Lumbar Spondylosis Treatment

What is Lumbar Spondylosis Treatment?

Spondylosis is a term referring to degenerative osteoarthritis of the joints between the center of the spinal vertebrae and/or neural foramina. If this condition occurs in the zygapophysial joints, it can be considered facet syndrome. If severe, it may cause pressure on nerve roots with subsequent sensory and motor disturbances, such as pain, paresthesia, or muscle weakness in the limbs.

When the space between two adjacent vertebrae narrows, compression of a nerve root emerging from the spinal cord may result in radiculopathy (sensory and motor disturbances, such as severe pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, back, and leg, accompanied by muscle weakness). Less commonly, direct pressure on the spinal cord (typically in the cervical spine) may result in myelopathy, characterized by global weakness, gait dysfunction, loss of balance, and loss of bowel and/or bladder control. The patient may experience a phenomenon of shocks (paresthesia) in hands and legs because of nerve compression and lack of blood flow. If vertebrae of the neck are involved it is labelled cervical spondylosis. Lower back spondylosis is labeled lumbar spondylosis.

Spondylosis can affect a person at any age; however, older people are more susceptible.

Diagnosis

p>Spurling's test is performed by laterally flexing the patient's head and placing downward pressure on it. A positive sign is neck or shoulder pain on the ipsilateral side, that is, the side to which the head is laterally flexed. This is somewhat predictive of cervical spondylosis.

Lhermitte sign: feeling of electrical shock with neck flexion;

Reduced range of motion of the neck, the most frequent objective finding on physical examination MRI testing. This test is non-invasive and provides the only definitive positive diagnosis.

  • Pain in the outer part of the elbow (lateral epicondyle)
  • Point tenderness over the lateral epicondyle-a prominent part of the bone on the outside of the elbow
  • Pain from gripping and movements of the wrist, especially wrist extension[citation needed] and lifting movements
  • Pain from activities that use the muscles that extend[citation needed] the wrist (e.g. pouring a container of liquid, lifting with the palm down, sweeping, especially where wrist movement is required)
  • Morning stiffness