Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects the joints and is characterized by the wear and tear of the intervertebral discs, du cartilage of the intervertebral joints, associated with damage to nearby bone. THE’cervical spondylosis (sometimes called cervicarthrose) is a form of osteoarthritis affecting the cervical vertebrae located in the neck. This pathology most often appears from the age of 40, mainly concerns people over the age of 50 and leads to pain, headaches (headache), a rigidity neck and be the cause of what is called cervico-brachial neuralgia. The treatments offered aim to soothe pain and slow the progression of the disease.

Cervical osteoarthritis is defined by the wear and tear of the cartilage located at the joints of the cervical vertebrae (neck), and this wear is associated with reactions of the nearby bone. It’s about a chronic disease which evolves gradually over several years. Osteoarthritis often causes attacks that are sometimes painful, but which resolve and do not necessarily come back.

Causes

The causes of cervical spondylosis are not well known. While it is true that the degradation of cartilage is often associated with too much strain on the neck, wear and tear also occurs in people whose neck is immobile for long periods of time, for example the military and the police who often have to rest. stand up straight for several hours. Apart from the fact that the neck is more or less stressed, cervical osteoarthritis is also due to the mechanisms involved in the degeneration and regeneration of cartilage.

Diagnostic

The doctor will ask the patient about the pains felt, their onset, their intensity and their frequency. The clinical examination is then very important so that he understands at what level of the spine the arthritis can be located.

Medical imaging exams (x-rays, MRI, scanner) will show the presence of osteoarthritis. If arterial involvement is suspected, other examinations are performed such as arteriography or angiography.