Cervical Stenosis Symptoms
The spine develops degenerative changes as we age. These changes result to a narrowing of the spinal canal, placing pressure on the spinal nerve roots, and then cervical stenosis symptoms ensue causing a lot of discomfort and even disability to some people.
Knowing the signs and symptoms of cervical spinal stenosis is the first crucial step to treat the condition. This can be a bit tricky as most of the signs are also shared by other old age-related changes in the spine. We will investigate this in further detail below.
Common Cervical Stenosis Symptoms
In most cases, cervical stenosis or a spinal stenosis affecting the neck develops in people over 50 years old. The wear and tear on the spongy discs no longer give enough cushioning between the bones, resulting to herniated discs, which will eventually put pressure on the spinal nerves, causing the following signs and symptoms:
- Pain or stiffness in the neck that may increase over a period of time.
- Since cervical stenosis exerts pressure on the spinal cord, patients will also feel numbness and weakness in the shoulders, arms, hands, legs and feet.
- Tingling or burning sensation – the feeling of pins and needles – in the neck, shoulder, arm and hands.
- Loss of balance or coordination problems when you walk.
- In serious cases, patients will experience bladder and bowel problems.
What are the key causes of cervical stenosis? As we have mentioned above, most of the time cervical spinal stenosis is related to degenerative changes that are associated with the aging process. Here are the other causes of cervical stenosis:
- Spinal tumors
- Spinal injury or a major trauma (car accidents or when you fell down from a tree or stairs).
- Achondroplasia or other hereditary-related causes and birth defects.
- Paget’s disease, a kind of disease in which your body generates new bone in an abnormal rate.
- Excess of fluoride in the body
- OPLL or Ossification of the posterior longitudinal Ligament
When to See a Doctor?
When you have a recurrent problem or been dealing with those cervical stenosis symptoms, you need to call your doctor. Your doctor will make some tests to ensure there is no other cause or causes that produce the symptoms. He or she will check your reflexes and other indicators of cervical stenosis problems.
Medical imaging test may be used to confirm the diagnosis. These will mostly involve spinal X-rays, computerized tomography (CT) myelogram, and Magnetic resonance imaging.
Cervical Stenosis Treatments and Drugs
When cervical stenosis is confirmed, the doctor will typical recommend over-the-counter pain relievers to control the pain, or may prescribe you with antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, and opioids. Hiring a professional physical therapist can also help to alleviate the pain and stabilize your spine.
If the above treatments aren’t enough, cervical stenosis surgery may be considered. This will help relieve the pressure on the nerve roots by creating more room for the spinal cord or nerve roots.