Spinal arthritis in the neck can be tricky to diagnose. One of the primary symptoms of this condition is chronic neck pain and stiffness, which also can be caused by a number of other conditions - some of them life-threatening. The only way to know for sure whether you have begun to develop osteoarthritis of the cervical spine is to receive a comprehensive diagnosis from your primary care physician or a spine specialist. Yet, there are several tell-tale signs of osteoarthritis that you might be able notice even before you see your doctor.
Consider These Questions
Keep in mind that the exact causes of spinal arthritis in the neck - a condition that begins with the deterioration of cartilage on the neck's joints - remain unknown. Age and genetics are believed to play a role. Logic also dictates that the cartilage lining the joints within the cervical spine can only take so much stress over the years. The deterioration of this joint cartilage is to be expected once you reach middle age, which is one reason why people age 50 or older are far more likely to develop spinal arthritis. Cartilage deterioration frequently occurs in the neck because the joints in that region are exposed to a great amount of stress-inducing movement and are responsible for bearing the weight of the head.
A dull, intermittent ache might be the first sign of osteoarthritis. If you experience this, consider the following questions that your doctor might ask during the diagnostic phase:
Have you experienced restricted range of motion in the neck area?
Have you felt intermittent pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, or hands?
Have you awoken with neck stiffness, or felt it after strenuous activity?
Have you felt tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness in the extremities, particularly the fingers?
Have you heard a grinding noise produced by bone rubbing against bone?
Do you suffer from frequent headaches?
What Happens Next
Once your doctor has made a diagnosis of spinal arthritis in the neck, he or she will help you develop a program to manage your symptoms. There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but relief typically can be achieved with a combination of conservative treatment methods including pain medication, physical therapy, corticosteroid injections, and others. Surgery only becomes an option if chronic symptoms persist despite several weeks or months of conservative treatment.
Spinal Fusion
Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure that is sometimes performed on a patient with spinal arthritis in the neck. The goal of this particular operation is to the stop the pain-inducing movement within an arthritic spinal joint by completely immobilizing the segment. The procedure typically involves the use of bone grafts, rods, screws, and support cages to effectively "fuse" two or more vertebrae together. While spinal fusion may end the painful grinding movement in a cervical joint, it can also severely limit a patient's range of motion. Additionally, spinal fusion sometimes increases stress on the surrounding vertebrae and discs, leaving them vulnerable to damage and degeneration. And finally, cervical spinal fusion is performed as an open neck surgery, which could mean a lengthy recovery. It is important to carefully review the advantages as well as the disadvantages when considering a spinal fusion procedure or any other surgical operation.
