Related articles: Cervical spondylosis
Definition
Cervical spondylosis is a chronic disorder due to wear and tear on the joints that connect the vertebrae to the neck; it is, in fact, a consequence of the degenerative phenomena at the base of arthrosis (or osteoarthritis) which affects the cervical tract.
Spondylosis predisposes to a reduction in the size of the vertebral canal (stenosis), therefore of the space available to the nervous structures that flow inside it.
Over time, cervical stenosis and the protrusion of bone growths (osteophytes) in intervertebral foramina can cause myelopathy due to friction on the spinal cord, sometimes involving lower nerve roots (radiculopathy).
In part, cervical spondylosis is a consequence of aging, however sedentariness and postural vices play an important role: for example, those who spend a lot of time sitting at their desk or computer tend to assume a curved attitude which, in the long run, favors deformation of the cervical vertebrae.
Even the excess weight, the specific traumas (such as the so-called "whiplash", that is a violent backlash movement of the neck that is suffered following a tamponade) and the hereditary predisposition can favor the appearance of the disorder.
Most common symptoms and signs *
- Asthenia
- Muscular atrophy and paralysis
- Muscular atrophy
- dizziness
- Neck pain
- Hand and wrist pain
- Shoulder pain
- Arm pain
- Back pain
- Articolar pains
- Tingling in the head
- Tingling in the legs
- hyperkyphosis
- hyperreflexia
- Hypoaesthesia
- Backache
- Headache
- Nausea
- osteophytes
- Paresthesia
- Rheumatism
- Joint stiffness
- Stiffness in the muscles of the back and neck
- Articular noises
- Lhermitte sign
- Spinal stenosis
Further indications
The clinical manifestations of cervical spondylosis vary depending on the nerve structures involved, but pain is commonly present between the neck and shoulder blades, exacerbated by movement.
Other symptoms include headache, nausea and dizziness in changes of position, stiffness and limitation of movement (flexion, extension, lateral inclination and rotation). In addition to the neck, there may be painful involvement that radiates from the shoulders to the fingers of the hand.
Compression of the nerve roots or spinal cord causes radicular pain and neurological symptoms, such as a gradual paraesthesia in the upper limbs and / or spastic paresis in the hands and feet, and can lead to hyperreflexia. Subsequently, losses of localized sensitivity, hyposthenia and muscular atrophy may appear.
Cervical spondylosis is diagnosed by imaging techniques, such as X-rays, CT scans and MRI.
The treatment involves taking anti-inflammatory drugs to give relief from symptoms. In the presence of radiculopathy, the neck must be kept at rest, perhaps using a soft orthopedic collar; if this approach is ineffective, surgical decompression may be necessary.
In more serious cases, on the other hand, it may be necessary to resort to cervical laminectomy, especially in the presence of spinal cord involvement.
