The pain in the neck bone is known as espondilosis cervical u neck osteoarthritis. Pain in the neck bone is very common and can be caused by a large number of reasons and causes., and is commonly associated with aging.
As it happens with the rest of the body, neck bones, that is to say, of the spine, slowly degenerate with age. This often leads to arthrosis or osteoarthritis. This last, in the neck, is named espondilosis cervical.
Cervical spondylosis is degeneration of the joints in the neck. The condition appears more often as people age. More than 85% of people over 60 years are affected by it.
Although it is a form of osteoarthritis, cervical spondylosis usually does not transform into a disabling or paralyzing disease. Understanding the structure of the spine and how it works can help you better understand cervical spondylosis.. Here we explain everything you need to know about pain in the neck bone.
Index
Cause of cervical spondylosis
Osteoarthritis can develop in the spine as the disc degenerates and loses its water content.. For children and young adults, discs have a high water content. with aging, discs begin to dry out and weaken, a problem that results in flattening or collapsing of the disc spaces and loss of height in the case of the disc spaces.
As the joint surfaces experience increased pressure, these also begin to degenerate and develop osteoarthritis, as it happens in other joints such as the hip or knee. The cartilage that covers and protects the joints wears away.
In those cases in which the cartilage wears away completely, this can lead to bone-on-bone friction. To compensate for cartilage loss, your body may respond by building new bone at the joint surfaces to help support the vertebrae. they are only present in the outermost layers of the fibrous envelope, this additional growth can reduce the space through which the nerves pass or stenosis.
Risk factor's
There are different risk factors that increase the risk of cervical spondylosis neck bone pain.. All of the following risk factors are linked to an increased risk of neck pain and are:
- Genetics. If the family has a history of neck bone pain.
- smoking. Clearly linked to increased neck pain.
- Occupation. Jobs in which you have to perform many neck movements and work on your head.
- Mental health. mental health issues, like depression, ansiedad…
- injuries/trauma. such as work injuries, car accidents, and so on.
Symptoms of cervical spondylosis
The pain that is caused by espondilosis cervical can be mild or severe. The pain is sometimes worse when the person looks up or down for a long time or with activities such as driving or reading a book., among other activities. It also improves with rest or in those cases in which the person lies down.
in addition, there are a number of additional symptoms including, among others, the following:
- Neck pain and stiffness that may worsen with activity
- Dificulty to walk, loss of balance or weakness in the legs or hands
- Numbness and weakness in the arms, hands and fingers
- Headaches
- Muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders
- Crackling or crackling sounds and sensations in the neck with movement.
Medical exam
Determining the source of the pain is critical to recommending appropriate treatment and rehabilitation.. Therefore, a comprehensive examination is necessary to determine the cause of the pain in the neck bone.
The doctor will take care of making a complete history of the difficulties that the person has with his neck. Your doctor may ask you about other injuries or illnesses that have occurred in your neck.
A complete physical exam will include shoulders, neck, arms and often their legs as well. Tests may include tactile sensation, reflexes, strength, neck and arm flexibility, blood flow and also the way you walk.
exams
Your doctor may supplement your evaluation with blood tests., and if necessary, consult with medical specialists. Other tests that can help your doctor confirm your diagnosis, semitendinosus and biceps femoris:
X-rays
X-ray studies are ordered as the first step in spinal imaging.. X-rays will show aging changes, such as loss of disc height or bony protrusions.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
This study is responsible for creating better images of the soft tissues, like nerves,. muscles, discs and spinal cord.
Myelography
This is a specific X-ray study that involves the injection of dye or contrast material into the spinal canal.. These allow careful evaluation of the spinal canal and nerve roots.
CT scans (CT)
It is a specialized x-ray study that allows a careful evaluation of the bone and spinal cord canal..
Electromyography (EMG)
Nerve conduction studies and electromyography may be done by another doctor to try to look for pinched or damaged nerves..
Neck bone pain treatment
In order to deal with the problem of cervical spondylosis or neck bone pain, it is possible to resort to different types of treatments. Among them are non-surgical treatments like physical therapy, medicines, soft collars, ice or heat or other modalities, corticosteroid injections, cervical epidural block or cervical articular surface block or medial or internal branch block and radiofrequency ablation.
in addition, can also resort to surgical treatments, although it is unusual for people who only have cervical spondylosis and neck pain to be treated with surgery.