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Cervical stenosis is a spinal condition where the spinal canal narrows in the cervical vertebrae, causing numbness, tingling, and shooting pains. It is caused by wear and tear on the vertebrae and can be diagnosed through medical imaging. Treatment options include medication, physical therapy, and surgery.
Cervical stenosis is a spinal condition characterized by a narrowing of the spinal canal in the cervical vertebrae. The cervical vertebrae are found in the upper spine, upper back, and neck. Stricture can also occur in other regions of the spine, such as the lumbar vertebrae. Cervical stenosis can be a very serious medical problem, as can many other spinal conditions, and there are different ways to approach treatment for the condition, depending on how far it has progressed.
The most common cause of cervical stenosis is simply wear and tear on the vertebrae. As people age, the padding between the vertebrae, known as discs, becomes less flexible and the vertebrae tend to compress the discs. Some people develop bone spurs within their vertebrae, and these bone spurs protrude into the spinal canal, causing it to narrow. If it shrinks enough, spinal cord damage will occur. Spinal cord damage is known as myelopathy and causes some very distinctive symptoms.
Someone with cervical stenosis will experience numbness, tingling, and occasional shooting pains as nerves are pinched and compressed in the narrowed spinal canal. This is known as cervical radiculopathy. If the condition is not addressed, serious long-term damage can occur and the patient’s pain often gets significantly worse. Cervical stenosis often occurs gradually, and sometimes symptoms take a long time to manifest, making it important to visit a doctor when neck pain, numbness, and tingling emerge, even if symptoms are intermittent.
To make a diagnosis of cervical stenosis, the doctor typically interviews the patient to obtain information about their history and orders a series of medical imaging studies. These images will reveal the narrowing of the spinal canal. Your doctor may also conduct some neurological tests to check for nerve damage and to determine how far the stricture has progressed.
If cervical stenosis is detected in the early stages, it can sometimes be managed with medication and targeted physical therapy. These treatments can slow or stop the narrowing of the spinal canal, eliminating many of the annoying symptoms of stenosis. If the condition has progressed or nonsurgical methods are not effective, a doctor will recommend surgery. In surgery, pressure on the spinal cord will be relieved by removing some bone spurs to widen the spinal canal.
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