Cervical Spine Arthritis - An Introduction
The term arthritis describes the condition of tenderness, pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. This disease also includes certain abnormalities in the soft tissues of the body. There are many people who suffer from arthritis. In fact there are several kinds of arthritis that affects the people. This medical term has been derived from arthros that means joints and itis which means inflammation. Cervical spine arthritis refers to the disorder whose symptoms are pain, stiffness, inflammation, and swelling in and near cervical vertebrae.
Cervical spine arthritis is also known as spondylosis. This disorder affects the upper portion of the spine. The joints may become weary due to an accident or due to aging. The vertebrae in the neck are known as cervical vertebrae. Cervical spine arthritis affects these bones. In this disorder, these bones begin to degenerate. This process may also involve the degeneration of the flexible intervertebral discs of the shock absorbing cartilage. It also causes changes in the body and leads to the narrowing of the foramen (space in the vertebrae). The narrowing in the joints and the bones causes compression and strain on the bones of the spinal cord near the neck. As a result, there is acute pain and inflammation in the nerves. This causes pain in the neck. The pain may also be felt in the arms, if a nerve that goes into the arms gets pinched at the position where it comes out of a cervical vertebra.
It has been found that cervical spine arthritis begins at the age of 30. People in the age group 30 to 50 are more prone to cervical spine arthritis. If not treated on time, this disease may get worse and causes a lot of pain and inflammation. After the age of 50, almost everyone feels weariness in the cervical bones, but there are certain symptoms of cervical spine arthritis. If anyone is suffering from a back injury, he or she is also prone to cervical spine arthritis. If degeneration in the bone has begun, the patient may have a tendency to trip or slip and this tendency may eventually instigate the onset of the symptoms of this disorder.
According to a report, it has been found that cervical spine arthritis predominantly affects men. Although it also affects women, the number of men suffering from this disorder is more. Usually, women suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. But men suffer from cervical spine arthritis. These days, there are several methods to diagnose cervical spine arthritis. Doctors can perform a number of tests to detect the presence of this disorder in the patient. Computerized tomography scan or CT scan is one of the most preferred tests to detect cervical spine arthritis. It gives you a computerized view of the cervical bone and detects if there is any narrowing in the joints. MRI is another test that helps to give you a clearer look at the state of your arthritis. You can select any of these tests and get yourself diagnosed so that you can start medication if required.
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