Cervical Spondylosis - Causes, Symptoms, Tests and Diagnosis

Did you know that as a person grows old, the back- Having abnormal reflexes. If you have these
experiences wearing away? Yes. As you get older,symptoms and you go to your doctor, you can expect
the bones and other parts of your back may come tothat different assessments will be done to confirm if
a point that becomes damage due to the wear andyou have cervical sponylosis. These include:
tear it constantly goes through. Cervical Spondylosis- Your doctor will have to assess your neck flexibility.
being one of the effects of constant degeneration.Spondylosis affects one's range of motion. The doctor
Cervical Spondylosis, a common degenerative disorderwill have tilt your and rotate your head and neck
of the spine, specifically affects the neck. It is atowards different directions.
condition that affects both males and females who- Another is checking if your nerves in the spine have
are usually ages 40 and above. Cervical osteoarthritis,been affected or compressed. Your reflexes will be
another name for the specified spondylosis, appearschecked to see if your arms and legs feel the
earlier in men than in women.sensation and if your nerves are able to generate
What causes cervical spondylosis? As mentionedreactions.
earlier, age related wear and tear is the primary cause- X-ray can be used to check if there are any
for this condition. Ligaments become too weak or tooabnormalities like bone spurs. In this case, spinal or neck
stiff; discs lose its ability to act as cushions, and boneX-rays are used.
start to form abnormal spurs. Other factors that may- Injecting a special dye into the spinal canal and then
cause this condition are past neck or spine injuries andgenerating images using CT scans or X-rays to see
severe arthritis.there are affected areas on spine is called Myelogram.
How can you tell if the pain you are feeling is due to- MRI or CT scans are like X-rays but produces
cervical spondylosis? The signs and symptoms of thisclearer images. It will help aid your doctor in finding out
condition are as follows:the severity of the damage to you cervical area.
- Pain on the neck, arm, or chest area.Cervical spondylosis can be a bit scary especially if
- Neck becomes stiff or painful.you are not informed about the condition very well.
- Arms and hands become weak or numb.Just remember, if you have the symptoms,
- Feet, legs, arms, or hands get the tingling or pinprickimmediately consult a doctor so that she or he could
feeling.diagnose you properly and provide a treatment plan to
- Difficulty with coordinating your movements.help you with the condition.