What Is Spondylosis?

Spondylosis is a degenerative disease of the spine in which there is the presence of osteophytes along the anterior and lateral aspects of the vertebral column.

Osteophytes are bone spurs or bony projections that form along joints. These are usually formed due to damage of the joint’s surface. These osteophytes cause restricted joint movements along with varying degrees of pain.

Which Part Of The Spine Is Affected By Spondylosis?

Any part of the vertebral column may be affected by Spondylosis, but usually the cervical and lumbar regions tend to result in symptoms more commonly. The terms Cervical Spondylosis, Thoracic Spondylosis, and Lumbar Spondylosis describe the part of the spine affected.

What Causes Spondylosis?

Spondylosis is believed to be caused by problems in the circular disc of cartilage between two vertebral bones. This disc is called the "Annulus fibrosus". It is prone to degenerative changes with age. As the disc ages, it looses water, fragments and collapses.

This results in direct contact between the adjacent vertebral bones and they start corroding due to friction. The result is the formation of osteophytes which cause painful and restricted joint movements. Other than increasing age, conditions like arthritis and trauma have also been implicated as causes of spondylosis.

What Are The Symptoms Of Spondylosis?

A patient suffering from Spondylosis may experience:

• Neck pain which radiates to the shoulder, or backache. The location of pain is related on the portion of vertebral column involved.
• Abnormal sensations or loss of sensations according to the segment of vertebral column involved.
• Muscle weakness (especially in arms and legs).
• Loss of balance.
• Loss of bladder and/or bowel control(a medical emergency).

What Are The Standard Treatment Options For Spondylosis?

Many patients with spondylosis feel that their treatment is not ideal. Conservative treatment and lifestyle modification yield some results in many cases. The goal of treatment is to slow the disease process and improve the quality of life by improving signs and symptoms of the disease.

The following are some possible modalities for the treatment of Spondylosis:

Conservative treatment:

• Analgesics (painkillers) and anti-inflammatory medications like NSAID's.
• Muscle relaxants.
• Heat therapy.
• Electrical stimulation.
• Message therapy.
• Physiotherapy and exercises to strengthen the muscles.
• Injections for spinal joints in severe cases.

Surgical Treatment:

• If above methods do not yield required results or if the severity of disease is beyond limitations of conservative treatment plan, then surgical intervention may become necessary.
• It involves repair of the affected inter-vertebral disc or removal of the disc if it’s not repairable.
• Sometimes fusion of two vertebrae is performed by using pieces of bone and inserting them between the two adjacent vertebrae.