Cervical Spondylosis
Another name for cervical spondylosis is cervical joint pain / cervical arthritis. It is a condition in which changes in discs, bones and joints of the neck are seen. It is seen in moderately aged and elderly individuals.
Causes:
- Typical wear and tear because of ageing.
- Past injuries to the neck eg. athletes tend to suffer from this condition because while playing they put more pressure on the neck.
- Poor posture - not following the right posture may result in cervical spondylosis.
Symptoms:
- Frequent neck agony and stiffness
- Headaches
- Radiating pain towards shoulder or arm and sometimes towards back
- Not able to turn around the head or bend it properly
- Tingling sensation in ears and neck muscles
- Numbness
- Muscle spasm, tightness, swelling and sometimes redness
Types of Cervical Spondylosis:
It has been seen that three types of cervical spondylosis are usually found in patients:
a. Cervical radiculopathy: Most common form and easy to diagnose. Clinical manifestations are neck pain radiating towards the arms, shoulder muscles and sometimes towards the finger tips as well. Weakness, numbness, tingling sensation are the common symptoms. Radiating pain is because of the nerve compression and inflammation.
b. Cervical Myelopathy: Most difficult form to diagnose and sometimes does not show symptoms for a very long time. It can cause tingling sensation and numbness in the arms and legs. One can have trouble in walking or maybe while balancing. Because of muscle weakness, there are irregular movements.
c. Axial Joint pain: This is the purest form of neck and soft tissue pain. Clinical manifestations are pain and soreness at the back of the neck.
