A Simple Explanation of Cervical Spinal Stenosis
I’ll try to keep this explanation as simple as possible, but I feel that a basic description of the workings of the human spine is required to help you better understand. In a nutshell cervical spinal stenosis is caused by pressure on the spinal cord. The spinal cord contains many major nerves which affect the movement of arms and legs and also such things as bladder and bowel control. The spinal cord is contained in the spinal canal which is formed from the vertebrae in the human spine. Often as we get older the discs can become misshapen which results in this pressure upon the spinal canal which holds the spinal cord. In effect the spinal canal becomes narrowed. This is what is called cervical spinal stenosis, and may result in a more serious condition called cervical myelopathy.
Cervical spinal stenosis can often be difficult to detect as symptoms are frequently not evident in the early stages. As the condition develops a patient may suffer pain in the arm and neck areas as well as a general weakness and loss of mobility. These symptoms are frequently not evident until the condition has reached the stage of cervical myelopathy. In advanced stage further symptoms including incontinence may become evident. The onset of this may be a rapid or gradual process. Clearly early detection is of great importance. This may be achieved by examinations by a physician and hospital testing along with MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT (computed tomography) scanning. This should give a good indication of how much the spinal canal has been affected and the suitability of future treatments.
The type of treatment for cervical spinal stenosis will depend on how far developed the condition has become. In the early stages physiotherapy may be appropriate. It should be noted that this is a measure to reduce immobility and levels of pain and will not reverse the narrowing of the spinal canal. This therapy will often involve a great deal of stretching and general endurance exercise such as swimming and the use of treadmills. The physiotherapist will give advice on exercise that can be performed in the patients own home or workplace. This physiotherapy will be conducted for a period of three months or more if after which time it is judged that there is been no significant improvement surgery will often be the only suitable option.
About the Author
Hope you enjoyed my article on cervical spinal stenosis. My name is Roger Gordon and I also provide advice on article spinning amongst many other things
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