As you age, many parts of the body start to wear down. Your spine is no different in this regard. When age affects the condition of the cervical section of the spine, it is known as cervical spondylosis. Other names for the disorder are neck arthritis or cervical osteoarthritis.

Even though age causes most cervical spondylosis, other factors may also be responsible for the onset of the disorder. Here is a look at some common causes for the same.

Causes for cervical spondylosis:

  Bone spurs - Your body may try to strengthen the joints by growing additional bone tissues. These are known as bone spurs. These spurs can pinch down on the nerves and the spinal cord, leading to pain and other symptoms.

  Dehydrated discs - The spine houses shock-absorbing pad-like structures between the vertebrae, called discs. These discs contain a gel-like substance that gives them its unique shock absorbing properties. Over time, the gel dries out, causing greater friction between bones during movement.

  Injury - A neck injury can lead to cervical spondylosis. The disorder may not appear as soon as you suffer from the injury but may take years to develop.

  Excessive physical strain - Some profession may require people to lift heavy weights or overexert themselves physically. These people may develop cervical spondylosis later on because of this work.

Symptoms of cervical spondylosis:

Here are some symptoms that are commonly associated with cervical spondylosis.

  Shoulder pain - Patients suffering from cervical spondylosis often complain about pain in the shoulder blade. This pain increases while the person is standing, sitting, coughing, sneezing and tilting their head backwards.

  Weakness - People with cervical spondylosis also suffer from muscle weakness. For instance, you may not be able to grab things tightly in your hands, if you suffer from the spinal disorder. Furthermore, lifting the arms may be difficult.

Other minor symptoms of cervical spondylosis include stiffness in the neck that grows worse with time and headache that affects the back part of the head.

Treatment for cervical spondylosis:

Treatment is not necessary in many cases due to the absence of any distinguishing symptoms. However, if the spondylosis interferes with normal life, medical intervention is required. Treatment for the disease includes-

  Physical therapy - Physical therapy sessions often help deal with the pain and stiffness resulting from the cervical spondylosis. Your doctor will prescribe weekly sessions, which will aid to reduce the symptoms of the condition after some time.

  Medications - Pain medications help manage the discomfort related to the condition. However, these drugs do not have any long-term effect on the body. They only provide temporary relief from the pain.

  Surgery - Surgery for cervical spondylosis is uncommon. However, if the condition does not respond to other forms of treatment, the operation may be required to remove bone spurs, herniated discs and rectify parts of the spinal column.

You can also ask your doctor about home remedies to follow to manage the symptoms of the disease.

Cervical Spondylosis - How Can It Be Treated?

Spondylitis, or cervical spondylitis, is a common condition that affects a large section of the adult population. This most common disorder of the cervical spine is a degenerative condition. There are soft disks between the vertebral bones which shrink with age and gets stiff. This leads to formation of small bone spurs. This reduces the space available for the disk to move, causing nerve pinching.

Causes:

Ageing is the most common cause for spondylitis. Injury, incorrect sleeping posture, and heavy weight-lifting can also cause spondylitis. While earlier it was common in people who were 60-plus, with more people spending more time at their computers and workstations, the onset happens much earlier in 30s and sometimes even in 20s.

Symptoms:

Most symptoms related to spondylitis are centered on the neck and shoulder regions. There is pain and stiffness in the neck that can extend to the shoulders, nape of the neck, arms, and sometimes even the fingers. In rare cases, the pain can extend into the forehead and back of the head too. Associated symptoms include numbness, weakness, and a pricking sensation in the hands, arms, and sometimes fingers.

Homeopathy in cervical spondylitis:

Homeopathy treats the root of the issue after taking into account all symptoms. Listed below are some common homeopathic remedies for spondylitis.

Conium: there is neck pain along with vertigo when lying down or turning in bed. There is constant mild pain in the back of the head and a tight sensation in the forehead region.
Rhus tox: when the neck pain is worse in the morning and with rest, rhus is a good option. Moving the neck helps relieve this pain, which is often as a result of some injury.
Kalmia latifolia: when there is pain extending from the neck to the arm and hand and fingers, kalmia works wonders. There may also be pain from the nape of the neck to the shoulder blades. The pain is increased with leaning forwards or looking down. The patient may also have nausea with the pain.
Gelsemium: when there is pain extending from the neck to the back of the head, centering in the occipital region. The patient also feels weak, dull, and dizzy. The pain is triggered by emotional excitement.
Silicea: when there is pain extending from the neck to the eyes and forehead, silicea provides good relief. The patient will have intolerance to cold and feels chilly. The pain is improved by heat pads and lying down.
Calcarea phos: if the radiographs show bony changes in the cervical spine with the spondylitis, this is very useful. The bony spurs that form can be painful and cause nerve pinching leading to vertigo.

