Understanding Cervical Spinal Stenosis
How many times have we ignored that niggling pain in the arms, neck or shoulder? These pains may not amount to anything but they also may indicate cervical spinal stenosis. Any ache or pain or any sensory difficulties in arms, neck or shoulder or problems in grasping things or feeling weak in the arms and neck may be symptoms of cervical spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis affects both males and females, usually over 50 years of age and age is one of the reasons for the wear and tear on the spinal area. Spinal stenosis can be either lumbar or cervical.
How to recognize cervical spinal stenosis?
With age people tend to fall prey to cervical spinal stenosis which causes degeneration of the spine. It happens gradually but any accident or injury or a herniated disc may aggravate the process.
Walking with jerky movements is also a sign of cervical spinal stenosis. The muscle power of the leg is lessened due to the pressure put on them by the constricted spinal cord which affects the nerves and muscles of the legs. This is also called spasticity and the problem begins in the neck. Numbness and pain in the hands is also one of the symptoms of spinal stenosis. The muscles in the hand lose the power to grip and there is weakness in the fingers. Cervical spinal stenosis also weakens the shoulders because it makes the spinal cord narrower in the upper neck area and the outer shoulder and the deltoid muscles are most affected. Diagnosing cervical spinal stenosis: Background: The doctor first goes into the patient's history of the disease by enquiring about the symptoms and problems faced by the patient. The doctor also finds out about any previous medication which the patient may have taken. Physical examination: The doctor probes for any signs of pain or movement problem in the neck, shoulder, spine or arms. The patient is examined for any sensory abnormalities or weakness. Medical tests: Apart from this physical examination by the doctor, A few medical tests may also be recommended for a clearer picture of the body like, X-rays, MRI, CAT scan, myelogram. Various treatments for cervical spinal stenosis: There are surgical as well as non-surgical ways regarding cervical spinal stenosis treatment. Amongst the non-surgical ones are: Physical therapy, rest, medication, corticosteroid injections. Surgical procedures include: laminotomy, cervical corpectomy, laminoplasty, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, foraminotomy. Usually, doctors try and avoid surgery because it is not without its own complications. Only when the case has gone far beyond the realm of non-surgical procedures do doctors take recourse to surgery.
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