are presented, which could explain the discrepancy between pain and objective clinical findings. The article concludes that a better understanding of the nerve root pathophysiology will bring a more differentiated pain-management strategy.