Cervical & Lumbar Spondylosis

Spondylosis
A very common disorder of the spine is spondylosis. It is primarily a condition of age. The condition reduces mobility of the intervertebral joints and there is a consequent development of abnormal bone around the vertebrae. What happens is that projections called osteophytes appear from the vertebral margins. Osteophytes are small, bony spurs and they cause the bone to become denser and the disks to degenerate. The degenerated disk extrudes both forward and backward. When the extrusion is backward, the spinal canal is narrowed.

Cervical Spondylosis:-

Cervical Spondylosis is also known as Cervical Osteoarthritis. Cervical Spondylosis is characterized by chronic degeneration of the bones of the neck and the vertebrae discs. Degeneration of the facet joints, spinal nerves and spinal cord also causes Cervical Spondylosis.
It is observed that age, sports injuries and accidents are the most common causes that lead to wear and tear of bones around the neck region. Cervical Spondylosis is known to affect people above 40 years of age. Men are susceptible to Cervical Spondylosis at an earlier age as compared to women.

Symptoms:-

The common symptoms associated with Cervical Spondylosis are:

• Severe pain in the neck region
• Neck pain leads to pain in shoulders and arms
• Loss of sensation in neck, shoulders, arms and fingers
• Instability
• Lack of bowel or bladder control

If Cervical Spondylosis is left untreated it can cause severe damage to the spinal cord and spinal nerves which can impair mobility and the ability to function normally.

 
Lumbar Spondylosis and Cervical Spondylosis:-
 
When there is a marked narrowing of the canal over a few segments and when the bone, disk and the ligaments protrude into it, the condition is called lumbar spinal stenosis. Here the nerve roots of the cauda equina are compressed. When the misalignment of the vertebrae causes stretching of the joint capsules at sites where the vertebrae are adjacent, there is pain.
A more common occurrence in the event of backward protrusion of an intervertebral disk is distortion of the local ligaments. In this case, the emerging nerve root is compressed and there results pain, weakness and numbness in the area.

       Spondylosis usually affects men more than women. Usually, the lumbar and cervical spine are more frequently affected than the thoracic spine, because the curvature of the latter prevents spondylosis from impinging on the spinal cord. Another important point is that lumbar and cervical spondylosis frequently occur simultaneously in the same individual. The onset of the symptoms is generally very slow and gradual. However, if ignored, spondylosis may lead to disabling tingling pain, limited motion, and partial paralysis in affected areas of the body.

Spondylolisthesis and other conditions
Another condition that can affect the spine is spondylolisthesis. It is a condition where there is a slipping forward of one vertebra onto another. It is usually a congenital deformity or it may be caused due to trauma.
Besides spondylosis and spodylolisthesis, infections, tumors and bone diseases may also cause vertebral disorders, causing pain and signs of damage to the roots and perhaps to the cord as well. Direct infections of the spinal cord are very rare. Tumors are usually secondary to such malignancies as lymphomas or carcinomas of the breast, prostate or kidney. Benign or non-cancerous tumors may also occur.