Cervical Spondylosis Symptoms

Cervical spondylosis is one of those conditions that are difficult to prevent, as it often arises due to normal wear and tear on the human body. People suffering from cervical spondylosis have more than likely been developing the condition for years before physical symptoms began to show, and they never realized it. To diagnose the condition, a doctor will normally use an imaging test such as an X-ray or an MRI, and a physical examination.

Identification

• Cervical spondylosis is a condition that occurs as the bones and joints in the neck age. Over the course of a person's life, the vertebrae and tendons in the neck begin to deteriorate and arthritis will start to set in. The bones may start to develop small but sharp outcroppings known as bone spurs, and these bone spurs can begin to put pressure on the nerves in the spine at the base of the neck. This process of arthritis due to aging and wear and tear in the neck is referred to as cervical spondylosis. There may also be compression of the spinal cord due to lost elasticity in the discs between the vertebrae.

Effects

• The initial symptoms of cervical spondylosis normally start out minimal, but become more chronic as time goes by. These symptoms include a stiffness in the neck that initially causes a dull ache but gradually advances to a more sharp and chronic pain--which seems to originate in the neck but radiates to the chest and shoulders--and a tingling sensation in the arms or hand that could also reach the legs and feet.

Potential

• Advanced symptoms of cervical spondylosis become more painful and can start to be crippling. These symptoms include the changing of the tingling sensation of earlier symptoms into a numbness in the arms and legs that may cause the person to lose use of the arms and legs, or a loss of coordination that could make walking difficult and can cause the person to appear clumsy and awkward when they do walk. Also, the sufferer's reflexes may begin to slow and they may also start to lose control of their bowels and bladder.

Prevention/Solution

• Initial treatment of cervical spondylosis may include measures taken to allow the area time to heal. A doctor may suggest that the person wear a neck brace to take pressure off the vertebrae and allow the pain to subside. For more severe cases it may be necessary to put the person in traction in a hospital to take all the pressure off the vertebrae and give them a chance to heal.

  In the event that these therapeutic approaches do not work a doctor may decide to use surgery. Surgery may be done to eliminate bone spurs that are putting pressure on nerves or it may be done to fuse vertebrae together and stop the pressure on the surrounding nerves.

Considerations

• Cervical spondylosis is a natural part of aging and it occurs in most people by the time they reach the age of 30. Painful symptoms could appear later in life, or painful symptoms may never materialize. One of the risk factors that increases the chance of getting cervical spondylosis is if the person has had any sort of neck injury in the past.