What is Cervical arthritis?: Causes, symptoms, treatments and more

Cervical arthritis, commonly known as cervical spondylosis or neck osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that affects the bones and cartilage in the neck where the cervical spine is located. According to the American Academy of Orthopedics, over 85% of people aged 60 and above were found to have cervical arthritis as of April 2021. What is the disease and what are its causes, symptoms and treatments? Let's take a closer look.

Cervical arthritis is a medical term for the age-related wear-and-tear changes that occur in the neck. It happens in the discs and joints in the cervical spine which consists of the seven small vertebrae that begin at the base of the skull and form the neck of the spine.

Like the rest of the human body, the disks and joints in the neck degenerate as well. Over time, the disks in the spine lose height and begin to bulge. They also lose hydration, leading to dryness and weakness. Thus, the structure of the disks loses, and their height decreases leading to increased pressure in the facet joints. This results in their degeneration and the development of arthritis. Bone spurs and herniated disks can also be major contributing factors to the disease.

Age is one of the biggest and main risks of cervical arthritis. People who are 60 and above and don't include appropriate amounts of physical exercise in their routines could be susceptible to the disease. Additionally, those who have a family history of the disease, have a previous neck injury, spend hours looking up or down and smoke could also develop the disease.

The most common symptoms of cervical arthritis are pain and stiffness in the neck. Other symptoms include headaches, grinding or popping noise upon turning the neck, weakness in hands and legs and muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders.

Typically, cervical arthritis will develop as one of the three primary clinical syndromes.

Axial neck pain is when one faces pain and stiffness in the cervical spine in an upright position but feels relieved when on bed rest. Other indicators could be pain in the back of the ear, jaw or chest.

Cervical radiculopathy is when a nerve in the neck is pinched and results in neck pain, arm pain, scapular pain or arm/hand weakness.
Cervical myelopathy is when something like a bone spur or anything else compresses the spinal cord in the neck. It can begin with weakness in the hands and result in obstruction of tasks that require fine motor skills.

Medical experts diagnose the disease with the help of X-rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computerized Tomography (CT) scan, myelogram and other tests. The treatment could include physical therapy, medications, equipment such as a soft cervical collar and in rare cases surgery.