Neck pain is another common complain of individuals aside from back pain. It can be cause by various conditions and this is often associated with individuals advancing in age. Just like any part of the body, the cervical spine or bones in the neck can slowly degenerate as it age. This often results to arthritis. Arthritis in the neck is referred to as cervical spondylosis.
Cervical spondylosis is a degenerative disease, this is often common to elderly people. In fact over sixty percent of people who are sixty and above are affected with this condition. The good thing is, even if it is a kind of arthritis, cervical spondylosis rarely result into a disabling type of condition.
Cervical Spondylosis Symptoms
Painful and stiff neck. One of the leading symptoms of cervical spondylosis is stiff neck and it tends to grow fast and worst over time.
Shoulder and arm pain. A radiating pain to the shoulder and down to the arm or sometimes the pain radiate to the bottom of the skull. This pain can be describe as burning or stabbing pain if not it will present as a dull ache (emedicine 2006)
Parasthesia. It is a pinprick and tingling sensations that you experience in your extremities. You also feel numb and you experience muscle weakness in your hands, arms, shoulders and neck.
Other symptoms include lack of coordination, abnormal reflexes, difficulty walking and loss of bowel or bladder control. In cases of cervical spondylosis with myelopathy, you might experience instability while walking for it may affect the legs. It also accompanies muscle wasting.
The bad news is cervical spondylosis is a degenerative disease meaning the condition slowly gets worst through time. In advance cases, movement might be only achieved through the use of assistive devices like walker or cane. Consult your doctor if you ever experience any of the symptoms above. It is an advantage if your condition is diagnose early.