Cervical spine osteoarthritis is a typical condition of middle-aged and older people, with degeneration of the discs and joints in the cervical spine.
Symptom
When the spinal cord is compressed, the first symptom is often a change in gait.It becomes unstable, leg movements become jerky (spastic).When nerve roots are damaged, pain is mainly felt in the neck.Weakness and muscle atrophy of one or both arms may develop both before and after signs of spinal cord compression appear.
All the symptoms: pain that increases with physical activity, pain that gets worse when bending forward, weakness in one or both arms, jerky gait, neck pain.
When to see a doctor
- For pain in the cervical spine.
- Used for tingling, loss of sensitivity, and pain in the arms and shoulder joints.
- For frequent headaches.
- For dizziness.
Specialist: neurologist (neurologist), neurologist (neurologist), orthopedist.
Reason
Osteoarthritis of the cervical spine may be accompanied by narrowing of the spinal canal through which the spinal cord passes.As a result, the nerve roots or spinal cord are compressed, causing their function to be disrupted.Symptoms that arise may be the result of spinal cord compression or nerve root damage.
Diagnose
If cervical osteoarthritis is suspected, your doctor will order a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which can determine the area of spinal stenosis, the degree of compression, and the area of affected nerve roots.
List of diagnostic methods: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), spinal X-ray.
Treatment
Spinal cord dysfunction due to cervical osteoarthritis may resolve without treatment but may also progress.Initially, to alleviate the condition, the doctor will advise supporting the neck with a special necklace, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, mild pain relievers and muscle relaxants.But if an MRI scan shows severe compression or if the disease progresses, surgery is needed to stop the process.However, it will not eliminate the changes that have already occurred because some nerve fibers in the spinal cord are irreversibly damaged.
Treatment methods: surgery, fixation and orthopedics.