What is Spondylosis ?

In its simplest possible form, spondylosis can be defined as arthritis of the spine. It is a sequelae of the aging spine. Spondylosis can affect any/all regions of the spine, determining what symptoms you have. You can have spondylosis in your neck (cervical spondylosis), mid-back (thoracic spine), or low back (lumbar spondylosis).

What are the common symptoms in spondylosis ?

Neck (Cervical spine)

• Pain that comes and goes
• Pain that spreads into your shoulders, arms, hands, or fingers
• Morning neck or shoulder stiffness or a limited range of motion after getting out of bed
• Neck or shoulder tenderness or numbness
• Weakness or tingling in your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, or fingers
• Headache in the back of your head
• Loss of balance
• Difficulty swallowing (This is rare, but it may occur if the spinal cord is compressed.)

Low back (Lumbar spine)

• Pain that comes and goes
• Morning low back stiffness after getting out of bed
• Pain that decreases with rest or after exercise
• Low back tenderness or numbness
• Sciatica (mild to intense leg pain)
• Weakness, numbness, or tingling in the low back, legs, or feet
• Difficulty walking

Bowel or bladder problems (This is rare, but it may occur if the spinal cord is compressed.)

What is the cause of spondylosis ?

The aetiology/cause of neck pain is multifactorial, there is no evidence to prove/disprove the quantitative effect of one or other. The risk factors for neck pain can be:

• Aging: as a part of the normal age related degenerative process.
• Life style: Stress and emotional tension, poor posture -standing for long periods of time or sitting incorrectly—can cause neck pain, heavy physical work, lifting or forceful movement, bending, or awkward positions can really hurt your neck.
• Injuries and Accidents: Injury to muscle , ligaments , or soft tissue can lead to neck pain .Fracture in spinal bone in a fall or a car accident also is a common cause.
• Obesity:along with weak abdominal muscles often disrupt the spine’s balance, causing your neck to bend uncomfortably to compensate.

What is the affected anatomy in spondylosis ?

Human Spine is made of up 33 bones (vertebrae) that are cushioned by discs. These vertebrae are divided by region: neck (cervical spine), mid-back (thoracic spine), and low back (lumbar spine). At the lower end spine ends at the terminal bone of sacrum and the coccyx, which is commonly called your tailbone. Discs are present between these bones. The disks protect the bones by absorbing the shocks from daily activities like walking, lifting, and twisting. Each disk has two parts – a soft, gelatinous inner portion (nucleus pulpous) and a tough outer ring (annulus fibrosis). Facet joints are on the posterior side (back) of your vertebrae. These joints (like all joints in your body) help movement and are very important for flexibility . Spondylosis that affects the joints is called osteoarthritis, which is the most common form of arthritis in the spine. These spinal joints are covered by cartilage. With erosion of the cartilage, as occurs with age, the bones rub together-this causes severe pain.

Will I need surgery for spondylosis ?

For patients diagnosed with spondylosis, the best news is that it seldom requires spine surgery. Non-surgical treatments, such as medications or physical therapy, work quite well in reducing patients’ pain levels, and those treatments are almost always tried first for several months.

However, surgery is necessary in a few scenarios:

• You have bowel or bladder dysfunction. This is rare, but it may occur with spinal cord compression.
• You have spinal stenosis, and your doctor feels that surgery is the best way to treat it.
• You are experiencing other neurologic dysfunctions, such as severe arm or leg weakness, numbness, or tingling.
• Your spine is unstable. As spondylosis affects the parts of your spine, especially your facet joints (the joints that help control the spine’s movements)
• your spine can develop spinal instability. An unstable spine puts you more at risk for developing neurological problems.