Cervical spondylosis is manifested by neck stiffness with pain in the neck, weakness, tingling, numbness in the upper limbs, burning, feeling of “power” in the neck, shoulders and upper limbs, headaches that start in the neck and get to the front of the head. Physiotherapy for cervical spondylosis treatment by acting directly on the degeneration of the intervertebral discs and vertebrae and help them rehydrate. Medical fitness to lead to cervical spondylosis regaining joint mobility, increase the amplitude of joint and muscle tone and bone spurs produce beneficial effects on improving the general condition of the body. Spondylosis usually presents as a degenerative spine manifested by pain and reduce its mobility. It can occur while on the roots of spinal cord compression. This condition is “distributed” throughout the column from top to bottom, the most common on the low back and cervical and thoracic region does less. Is manifested by calcium deposits around joints or on the edges of plateaus disc. Deposits they produce some formations known in medicine as the “parrot beaks”. Their appearance shows that it is a chronic degenerative process of the column, due to two key issues namely: –
Narrowing the spinal canal is the spinal cord and nerves, and the conjugation of holes where the nerves exit the spinal and distributed to the lower limbs and upper limbs. Each hole must fit a nerve and narrowing these holes produce terrible pain and sometimes unbearable. – Narrowing of the spinal canal completely (spinal) cause disease called spinal myelopathy (spinal cord diseases general name), took place compression that creates problems with the blood marrow. While ventral Bone spurs develop, spinal cord space shrinks, causing myelopathy Cervical spondylosis myelopathy is the result of several pathophysiological factors. These factors include:
a) static-mechanical factors,
b) dynamic-mechanical factors
c) lesions stretches
d) spinal cord ischemia
The phenomenon of degradation in this disease is predominantly the result of cervical spine bone degeneration, process what that advance patient grows older. Other changes associated with the disease, such as abnormal growth of bone (bone spurs) may lead to increased pressure on spinal nerves and sometimes even the spinal cord. This disorder is a chronic and in most cases is determined by age. Although it affects both sexes, in men occurs earlier than women. Some studies show that 75% of women and 80% of men around the age of 60 years, making a radiograph can be diagnosed as having significant manifestations of cervical spondylosis. Evolution is slow and prolonged cervical spondylosis and patients may have no symptoms or may show slight neck pain. It happens that the disease was stagnated, but there are cases where the disease can worsen to an advanced stage and the patient may become addicted to shopping cart with wheels. Symptoms In the cervical vertebral corpus exists in a side channel through which pass the vertebral arteries and helping to transport blood to the brain. If these channels are compressed, the amount of blood supplying the hindbrain is reduced. Thus it might appear a deficit of blood to the cerebellum and brainstem deficiency is manifested in the occipital area by dizziness, abnormal gait, headache and muscle strength decrease. This disease through its semiology, is an unpleasant disease, but patients will have to understand that we mean a disease that can live if properly treated or at least controlled. Local pain is felt in the joint capsule, the paravertebral ligaments in inflamed synovium or periosteum. Causes Nobody knows for sure what is causing spondylolisthesis, but are taken into account: patient age, genetics, mechanical stress and metabolic problems, not least the patient.Damage to spinal joints that are specific to aging is the main cause of cervical spondylosis. More staff, after the age of 35 years, signs of changes in the intervertebral discs and the vertebrae themselves, but the manifestation of disease occurs much later.Age are among the risk factors and leads to wear her column joints (cervical, thoracic or lumbar), thus causing pressure in the neck with repercussions on the column. If pain is not diminished with proper medication if pain persists or worsens numbness occurring in the upper limbs and lower limbs then it is imperative to introduce ourselves to physician specialty. These symptoms, in association with medical history and clinical analysis may lead us to a diagnosis of cervical spondylosis.
Risk factors for cervical spondylosis
This condition primarily affects the patients in the office working and the pain becomes stronger if associated with cold. Those working in the office in front of a computer and have the disorder, will be sometimes to interrupt work for a short time, to change mode or to change their jobs. It is recommended to take frequent breaks from work and take a sitting posture. Correct medication, physiotherapy and chiropractor (medical fitness) can help treat it, but you can get to surgery if the disease is not treated in time. Another risk factor is old position of the spine and therefore must take care as the patient sits in the office, in bed, the chair and the couch watching TV. Pain is worse when cold or if exercising. Pain is accompanied by lack of joint mobility and may disappear after 10-15 minutes of movement, rotation and bending of the neck. Obese people who suffer from this disease must take to follow a hypocaloric diet and physical therapy programs (medical fitness). Treatment Treatment of both cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis follows the first pain relief, stop disease progression and development of joint mobility. Massage therapy performed on the spine affected is a treatment often used in treating this disease. Fair treatment significantly improves symptoms. Physical therapy can be used to relieve pain even more acute in a state of disease, provided that the current form chosen and done, be done with a good knowledge of physio-pathological mechanisms of pain transmission and production. Therapist task is to educate the patient regarding posture control regardless of the position of the patient (Sitting, standing, supine or prone).