Cervical Spondylosis

Cervical spondylosis refers to an osteoarthritic degeneration of the cervical spine. “Wear and Tear” due to years of motion and activity is the common etiology for the cause of degeneration to occur in cervical spine. Various studies have shown that excessive motion and repetitive microtrauma accelerates degenerative changes. These degenerative changes affect the canal diameter and sagittal mobility of the cervical spine which is pronounced when one has a congenitally narrow spinal canal. The spondylotic degenerative changes usually begin at a single level in the lower spine which is the most mobile segment and over a course of time progresses to involve multiple spinal levels. These changes which occur in the cervical spine may result in direct compressive and ischemic dysfunction of the spinal cord resulting in cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Increased mechanical stress on Sharpe’s fibers inserted into the margins of vertebral bodies adjacent to an intervertebral disc undergoing resorptive changes is considered to be the pathogenesis of posterior osteophyte. The posterior osteophyte begins to form and project posteriorly and postero-laterally into the spinal canal or intervertebral foramina, which progressively exert pressure on the spinal cord and cervical nerve roots. Posterior Osteophyte Evolution and its Impact in Cervical Spondylosis: A Literature Review: Srinivasan US and Radhi Lawrence

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Last date updated on September, 2024