Cervicoartrosis

Definition, diagnosis and treatment: Cervicoarthrosis

Article index

What is cervicoarthrosis or cervical osteoarthritis?

Symptoms of cervicoarthrosis

Causes of cervicoarthrosis

Treatment for cervicoarthrosis

If I have cervicoarthrosis, do I have to operate?

What is the goal of surgery for cervicoarthrosis?

What is surgery to treat cervical myelopathy?

What cervicoarthrosis or cervical arthrosis?

The cervical spine is made up of 7 vertebrae stacked and separated by discs, with the exception of the first and second (C1-C2). In the middle of the spinal column is the spinal canal that contains the spinal cord.


Osteoarthritis is a disease that delays and thickens the joints. In the case of the cervical spine, the formation of osteophytes (parrot beaks) and deformations of the discs will progressively reduce the diameter of the medullary canal. This narrowing produces an aggressive compression of the cervical cord, as well as of the roots of the nerves destined for the upper limbs, this known as cervicoarthrosis myelopathy.


This pathology in relation to age can be favored by the existence of a constitutional narrow cervical canal. It can be found in a single or several cervical levels.

Symptoms of cervicoarthrosis

The symptoms of cervicoarthrosis will appear progressively over several months and generally with one or more of the following manifestations: • Gait problems with fatigue of the lower limbs (claudication) • Feeling of stiff hands • Sensation tingling or pricking (paresthesia) • Cervical and upper limb pain • And on rare occasions, sphincter problems.

Causes of cervicoarthrosis

The main cause of cervicoarthrosis is aging. Although the presence of cervical osteoarthritis is also associated with neck injuries as well as congenital alterations. Cervicoarthrosis myelopathy is also attributed to people with some professions that generate stress on the neck, since this can influence the wear of the cervicals.

Treatment without surgery for cervicoarthrosis

There is no specific treatment that reverses cervicoarthrosis, however the pain derived from it can be done. The pains can be treated by rest, analgesics and anti-inflammatories, which can be prescribed in combination or not with rehabilitation by physiotherapy. At the Biziondo spine and trauma unit, we offer a specialized physiotherapy service for spinal problems. As well as various treatments that can help reduce neck pain caused by osteoarthritis.

If I have cervicoarthrosis, do I have to operate?

It must be taken into account that if the cause is not treated correctly and only the pain is treated, this disease will continue its progression with an increasingly important reduction of the cervical spinal canal. An aggravation of functional capacity may appear associated with increasingly intense and disabling symptoms. The speed of this evolution is highly variable, being in many cases slow and very rarely fast. In the event of an accident or fall, a severe and brutal aggravation or decompensation is quite possible.

What is the goal of surgery for cervicoarthrosis?

Surgery for cervicoarthrosis aims to free neurological structures, including the spinal cord and nerves, from compression by the disc or by the bone, performing a canal recalibration (opening the canal that has been narrowed). In this way, we can stop the progression of the disease and, if possible, a significant improvement in the symptoms present, depending on the degree of evolution of the disease.

What is surgery to treat cervical myelopathy?

There are different types of surgery for cervicoarthrosis that can be proposed: • The most commonly used is an anterior cervical spine surgery and is performed whenever the lesions are located at 1, 2 or 3 levels at the most; An incision is made at the level of the neck before separating the muscles and soft tissues to access the vertebrae through its anterior face. The level to be operated is previously located with imaging equipment. Subsequently, an ablation or removal of the intervertebral discs, osteophytes (parrot beaks) is performed to increase the cervical spinal canal. The discs are replaced by boxes, prostheses or grafts that will allow the 2 adjacent vertebrae to be welded. • A median somatometry or correctomy (removal of the vertebral body) can also be performed: The central part of the vertebra is removed anteriorly and an oestosynthesis is performed with fixation of a metal plate of the 2 vertebrae.

Cervical surgery with disc prosthesis

Remember that these articles are informative, if you have cervical pain, consult your spine specialist for better guidance on your spine problem.

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