Cervical Spondylosis

• Causes of Cervical Spondylosis

  As the aging process begins, the bones and cartilage that make up your backbone and neck gradually start to wear and tear.  These changes include:

  • Dehydrated disks 

  Disks often act like cushions between the vertebrae of the spine. By the age of 45, most people's spinal disks start to shrink, allowing more bone-on-bone contact between the vertebrae leading to pain and uncomfortable sensation in the back. 

  • Herniated disks

  Age also affects the exterior part of your spinal disks. Sometimes cracks begin to appear, leading to bulging (herniated) disks — which sometimes can compress the spinal cord and nerve roots.

  • Bone spurs

   Disk degeneration sometimes results in the spine producing extra amounts of bone in a misguided effort to provide strength to the spine. These bone spurs give birth to pain in the spinal cord and nerve roots.

  • Stiff ligaments

   Ligaments are cords of tissue that connect one bone to another bone. Spinal ligaments often tend to stiffen with age, making your neck less flexible.

• Signs and Symptoms of Cervical Spondylosis

  For most people, cervical Spondylosis usually causes no symptoms. However, when symptoms do occur, they generally include pain and stiffness in the neck and back.  Sometimes, cervical Spondylosis results in the narrowing of the passage needed by the spinal cord and the nerve roots that travel through the spine to the rest of your body. When the spinal cord or nerve roots become pinched, one might experience:

  • Tingling sensation, numbness, and weakness in your arms, hands, legs or feet
  • Lack of coordination and difficulty in walking
  • Loss of bladder or bowel control

  Diagnosing Cervical Spondylosis The physician will start with a physical exam that includes:

  • Checking the extent of motion in your neck
  • Testing your reflexes and muscle strength to determine if there's any pressure on your spinal nerves 
  • Making you walk to see if any spinal compression is affecting your gait or movement

  Imaging tests

  These Imaging tests can help in providing detailed information for the diagnosis and treatment. Your physician might recommend:

  • Neck X-ray

  An X-ray identifies any abnormalities, such as bone spurs, that might indicate Cervical Spondylosis. Neck X-ray can also help to understand more severe causes for neck pain and stiffness, such as tumors, infections, or fractures.

  • CT scan

   A CT scan can help in providing more detailed imaging, particularly of the bones.

  • MRI 

  Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can help locate areas where nerves might be pinched.

  • Myelography. 

  A tracer dye is inserted into the spinal canal to get more specific X-ray or CT imaging.

  Nerve function tests

  Sometimes the doctor might recommend tests to determine if nerve signals are traveling properly to your muscles or no. These Nerve function tests include:

  • Electromyography

  This test is done to measure the electrical activity in the nerves as they transmit messages to the muscles when the muscles contract and relax.  

  • Nerve conduction study

   Electrodes are attached to the skin above the nerve to be examined. A small shock is then passed through the nerve to measure the strength and speed of nerve signals.

• Preventions tips for Cervical Spondylosis

  The following measure can help in the prevention of occurrence of Spondylosis

  • Follow your doctor's treatment plan and continue your home exercise plan (if you were in physical therapy).
  • Sit and stand properly.
  • Learn to lift objects correctly.
  • Exercise regularly. (Aerobic exercise and yoga are especially good.)
  • Attain and maintain healthy body weight.
  • Eat healthy (a well-balanced, low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables).
  • Stop smoking.
  • Avoid excessive use of alcohol.
  • Get plenty of rest.

• How to differentiate Cervical Spondylosis from other causes of back pain?

  Most of the time, neck pain or back pain is often confused with Spondylosis. The non- specific type of neck pain can usually arise due to factors such as poor posture, anxiety, depression, neck strain, and sporting or occupational activities. However, when mechanical factors are prominent, Cervical Spondylosis can occur. 
  Cervical Spondylosis is more of a general and a nonspecific term that usually refers to the degenerative changes that develop either spontaneously with age, or as the result of any trauma or other pathological condition. 
  These changes, however, develop slowly with time. The earliest event is moreover a biochemical change in the substance of the disc, which results in the decreased water content in the bone structure. This causes an alteration in the biomechanics of the spine due to the loss of the shock absorber-like action of the discs. 

Frequently Asked Questions