What is Spondylosis?

Spondylosis is a symptom of spine bone, intervertebral disc, muscle and ligament changes that stimulates the spinal cord and spinal nerves. Cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis are more common. The disease mostly manifests as neck and shoulder aches, headaches, dizziness, lumbosacral soreness, and even lower limb pain caused by implication, and can not stand upright. In severe cases, it may cause paralysis and adversely affect patients' quality of life.

Spondylosis is a symptom of spine bone, intervertebral disc, muscle and ligament changes that stimulates the spinal cord and spinal nerves. Cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis are more common. The disease mostly manifests as neck and shoulder aches, headaches, dizziness, lumbosacral soreness, and even lower limb pain caused by implication, and can not stand upright. In severe cases, it may cause paralysis and adversely affect patients' quality of life.

Chinese name

Spondylosis

Foreign name

spondylopathy

Causes of spine disease and common diseases

Cervical Spondylosis: The cause of cervical spondylosis is not completely clear. Studies have shown that its incidence is related to cervical spinal stenosis, poor sleeping posture, excessive cervical spine motion, and congenital skeletal deformity.

Lumbar spondylosis: Lumbar spondylosis is also known as lumbar disc herniation. It is a common disease of leg pain caused by the protrusion of the nucleus pulposus and compressing the spinal nerve root after the destruction of the fiber ring between the vertebrae. It is common in young adults and men. More patients than women. Most patients have lumbar spondylosis due to a history of varying degrees of trauma. The most basic cause is the degenerative change of the lumbar intervertebral disc. A normal intervertebral disc is flexible and resilient, and has a strong ability to resist compression. However, as the age increases, the discs gradually begin to degenerate, the water content of the nucleus pulposus continues to decrease, and the elasticity and anti-load capacity of the discs gradually decrease. Under various loading effects, the discs are likely to be in the most stressed position. Fissures from the inside to the outside, plus other factors, can easily induce the rupture of the fibrous ring, and then the nucleus pulposus tissue appears prominent or prolapsed.

Differential diagnosis of spondylosis

Cervical Spondylosis: MRI diagnosis of osseous spinal canal stenosis, cervical curvature abnormality, intervertebral space stenosis, and acne hyperplasia are more accurate.

Lumbar Spondylosis:

Bone hyperplasia of the vertebral body : It is mainly bone hyperplasia of the vertebral endplate edge, which is manifested by calcium deposits at the cartilage degeneration. There is no difference in the diagnosis of DR, CT, and MRI.

Straightening or scoliosis of lumbar physiology: Straightening or scoliosis mainly due to imbalance caused by acute and chronic injuries or chronic metamorphosis of peripheral ligaments and intervertebral discs. There is no difference in the diagnosis of DR, CT, and MRI.

Vertebral facet hyperplasia: Mainly due to the chronic degeneration of the vertebral facet joint cartilage, the vertebral facet joint marginal hyperplasia and sclerosis, resulting in narrow and blurred joint space, there is no significant difference in DR, CT, and MRI.

Intervertebral disc disease: including fibrous ring lesions, which occur after 30 years of age, appear reticular, vitreous, or fissure, and then bulge or protrude to the surrounding area, appear narrowing intervertebral space, diagnose narrowing intervertebral space, DR, CT, There is no difference in MRI; bulging or protruding DR cannot be compared with CT and MRI, and there is not much difference between CT and MRI.

Ligament calcification: mainly calcification of the posterior longitudinal ligament and yellow ligament, thickening. Spinal imbalance causes increased stress on the surrounding ligaments, fibrosis, sclerosis, calcification, or thickening. It shows that CT is significantly better than DR and MRI in ligament calcification.

Foraminal stenosis: due to vertebral facet joint hyperplasia, bulging or protrusion of the intervertebral disc, hyperplasia of the posterior edge of the vertebral body, calcification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, and thickening of the ligamentum flavum, CT and MRI have obvious advantages in diagnosis.

Dural sac compression: Mainly due to bulging and protruding discs, calcification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, thickening of the ligamentum flavum, and hyperplasia of the posterior margin of the vertebral body. MRI clearly shows advantages in diagnosis, DR cannot be diagnosed, and CT is inferior to MRI. .

Vertebral endplate inflammation: As the degenerative changes of the vertebral cartilage plate are manifested as chondrocyte necrosis, cystic changes, calcification and fissures, MRI shows advantages in diagnosis.

Spinal cord lesions: As compression of the spinal cord reveals edema or lesions in the spinal cord itself, MRI shows clear advantages in diagnosis, followed by CT. Recessive fissures are caused by the bilateral vertebral arches not being fused, and different degrees of fissures are formed in the spinous process area. Partial or full defects of the laminae, spinous process deformities or ridges, gaps are filled by cartilage or fibrous tissue, and it is common at the lumbosacral junction. In diagnosis, CT shows the best, followed by DR.

Spondylolisthesis: refers to the displacement of the upper vertebral body relative to the lower vertebral body. It includes anterior and lateral spondylolisthesis in the broad sense. Previous spondylolisthesis is more common. According to different causes, it can be divided into vertebral arch degenerative spinal spondylolisthesis and degenerative spondylolisthesis. There was no significant difference in DR, CT, and MRI in diagnosis.

Spondylosis

Cervical Spondylopathy: Imaging examination is the main method for the clinical diagnosis of cervical spondylosis. CT, MRI and plain radiography are common imaging examination methods, which can accurately assess the condition and provide a reliable basis for determining the specific disease type of patients with cervical spondylosis.

Lumbar spondylosis: DR as a routine examination method can make a clear diagnosis of some common physiological curvature straightening, lumbar osteogenesis, vertebra facet joint sclerosis, ligament calcification, recessive fissure, and spinal spondylolisthesis. In other words, according to the clinical symptoms, if the patient is suspected to be simply straightening of the physiological curvature, lumbar vertebra hyperplasia, vertebra facet joint sclerosis, ligament calcification, recessive fissure, spinal spondylolisthesis, only DR examination is used.

Spine disease treatment principles

Nowadays, the clinical methods for treating spondylosis include oral medicine, surgical treatment, and western medicine physiotherapy.