Spondylitis - Causes and Symptoms

The bones and joints orchestrate very well with each other for smooth movements of various joints and the spine. However, due to various reasons, some identified and others unknown, there could be inflammation of the areas where the bones join the muscles leading to impaired movement. The range of motion could be reduced or it could be painful, thereby, limiting movement. Spondyloarthritis includes a group of inflammatory diseases that involves the bones and joints and enthuses which are areas where the ligaments and tendons attach to the bones. This causes conditions like plantar fasciitis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and reactive arthritis. The term spondyloarthritis is a blanket term to describe any of the above-mentioned conditions.

Read on to know a little more in detail about it:

Causes: While the exact etiology is not identified for sure, most patients with spondyloarthritis have an autosomal dominant gene (HLA-B27). Chronic infections could trigger the onset of the disease too.

Symptoms:

1. In all forms of spondyloarthritis, there is always inflammation of the spine, joints and entheses. If the fingers or toes are involved, there could be swelling leading to what are typically known as 'sausage digits'.

2. There is sacroiliitis which is inflammation of the joint between the pelvis and the spine, and spondylitis which is inflammation of the joints between the spines. 3. Family history and autosomal dominant gene.

Diagnosis:

A detailed medical history and physical examination form the cornerstone of a confirmed diagnosis. In addition, radiographic examination and diagnostic blood tests also could be done to confirm the diagnosis. Radiographs, especially, of the spine and the low back show typical changes including sacroilitis in suspected cases of spondyloarthritis. If the spine does not show these changes, but there is a high likelihood of spondyloarthritis, then MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can be used to confirm the diagnosis.

As a final step, a blood test for the HLA-B27 gene can also be confirmatory. However, it is not true that a person with the gene will definitely develop the disease.

Treatment:

The most important aspect of treatment is the use of pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) which help manage pain and inflammation.
Corticosteroid injections may sometimes be given directly into the joint spaces or the membranes to provide quick relief of these symptoms.
ESWT / RSWT has a definite role to cure enthesopathy. Plantar fasciitis, and achillodynia can be cured with ESWT. Even small joints of hand and feet are amenable to treatment with RSWT. It is nonoperative and noninvasive treatment and has no side effects.
Very rarely, stronger drugs such as methotrexate or sulfasalazine may be used.
Another set of drugs known as TNF-blockers (tumor necrotizing factor blockers) are also shown to be highly effective in controlling the pain of the spine and joints.
In very severe cases, surgery may be required to correct joint damages or correct severe degenerative changes.
Exercise plays a very vital role in controlling the issue and improving range of motion.

What You Should Know About Spondyloarthritis?

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis that affects the spine. This chronic disease is caused due to inflammation of the joints in the spine and usually affects young men. It causes the vertebrae to grow or fuse together, causing a rigid spine. Actually, it affects the discs in between the vertebral column. These discs get swollen, causing a limitation of spine motility. It is an autoimmune disorder and its symptoms are lower back pain and stiffness, which usually moves to the legs.

The deformity due to AS can be mild or severe. In extreme cases, the patient gets a stooped spine. 
Early diagnosis can prevent significant deformity as well as help in controlling the pain and stiffness.
Allopathy doesn t really know the real reasons for this disease and here is where Ayurveda scores.
According to Ayurveda, AS is caused due to aggravated vata or wind, which causes an imbalance in vata dosha.
Ayurvedic treatment
Ayurvedic treatment starts with detoxification and elimination of toxins. It relies heavily on the right diet and lifestyle as well as Ayurvedic herbal preparations. The panchakarma techniques called kati vasti, sarvangadhara and patrapinda svedana are very beneficial too. The basic explanation for the disorder is that AS occurs due to an accumulation of ama or toxins in the body. Where ever ama deposits in the body, pain is caused. Ayurvedic treatments aim at digesting the ama by using herbs as medicine and balancing the aggravated vata.

Herbs used in the treatment of AS are dry ginger (saunth), guggul, turmeric, fenugreek, ashwagandha and giloy. Gugul, curcumin, amlaki, haritaki, and ashwagandha are all very effective in treating AS.
Avoid getting constipated and ensure proper evacuation of bowels.
Include ghee in your diet for lubrication and for lowering the vata dosha.
Apply heat on the affected areas to control the pain and stiffness.
Eat light foods and strictly avoid oily foods and curd which increase ama.
Avoid sleeping during the daytime.
Yoga asanas like pawana muktasana, bhujangasana, dhanurasana, paschimottanasana and vakrasana should be practised regularly.
The practice of pranayamas such as and shodhana, chandrabhedi sheethali and bhramari also helps.
Chewing 2 3 raw garlic buds on an empty stomach in the morning with water helps in alleviating lumbar pain in AS.
Use a powdered preparation of dried ginger root, celery seeds and cumin seeds in equal quantities with rock salt for taste, and have one teaspoon of this mixture with warm water at bedtime to reduce flatulence as well as lumbar stiffness.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) - Ayurvedic Remedies That Help You Treat It!

