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Cervical Spondylosis

What is cervical spondylosis?

cervical spondylosis is natural age-related wear and tear of cartilage, disks, and bones in the neck. Like the rest of the body, the disks in the neck area also degenerate with age. Cervical spondylosis is very common, more than 70% of people over the age of 50 are affected. The condition can lead to stiffness and pain in the neck, although patients generally experience no noticeable symptoms.

What are the causes of cervical spondylosis?

With age, the spine changes and deteriorates. Degeneration, herniation, dehydrated disks bone spurs, and osteoarthritis are common changes with aging. These reasons can lead to cervical spondylosis. Some factors other than aging like neck injuries, smoking any activity that put extra strain on the neck, and genetic factors being overweight and inactive are also play role in this.

What are the signs, symptoms, and complications of cervical spondylosis?

Generally, people with cervical spondylosis don’t have any visible symptoms. But symptoms can gradually occur from mild to severe. Some common symptoms of cervical spondylosis are:

Pain around the shoulder blade
Headache mostly in the back of the head
Muscle weakness
Stiffness in neck
Numbness and pins and needles affecting the shoulder and arms
What diagnosis treatment for cervical spondylosis is available?

The doctor will check the medical history first and physical symptoms like checking reflexes and testing the range of motion of the neck. After a detailed physical examination the doctor can ask for a variety of tests to get a closer look. The patient suspected of cervical spondylosis will go through MRI scans, CT scans, X-rays, EMG, and bone scans.

Which cervical spondylitis treatment is available?

Non-surgical treatments are very effective in cervical spondylosis. A doctor will provide pain relief medications like muscle relaxants, neuropathic pain medications, physical therapy, and neck stretching exercises. If the condition is severe and non-surgical treatments are not working well the patient might need surgery, though surgery is rarely necessary for cervical spondylosis. Sometimes the Neurosurgeon may advise spinal injections for pain relief. Cervical soft collar is given for a few patients.

What operations for Cervical Spondylosis are available?

The operations commonly done are

  1. Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF)
  2. Anterior Corpectomy and Fusion with Bone Graft or Synthetic Cage
  3. Posterior Cervical Laminectomy
  4. Posterior Cervical Laminoplasty
  5. Posterior Cervical Facet Fusion with screws
  6. Posterior Cervical Laminectomy and lateral mass fixation with screws and rods
  7. Global fusion (Anterior plus Posterior procedure)

Dr Nitin Jagdhane is one of the best Neurosurgeon and Spine specialists for doing Minimal Invasive/ Access spine surgery and Cervical Spine Surgery in Mumbai, India. Get in touch with Dr. Nitin Jagdhane, brain and spine specialist in Mumbai, for the best results for your Cervical Spondylosis Surgery