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The cervical spine is a very critical part of your body. The cervical area is the junction of all the nerves of the body parts to carry the messages or impulses to the brain. The bones of the spine protect the spinal cord that runs down through the spinal canal. All important nerves of sensation and strength of arms and legs, and those controlling the bladder and the bowel movements are carried through the spinal cord.
The cervical stenosis occurs when the bones or the vertebra joints are compressed due to old age. This very popularly known as spondylosis. With age the space between the spinal joints reduce and this can result in a rapture of the discs or the cushions that are meant for shock absorptions. The raptured disc can bulge out to the spinal canal and hurt the nerves passing through them. Even due to age the ligaments, tendons or the bones enlarge losing their elasticity and exerting pressure in the nerve canal.
The general symptoms of cervical stenosis are as follows:
1. Numbness or a feeling of weakness in the shoulders or in the arm area. Loss of strength in the fingers- you cannot button a shirt, hook a nob of the door or open up certain things like the cap of your tight fountain pen etc.
2. Neck pain and stiffness in the upright position.
3. Muscles spasm, leg pain, weakness in walking or moving(this happens due to the network of nerve from the legs present in the spinal canal that are pinched).
4. Urinary problems, bowel disorder, bladder malfunction.
In mild cases non-operative methods are applied for treatments, but in severe cases surgery becomes the only rescue of this disorder. In surgery either fusion or anterior decompression is carried out to free the canal or nerves under the pressure of the bulged bones or shrunk joints.
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