What is cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is a type of arthritis of the neck. It can happen as people get older.

You may have neck pain and stiffness. Sometimes the space around the spinal cord narrows. When this happens, it is called spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis can cause pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms, legs, feet, and rear end (buttocks). It can also cause loss of bowel and bladder control.

You can treat some of your symptoms with over-the-counter pain medicine. But if you have spinal stenosis with severe symptoms, you may need surgery.

There are often no symptoms. When there are symptoms, neck pain and stiffness are the main ones. They are usually worse in the morning and get better throughout the day. You may also have a headache.

If bony growths are pushing against a nerve root or the spinal cord, you may have numbness, tingling, weakness, or an aching, shooting pain in your arm or leg.

Pain and stiffness are first treated with ice or heat and with over-the-counter medicines. Physical therapy and daily exercises can be helpful.

If these treatments aren't helping you enough, you may need other treatments. This might be more likely to happen if you have spine problems such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis. In some cases, a shot of medicine in the joint area may offer short-term relief. For a severe problem, surgery may be an option.

Cervical spondylosis can usually be diagnosed based on your history of symptoms, a physical exam, and imaging tests. These are tests that produce various kinds of pictures of your body. Such tests include:

• X-rays. They can help measure the extent of arthritis or injuries to the bones.
• MRI. This test checks your spinal nerves and looks for disc problems.
• CT scan. This test checks your spinal canal, bones, and joints.

• Take anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce neck pain. These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve). Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
• Follow your doctor's recommendation about activity. The doctor may tell you not to do sports or activities that could injure your neck.

As your body ages, the discs between the bones of the spine become stiffer and can break down. The bones also wear down and can grow bone spurs.

Spondylosis is age-related change of the bones (vertebrae) and discs of the spine. These changes are often called degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis. When this condition is in the neck, it's called cervical spondylosis.

These changes don't always cause symptoms. But they are a common cause of spine problems that can range from mild to severe.