What is cervical stenosis?
Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal canal narrows. When this happens in your neck, it’s called cervical stenosis.
The spinal canal is formed by an opening in the center of each vertebra. As they’re stacked on one another, the opening in each bone creates a channel. Your spinal cord travels through the channel where it’s surrounded and protected by bone.
When stenosis develops and the limited space inside the bony spinal canal narrows, the nerves become compressed.
What causes cervical stenosis?
In rare cases, cervical stenosis is caused by a congenital disorder. However, most cases develop due to degenerative changes that gradually occur over the years.
These conditions frequently cause cervical stenosis:
- Herniated disc
- Bone spurs due to osteoarthritis
- Enlarged ligaments
- Slipped disc
- Degenerative disc disease
You may also develop cervical stenosis if you suffer a neck injury or a vertebral fracture.
What symptoms develop due to cervical stenosis?
As the spinal canal narrows and compresses the nerves, inflammation and pain develop. It’s also common to feel symptoms along the nerve.
When you have cervical stenosis, you’ll experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Pain in your neck
- Pain radiating down one or both arms
- Numbness or tingling in your arms
- Muscle weakness in one or both arms
- Electric-shock sensations down your back when your head moves
In very advanced cases, cervical stenosis can cause problems with bowel and bladder function.
How is cervical stenosis treated?
Your doctor at Florida Back Institute may recommend nonsurgical treatments such as medications to relieve the pain, passive and active physical therapy, and spinal injections to block nerve signals.
When nonsurgical treatments fail to relieve your pain, it may be time to consider surgery. The doctors at Florida Back Institute are experts in several types of minimally invasive surgeries that effectively treat cervical stenosis, such as
- Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: the herniated disc is removed followed by bone fusion for stability
- Cervical laminectomy: the partial or complete removal of the back of a vertebra to decompress the spinal cord
- Foraminotomy: the openings where nerves leave the spine are enlarged
- Cervical arthroplasty: the damaged disc is removed and replaced with an artificial disc
If you have ongoing or worsening neck pain, call Florida Back Institute or book an appointment online.
