Surgery is the last resort for treating cervical spondylosis. It is suggested when non-surgical treatments fail and the pain and neurological signs such as weakness in your arms or legs get worse. It is done to create more room for your spinal cord and nerve roots.
While the disorder is chronic and cannot be cured, early diagnoses and interventions can prevent further degeneration.
If cervical spondylosis severely compresses your spinal cord or nerve roots, the damage can be permanent.
Spondylosis is caused by chronic wear on the spine. This includes the disks or cushions between the neck vertebrae and the joints between the bones of the cervical spine. Over time these changes can press down on (compress) one or more of the nerve roots. In advanced cases, the spinal cord becomes involved.
Most people with cervical spondylosis have some long-term symptoms. These symptoms improve with non-surgical treatment and do not need surgery. Many people with this problem are able to maintain an active life.
DOs and DON'Ts in Managing Cervical Spondylosis:
DO maintain good posture while sitting and walking. DO wear a seat belt when in a motor vehicle. DO minimize trauma to your cervical spine. DO avoid contact sports.
Too Little Movement. When you aren't active enough, your spine, muscles, and joints can become stiffer. You also miss out on the flexibility, posture, pain-relief, and overall health benefits too.
Cervical spondylosis can be identified in the majority of people older than 50 years. There also appears to be a genetic predisposition to develop diseases of the skeletal elements of the spine because some families will have more of these changes.
Spondylosis can lead to spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal. As a result, the spinal cord and/or spinal nerve roots can become compressed (pinched). For example, the cervical spinal cord can be affected by compression from spondylosis. This is called cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
Pain usually comes and goes, with flare-ups followed by symptom-free periods. Rarely, it can irritate a nerve in the neck, which can cause symptoms such as pain and or altered sensation in your arm for example pins and needles or numbness. If any of these occur, it's a good idea to talk to a health care professional.
The treatment strategy for cervical spondylosis depends on the severity of a patient's signs and symptoms. In the absence of “red flag” symptoms or significant myelopathy, the goals of treatment are to relieve pain, improve functional ability in day-to-day activities, and prevent permanent injury to neural structures.
People suffering from cervical spondylosis should avoid taking curd and baked foods. Spicy, hot, salty, oily foods should also be avoided. Other food items such as red meat, white potatoes and coffee should be avoided as these foods can increase acid load in the body.
Life expectancy for people with ankylosing spondylitis is the same as that of the general population, except for patients with severe symptoms and complications. Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disease.
There is no way to prevent cervical spondylosis as this condition is a normal, age-related deterioration (“wear and tear”) of the joint space and disks in your neck.
Although they have many symptoms in common, spondylitis and spondylosis are two different diseases. Age-related wear and tear of the joints result in spondylosis. On the other hand, spondylitis is an autoimmune condition affecting joints and surrounding tissues.
Cervical spondylotic myelopathy with vitamin B12 deficiency: Two case reports - PMC.
Advanced cervical spondylosis can cause both neurological decline and severe pain, leading to significant disability and impairment of activities of daily living.
Spondylosis is common, but it is usually not serious. Many who have it experience no pain, though it can be painful for some. Most patients with spinal osteoarthritis will not need surgery.
Avoid sitting for a prolonged period of time in stressful postures. Avoid running and high-impact aerobics, if you have any neck pain. Do not lift heavy weights on head or back.
Most people develop symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis before age 45. However, some people develop the disease when they are children or teens. Other conditions. People who have Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or psoriasis may be more likely to develop the disease.
It ranges from mild to severe and blurred vision to complete blindness. The incidence of visual dysfunction caused by cervical spondylosis ranges from 3% to 22.4% of other atypical symptoms [4]. A latest meta-analysis reported that the incidence of blurred vision caused by cervical spondylosis approximated at 2.6% [1].
NSAIDs. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) are commonly recommended to help relieve pain and inflammation. They're available at any drugstore without a prescription, but it's important to follow dosing recommendations.
A pharmacist can help with cervical spondylosis
Painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen can help ease neck pain and stiffness.
Sit in a chair with the back straight and shoulders neutral. Tilt the head to one side, as if looking over the shoulder, while keeping the chin straight. Gently tense the neck muscles.