Cervical spine arthritis is also known as spondylosis, a condition that affects the upper spine. Arthritis is generally caused by the wearing and tearing of cartilage in the joints, which results from injuries or aging.

Cervical spine arthritis is caused by degeneration of the cervical vertebrae caused by wearing-off of the cartilages in between them. this degeneration slowly narrows the nerve root spaces (foramen) between the vertebras and compresses the nerves in the spinal cord. when this happens, the nerves are inflamed bringing pain that extends to the arms.

Cervical spine arthritis is most common in people between 40 to 60 years old and is considered a normal part of the wear-and-tear as one gets old. However, cervical spine arthritis may develop early in some people perhaps as a result of injury or trauma to the back.

Cervical spine arthritis is more common in men than women with symptoms that are similar to the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, which are frequently experienced by women.

Symptoms of cervical spine arthritis:

- Chronic neck pain especially when moving- Numbness in the neck, arms and hands- Weak muscles- Tenderness or stiffening of the neck- Headaches- Difficulty in maintaining balance

Different tests are conducted to diagnose cervical spine arthritis. These are the following:

• X-rays – this is a very effective way to determine the level of degeneration in the spine.• Myelogram or CT scan – this type of test provides a detailed spinal bone structure.• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan- this test is performed to get a clearer picture of structures aside from the spine.

If these tests show that your cervical spine arthritis is severe, your physician may refer you to an orthopedic surgeon for further assessment.

Most cases of cervical spine arthritis respond well to different conservative treatments depending on the individual’s condition. Basically, neck rest is the first thing step of treatment. To help you with this, you need to consider proper body posture, the pillows that you use and the activities that you perform.

Anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen or painkillers are also recommended by doctors to treat cervical spine arthritis. These medicines are known to lessen the swelling and the pain. for severe pain, doctor-prescribed oral sedatives can also be taken but as much as possible they should be avoided.

Non-surgical treatments such as hot and cold compress as well as a massage can help alleviate pain. for some cases physical therapy is advised as well as exercises.

If all conservative methods failed, the last option in treating severe cervical spine arthritis is surgery. Some surgeries involve the removal of a portion of a bone to relieve spinal cord pressure. Other such surgeries involve bone fusion, removal of a damage disc or creating a space in the nerve roots. Patients should talk to their doctor about what type of surgery will work for them.

What are the Cervical Spondylosis Symptoms? March 3rd, 2011 – No Comments – Category: Types of back Pain

When the cartilage and bones of the neck experience wear and tear, a disorder known as cervical spondylosis occurs. the disks like structures between the vertebras of the spine also face degeneration along with the bones of the cervical spine. Cervical spondylosis symptoms are prevalent in aged people above the age of 60 years in both men and women. Severe arthritis, surgery in the spine and injury of the neck are some of the other factors which can lead to the development of this condition.

If the signs of the condition are ignored initially, the degeneration can progress to the spine. By this stage, the functioning of the arms and legs also get affected. the spine contains nerves of the nervous system through which the signals of motor functions are sent to the brain for their processing.

Cervical Spondylosis Symptoms:

• Stiffness of the neck which worsens with the passage of time
• Neck pain which can spread to the arms and shoulders
• Lack of sensation in the limbs
• Abnormal sensation in the shoulders and limbs
• Headache at the back of the head
• Weakness of the arms and in very rare conditions it can be felt even in legs
• Loss of balance
• Loss of control over the bowels as the spinal cord gets compressed

The diagnosis of the above mentioned symptoms is done through physical examination. the patient reports of pain in turning the head towards the shoulder or rotating it. Reflexes are reduced. Weakness or loss of sensation implies that the nerves of the spinal cord or the roots of its nerves may be damaged.

The doctor may enquiry about the medical history of the patient to learn whether any injury was suffered in the location in past. after this initial diagnosis, other diagnostic tests are carried out to nail down the suffered condition to precision.

Conclusion: Spine magnetic resonance imaging, CT scan, EMG and X-rasy are some of the advanced diagnostic techniques to find cervical sponsylosis symptoms.

Tweet

Malignant Neoplasm is the other name for Cancer.. Spreading of uncontrolled growth of cells of the body from one part to another or invade in adjacent tissues. this makes more dangerous by metastasis.Most important is diagnosis of cancer at an early stage. Treatment becomes difficult when at later stages and is easy and cure during at early stage. High mortality and morbidity rates, one of the most dreaded disease.

Different categories of cancer are carcinoma,Sarcoma, Leukemia and Lymphome. Malignant growth of elithelial cells is the Carcinoma. Oesophagus, colon, nose, prostrate, urinary bladder, ureter etc are the body parts which are affected. the symptoms of this depends on the parts which are affected. for example, in case of the esophageal carcinoma, the main symptoms are weight loss and dysphagia.

This type of tumour which arise in bone, muscle, fat, fibrous tissue or cartilage is Sarcoma. Pain, fever and sweeling are the common symptoms of Sarcoma.the common types of sarcomas are Kaposi’s sarcoma & Ewing sarcoma.

Cancer in blood is leukemia. In this, there is over-production of abnormal blood cells especially white blood cells. Normal functioning is not possible. the common symptoms of leukemia are fever, chills, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, petechiae under skin, bleeding gums, bone pain, sweating at night etc.

Lymphoma is the cancer of lymphatic system which acts as the filter system of the body. Common type of Lymphoma is the Hodgkin’s disease.Fever,night sweats,painless swelling of lymph nodes, itching of skin, constant fatigue, weight loss, red patches on skin etc are the symptoms.

On the body parts, breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer and prostrate cancer are the common cancers. In the age group of 45-55, breast cancer is more common in females than males. Diagnosis is generally made on the breast or nipple which affects the shape, color or texture.When it is noticed, physician should be contacted immediately. the other common symptoms are itching, increases sensitivity, burning, pain etc in the breast.

When there is bleeding from the rectum is mainly suspected as colon cancer. Indication of color of blood, position of the tumor in the colon.There may be a change in the bowel habits like heavy diarrhoea or constipation. other symptoms include fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite & weight, vomiting, nausea, morning sickness, pain in rectum etc.

Then comes the Lung cancer,it is more common in males.the high risk factor of this is cigarette smoking. Lung cancer symptoms are cough, bleeding with cough, pain in chest, difficulty in breathing, loss of weight, fatigue, hoarseness or loss of voice, respiratory infection like bronchitis, swelling of fingertips etc. Metastasis is very common in case of lung cancer. the parts which are more effected are bones, liver, adrenal gland etc.

Know more about cancer symptoms and lip cancer symptoms.