All You Need To Know About Cervical Spondylosis

Sometimes known as arthritis of the neck, cervical spondylosis is the term used for the wear and tear of the body that affects your cervical spine. Those with cervical spondylosis may feel your neck ache, hurt, and feel stiff. Although there is no 100% cure for cervical spondylosis, your doctor can help you keep it from getting worse by suggesting some treatment.

What is Cervical Spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is a broad term for wear and tear of your cervical spine. The Cervical, also known as the vertebrae, are the seven stacked bones in your neck. This is a condition in which part of your spine starts to wear out, which is why some healthcare professionals also call it osteoarthritis of the neck or arthritis of the neck.

The main characteristic of cervical spondylosis is an ache in your neck and a feeling of stiffness.

How common is cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is one of the most common side effects of growing older. As you age, your spine starts to change and wear out. While this process begins when people are in their late 30s, by the time you reach 60 years, 9 out of 10 people may have cervical spondylosis.

What are the symptoms of cervical spondylosis?

Some of the common cervical spondylosis symptoms include:

• Pain in the neck
• Stiffness of the neck
• A small bump or knot in your neck
• Spasms in your neck muscles
• A grinding, popping, or clicking sound when you move your neck
• Headaches
• Dizziness

However, you can also have this condition without showing any cervical spondylosis symptoms.

What causes cervical spondylosis?

Age is one of the most common cervical spondylosis causes because of the changes that start happening in your spine. These changes can also point towards medical issues, like:

• Osteoarthritis
• Bone spurs (osteophytes)
• Spinal stenosis
• Herniated disk
• Degenerative disk disease

What triggers cervical spondylosis?

Whatever may be the cervical spondylosis causes, there can be a few triggers or risk factors, including:

• Age factor
• Smoking
• Straining your neck when lifting heavy objects
• Working a job that needs you to spend a lot of time daily looking up or down
• A history of neck injury
• A family history of cervical spondylosis
• Overweight and inactivity

What are the complications of this condition?

A cervical spondylosis may also lead to:

• Cervical radiculopathy: Where a nerve in your neck is pinched
• Cervical myelopathy: When something squeezes or compresses your spinal cord in the neck region

Can cervical spondylosis affect my brain?

Cervical spondylosis cannot affect your brain as it is a condition that affects the disks in your spine and causes pain and stiffness in your neck.

How is cervical spondylosis diagnosed?

For a cervical spondylosis diagnosis, your healthcare provider will first do a physical examination and look for knots or bumps in your neck. They may also check other factors, such as:

• Your neck flexibility
• Your reflexes
• The way you walk
• Your muscle strength

What tests help diagnose cervical spondylosis?

Some standard cervical spondylosis tests include getting detailed spine images, which check your nerves and skeletal muscles. These include:

• Computed tomography (CT) scans
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• X-ray
• Electromyography (EMG)
• Myelograms
• Nerve conduction studies

What is the treatment for cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis treatment focuses more on helping you ease your symptoms. Generally, your doctor will first advise noninvasive treatments like:

• Physical therapy for cervical spondylosis
• Over the counter painkillers
• Home treatment for spondylitis, such as applying heat or ice on your neck for 15 minutes multiple times throughout the day
• Wearing a brace or soft collar

If significant pain persists, you may need to undergo other cervical spondylosis treatments, such as radiofrequency ablation or cervical epidural steroid injections. If this still does not work or you have developed some form of complication, your doctor may recommend you undergo a spinal fusion surgery.

What are the treatment side effects?

As most of the treatment options are non-invasive, you may not feel any kind of side effects. However, for spinal fusion surgery, radiofrequency ablation or steroid injections can have a few side effects. Ask your healthcare provider for the details before starting these cervical spondylosis treatments.

What can I expect if I have cervical spondylosis?

While this is a reasonably chronic condition without any known cure, there are ways to reduce its effects and prevent it from worsening. With the right kind of treatment, the cervical spondylosis symptoms will not affect your daily life.

How do I take care of myself?

More often than not, cervical spondylosis is the effect of getting older. However, there are a few ways you can take better care of your neck, like:

• Ensuring you take breaks at regular intervals when doing any activity that puts a lot of strain on your neck.
• Finding out about exercises that can help you strengthen and stretch your neck muscles
• Don't ignore even mild neck pain, give it a rest, treat it with ice or heat and over-the-counter pain medication.

When to see a doctor?

Knowing when to visit your doctor can make a big difference for this condition. If you have continuous neck pain or stiffness that doesn't subside for a few days, then it is better to visit your doctor to start treatment for cervical spondylosis to help your symptoms reduce and stop it from getting worse. In some cases, severe neck pain can also indicate an underlying medical condition. You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience:

• Neck pain that keeps worsening
• Feel tingling or numbness in your arms
• Have trouble walking or coordination
• Heaviness or muscle weakness in your arms or legs
• Loss of bowel or bladder control

What are the Home treatment options for cervical spondylosis?

Mild cases of cervical spondylosis may respond well to home treatment and self-care. Some of the most effective home treatments for spondylitis include:

• Maintaining regular activity that helps speed up your recovery. If some exercises are causing more neck pain, modify them to suit your needs, but do not stop exercising. Daily walks can help reduce the possibility of developing neck and lower back pain.
• Applying a heating pad or ice pack on the affected region can help relieve sore muscles in your neck.
• A soft neck brace gives your neck the rest it needs to recover. However, these can be worn only for limited periods, as prolonged use can weaken your neck muscles and increase stiffness.
• Over-the-counter painkillers give temporary relief for the pain associated with cervical spondylosis.

What is the outlook for cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is an age-related condition that is relatively common and causes pain and stiffness in the neck along with headaches. While there is no cure for this condition, there are ways in which you can minimise the effects, allowing you to live everyday life without any pain or discomfort.

Conclusion

Cervical spondylosis is a condition that is characterised by pain and stiffness in your neck. It is an age-related condition that can be stopped from getting worse when diagnosed at the right time. Regular health checkups and doctor visits can help your healthcare provider diagnose such conditions early and guide you through what needs to be done to get relief without any invasive treatment. Top diagnostic labs like Metropolis Healthcare offer health packages based on your gender and age that help you get yourself tested for this and many other conditions before they get worse. Book your appointment with us today.