Cervical spondylosis is an age related disorder affecting the discs and joints in your neck. The overuse of the bone and cartilage in the cervical spine of your neck leads to cervical spondylosis. While it is mostly caused by age, it can also be caused by other factors. Stiffness and severe, chronic pain are the most common problems with patients afflicted with cervical spondylosis. While in others, it might not cause problems and they can go about their daily activities.

Physiotherapy for Cervical Spondylosis
There is no cure for cervical spondylosis, but its symptoms can be treated with physiotherapy. If you have chronic pain in your neck, shoulder blades or arms, a physiotherapist can provide effective pain relief by strengthening your vertebrae and neck. This will improve your posture and prevent any relapse of the pain.

Firstly, the physiotherapist will evaluate your condition; check your reflexes and strength. Then, the physiotherapist will move on to the following treatments:

Stretching, strengthening and straightening exercises: Before beginning these exercises, your physiotherapist will first apply cold or heat to the affected area and then proceed with a deep tissue massage or electric stimulation. When your muscles are relaxed, the exercises will begin only then. These exercises are performed to strengthen the muscles in your neck. Through these, you will learn how to improve your range of movement and posture.
Neck traction: Pulling your head to stretch out your spine is called neck traction. This technique is used to improve movement and ease the pain. Traction is used to open the spaces between the vertebras gently in order to ease pressure on the distressed discs. Traction is done continuously or sporadically, with short periods of rest in between. If you cannot find the right physiotherapist to do this for you, there are devices to help you stretch your spine.
Cervical collars and pillows: Neck pillows or cervical pillows, are made to keep your neck steady while you sleep. Cervical collars are also called neck braces which are used to support the neck. While cervical collars have been proven to be quite beneficial, there isn t much evidence to support cervical pillows in treating cervical spondylosis. You can always consult your physiotherapist before purchasing a cervical pillow.

Cervical Spondylosis - How Physiotherapy Can Help Treat it?

The backbone is made up of multiple small bones which are connected together by a softer bone. The spine is what allows important body movements including bending and walking. The issue is, with age, the backbone also loses its elasticity and becomes rigid. Though this is a natural process with ageing, lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyle makes it worse.

Lumbar spondylosis is the medical term for this chronic, degenerative condition of the lumbar and the sacral spines (the lower portion of the backbone). This leads to chronic stiffening of the spine, affecting movement. This joint is very crucial in all bending movements and spinal movements.

Causes of Lumbar Spondylosis:

Ageing: As the condition progresses, the nerves that run through the spines can get exposed and there could be pain and irritation
Genetic abnormalities that produce a weak bone
Spinal trauma like accident or falls
Sedentary lifestyle: Sitting in front of the computer for prolonged hours also causes lumbar spondylosis
Overuse: People who are weightlifters tend to put excessive pressure on the spine, causing lumbar spondylosis
Symptoms:

Stiffness and pain in the low back
Pain with continued sitting
Numbness and tingling if nerves are getting affected
Loss of balance, leading to frequent falls
Losing control over bowel and bladder movement
Pain radiating to the lower legs
Ayurvedic remedies: This includes a combination of external applications, yoga, and food preparations including kashayas and tailas.

This condition is caused by increased Vata and Kapha. Maharasnadi kashayam, Astavarga kashayam, and Dashamoola kashayam reduce these elements.
Pain and inflammation is relieved by the use of various Guggulu including Mahayogaraja Guggulu, Simhanada Guggulu, Trayodashang Guggulu, and Dhanvantara Vati  
The affected joints can be hydrated with the use of gandha taila and dhanwantharam.
Kukkutandatvak bhasma is known to strengthen the bone.
Ashwagandha is known to lubricate the vertebral disks and joints
External treatments like Abhyanga are useful in improving joint movement. They improve circulation and help in removal of toxins so that pure blood can flow and reduce inflammation.
Vasti: This helps in improving nutrition to the joints and bones, thereby helping them repair themselves and heal.
Yogas for lumbar spondylosis: The five most effective asanas are:

Ardhakati chakrasana
Pada hastasana
Matsyasana
Ardha chakrasana
Vakrasana (sitting in a chair)
Additional measures:

Sit in a comfortable position with adequate back support
Take short breaks to avoid continued sitting
Sleep comfortably, by resting the back adequately
Strengthen the back muscles by regular exercises.
Eat healthy, avoid junk, and drink plenty of water.

Lumbar Spondylosis & Ayurveda - What To Expect

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