Neck blog series part 1: Cervical Spondylosis


What is Spondylosis?


Spondylosis: ‘a spinal condition resulting from degeneration of the intervertebral discs in the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar regions’.
Dunsker (1981) stated that ‘cervical spondylosis is a common condition that affects all people, but to varying degrees. It is often blamed for vague symptoms about the head or neck and is commonly misdiagnosed when it is responsible for symptoms in an extremity’

How much of a problem is spondylosis?

Spondylosis: Radiological evidence can be seen in asymptomatic adults and 25% of individuals aged under 40 have some degree of disc degeneration (Rao, 2007). Symptoms may appear in persons as young as 30 years but are most common in individuals aged 40-60 years (Galhom and Al-Shatoury, 2009).
The most common sites of spondylosis are: C4-T1, T2,3,4 & L2-S1 (Areas of maximum motion and curvature).

What are the common symptoms of cervical spondylosis?

Neck pain unilateral or bilateral, radiating between the shoulder blades. Occasionally occipital (base of the skull) pain. It can also cause radicular pain (arm pain).  Vague tingling / numbness  in the upper limbs is often noted. Disturbed sleep, Limited range of movement, stiffness. Pain is aggravated by movement, particularly extension:

(Binder, 2007)
Hypomobility (lack of movement) of the low cervical spine is common to all cases (Grant, 2002). Kyphotic deformity develops secondary to Cervicothoracic joint stiffness.

What causes spondylosis?

There is a strong association between neck & shoulder injury with manual handling, trunk flexion or rotation, repetitive movement, working in awkward or static postures & working with the hands above the head (Mayer et al 2012). Spontaneous onset, or after postures involving sustained flexion or extension (Grant, 2002).
In young adulthood, the cervical discs start to fissure posteriorly, due to continued shearing effects.
By late thirties, there are obvious transverse posterior fissures running between the uncovertebral joints. 
Only the anterior annulus, longitudinal ligaments are intact, so stability is due to the zygopophyseal  (facet) joints, posterior musculature and ligaments (Taylor and Twomey,2002).
It affects men and women equally, but usually starts earlier in men (Galhom and Al-Shatoury, 2009)..

How do you diagnose spondylosis?


Diagnosis is based on clinical and radiological (x-ray) presentation.
Palpation to the facet joints in the neck is accurate to help diagnose neck injury to a probability of 82% (Cleland & Koppenhaver 2005).

So what can help?


Narcotic analgesics, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS), corticosteroids, muscle relaxants.

Non-operative management is the best option for those with no neural components like arm pain, pins and needles etc. (Rao, 2002).


An arm support together with an alternative mouse may prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck & shoulder (Hoe et al 2012).


Massage for mechanical neck pain was found to provide immediate effectiveness both in pain & tenderness (Patel et al 2012).


Chronic neck pain: acupuncture: better pain relief immediately after treatment & in the short-term (Trinh et al 2010).

Studies suggests that certain joint mobilisation techniques are better than others: APs and PAs provide faster pain relief in patients with unilateral cervical spondylosis than rotations and transverse pressure (Egwu, 2008).
There are more mechanoreceptors in the cervical spine (neck) than in the lumbar spine (low back) so proprioceptive exercises are important.

What is my prognosis?


There is poor prognosis one year after the onset, if the pain was severe at the onset of the symptoms and if the patient also has lower back pain at the same time then this is an indication of poor recovery.
Lees and Turner, 1963 found that approximately 45% had a good resolution of symptoms but 55% had minor or moderate symptoms.
Gore et al, 1987 found 43% had complete resolution of their symptoms. 25% had mild residual pain and 32% had moderate to severe residual pain.

Here is a help video for neck pain:

Stay tuned for the next article in the series, coming soon!

If you need any further information or would like to book an appointment then call Hawkes Physiotherapy on 01782 771861 or 07866195914

WWW.HAWKESPHYSIOTHERAPY.CO.UK

Comments

  1. Thank you for all the info! This helps me a lot decide a good physiotherapy in Hamilton. Thanks again for all the info!

    ReplyDelete
  2. great article! very informative about the treatment of neck pain .......

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  3. Cervical spondylosis cause severe headaches often in an individual which enables you to result into shrinking of muscle tissues in head and neck part of entire body. In order to relieve this disease the sufferer must go proper cervical-spondylosis treatment In Mumbai.

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  6. Arthritis is a disease in which a person’s joints become swollen, and in which there is some loss in the ability to move them without pain. Arthritis treatment

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  7. Cervical spondylosis which can also be said as neck arthritis or cervical osteoarthritis. In which patient is having Neck pain And stiffness.

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  8. As a sign of gratitude for how my husband was saved from Cervical Spondylosis, i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
    My husband suffered Cervical Spondylosis and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony of so many people who was cured from Cervical Spondylosis, fibromyagia and so many other with similar body problem, and they left the contact of this doctor who had the herbal cure to Cervical Spondylosis . I never imagined Cervical Spondylosis has a cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my husband will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my husband used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life.Cervical Spondylosis has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Keep going.. Great post.

    Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Keep moving, but avoid jerking or painful activities. This helps calm your symptoms and reduce inflammation. Do slow range-of-motion exercises, up and down, side to side, and from ear to ear.

    For more information visit: Neck Pain Doctor and get best result.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am Shelley from Los Angeles,California, I want to testify on how i got cured from Cervical spondylosis, I have suffered from Cervical spondylosis since the year 2011 with so mush pain,that i have to spend so mush money getting pain relief in the hospital, and I have visited several doctor ,but all to no avail, my world was gradually coming to an end because of the chronic pain , until i saw a post in a health forum about Dr Williams who uses herbal portion in curing people from different kind of diseases including Cervical spondylosis, at first i doubted if it we be able to cure me, but i decided to give it a try, when i contacted this herbal doctor via his email, he prepared a herbal portion and sent it to me via courier service, when i received this herbal medicine, he gave me step by step instructions on how to apply it, when i applied it as instructed, i was completely free from Cervical spondylosis just for 1 months of usage,i we recommend this to all my friend family in the world today who still suffering from Cervical spondylosis you can contact him through his email on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help.

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  11. Thank you for explaining this issue regarding the backbone.
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  12. Really I love your Blog. Thanks to Admin for sharing such useful information. Addition to your Story here I am contributing one more similar Story Neck Pain – Causes, Treatment and Remedies.

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  13. As a sign of gratitude for how my husband was saved from Cervical Spondylosis, i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
    My husband suffered Cervical Spondylosis and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony of so many people who was cured from Cervical Spondylosis, fibromyagia and so many other with similar body problem, and they left the contact of this doctor who had the herbal cure to Cervical Spondylosis . I never imagined Cervical Spondylosis has a cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my husband will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my husband used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life.Cervical Spondylosis has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

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