How Aging Affects Your Cervical Spine - Mehta Spine - Children and Adult Spinal Surgeon, UK

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How Aging Affects Your Cervical Spine
As a person ages, there can be some negative
impacts on their cervical spine, shoulders, neck,
upper back and arms. Cervical spine changes with
age. This could be manifested in pain and reduced
mobility in these regions. That does not mean
everyone will develop symptoms of pain. The wear
and tear of everyday usage and the pressure that
is put on the spines combined with ageing could
lead to degenerative spinal conditions in some
people. In this article, we will talk about
ageing and its concomitant effects on a persons
spine. Disorders like cervical spondylosis for
instance. We will also look at how these
disorders can be diagnosed and treated.
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How Aging Affects Your Cervical Spine

• Symptoms of Degenerative Spinal Conditions
• The following are the common symptoms of
  degenerative spinal conditions that develop with
  age
• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Pain in the shoulder blades
• Pain, weakness or numbness in arms
• Difficulty in maintaining limb dexterity (this
  happens in rare cases)

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How Aging Affects Your Cervical Spine

• How are Spinal Conditions Diagnosed
• When a patient reports symptoms that may indicate
  a cervical degenerative disorder, the doctor
  physically examines the patient and asks them
  a set of questions to determine the exact
  symptoms and the time for which they have
  persisted. They then recommend a set of tests to
  investigate the exact source and the cause of the
  problem.
• A neurological test is conducted to rule out any
  problems with the nervous system.
• A physical examination of the shoulders is done
  to see if the pain symptoms are arising from the
  neck
• Diagnostic imaging tests are also done in order
  to get a better sense of the situation

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How Aging Affects Your Cervical Spine

• Diagnostic Imaging Tests For Spinal Conditions
• There are certain diagnostic imaging tests which
  can be used to determine the exact cause of the
  pain and other symptoms. Some of them are
  discussed below briefly.
• X Rays X Rays can pinpoint if the intervertebral
  disc space is narrowed, if there are any anterior
  osteophytes present. It can also be used to
  identify spondylosis or arthritis of the joints
  and osteophytes from uncovertebral joints.

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How Aging Affects Your Cervical Spine

• CT Scans CT scans can show changes that come
  about with osteoarthritis or degenerative
  spondylosis. This method however, is not too
  useful when it comes to monitoring vertebral
  discs.
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• MRIs Magnetic resource imaging or MRI is a
  crucial tool to identify cervical spondylosis. It
  can be used to visualize herniations in the disc
  and some types of osteoarthritis.
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• Myelogram This method is used when MRIs reveal
  unclear images. It helps doctors to differentiate
  between bone spurs and disc herniations.

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How Aging Affects Your Cervical Spine
Conclusion Dr Jwalant S Mehta, honorary member
of the British Association of Spinal Surgeons is
an orthopedic spinal surgeon who specializes in
spinal corrections in children and corrective
surgeries in adults. He is currently practicing
at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and the
Birmingham Childrens Hospital in Birmingham,
UK. With an experience of more than a decade, he
is not only a practitioner but actively involved
in teaching and research. He has trained
extensively in India and the UK and can be
consulted for all major spinal conditions.
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Contact us

• Royal Orthopaedic Hospital
• BMI The Priory Hospital
• Spire Parkway Hospital
• Bromsgrove Private Clinic

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Contact and Connect

• Clinical secretary Samantha Leavy 44 785 021
  1939
• Medico-legal secretary Jan Clarke 44 121
  4508928
• Spire Parkway Hospital 0121 704 5500
• BMI NEC (National Enquiry Centre) 0808 101 0337
• BMI Priory 0121 446 1638
• Email info_at_mehtaspine.co.uk
• The appointments are booked through the clinic