Neck or arm pain. Numbness and weakness in the upper extremities hands. Unsteady gait when walking. Muscle spasms in the legs.
Cervical spondylosis is a general term for age-related wear and tear affecting the spinal disks in your neck. As the disks dehydrate and shrink, signs of osteoarthritis develop, including bony projections along the edges of bones (bone spurs). Cervical spondylosis is very common and worsens with age.
Nerves in the cervical spine
They stimulate muscle movement in your neck, shoulder, arm and hand, and provide sensation. Cervical nerves C1, C2 and C3 control your forward, backward and side head and neck movements.
Some people describe the pain as: A persistent ache. A stabbing or burning pain. A shooting pain that travels from their neck to their shoulders or arms.
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) is often enough to control the pain associated with cervical spondylosis. Heat or ice. Applying heat or ice to your neck can ease sore neck muscles. Soft neck brace.
What are Red Flags for Neck Pain? Seek immediate medical care if neck pain is associated with the following symptoms: Severe pain. Tingling, numbness or weakness in arm, shoulder or hands.
Cervical spinal stenosis occurs when the soft tissues and bones in the spine harden or become overgrown, putting pressure on the spinal cord and spinal nerve roots and causing pain, numbness or weakness in the legs.
The location of cervical radiculopathy symptoms will vary depending on which nerve root is affected. C5 radiculopathy. Tingling, numbness, and/or pain may go from the neck into the shoulder and/or down the arm and into the thumb. Weakness may be experienced in the shoulder or upper arm.
Degenerative cervical spine disease (cervical spondylosis) is osteoarthritis of the spine, which includes the spontaneous degeneration of either disk or facet joints. Presenting symptoms include axial neck pain and neurologic complications. The most common neurologic complication is cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.
Neck pain from cancer typically occurs when cancer affects a nearby structure, such as the thyroid, spinal cord, brain, or jaw. A person may have other symptoms, such as swelling in the neck, pain on one side of the neck or body, weakness, unexplained weight loss, or fever.
The most common symptom of C5-C6 disc herniation is a pain in the lower neck. This can either be a piercing periodic pinch or a constant vibrating ache at the back of the neck. Due to this pain, certain neck movements can become difficult and/or uncomfortable, thereby limiting the patient's range of motion.
Neurological symptoms are likely to stem from the upper cervical spine (C0-C2), as the atlantoaxial joint has the unique distinction of being the most mobile, least stable, and most narrow spinal canal region in the spine.
The cervical nerve roots innervate the back of the head and neck as well as the arms and hands. If they are affected, the patient could have burning, tingling, numbness, and pain in these areas. Sometimes headaches result from cervical degenerative disc problems.
These diseases include ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, arthritis of inflammatory bowel disease, and the undifferentiated spondyloarthropathies.
Being closer to the brain and affecting a larger portion of the body, cervical spinal cord injuries are typically the most severe variety of spinal cord injury.
C5, as mentioned earlier, along with C3 and C4, contributes to the phrenic nerve that innervates the diaphragm. Roots C5, C6, and C7 produce the long thoracic nerve, responsible for controlling the serratus anterior.
Symptoms of C4/C5 and C5/C6 Herniated Discs
In some cases, pain from a C4/C5 and C5/C6 herniated disc can cause pain to radiate down through the neck. The pain may continue through the shoulders, arms, and hands. Tingling, numbness, and weakness are also common symptoms of a cervical herniated disc.
Vertebral and disc pain from C5-C6 may occur suddenly following an injury or gradually increase over a period of time. Typically, a dull ache or sharp pain may be felt at the back of the neck. The neck's range of motion may also decrease. There may be crepitus (a snap, crackle, or pop sound) with neck movements.
During this quick test, you hold out one of your arms and open your palm facedown, extending your fingers in front of you. Your doctor will then flick your middle fingernail. This will determine your Hoffman's sign or reflex result, which is also known as: The digital reflex.
Surprisingly, little is known about the effect of neck pain on more functional tasks such as gait, other than that some patients walk with a narrower step width, a shorter step length, and a slower gait speed.
Stage 3: Severe pain, stiffness, and very limited movement intensifies. You may also notice loss of sensation in the affected arm, wrist, and fingers. Stage 4: You may feel less pain in stage 4. Although this might seem welcome, it means that your stenosis has progressed to such a degree that nerve damage has occurred.
Neck pain may be caused by arthritis, disc degeneration, narrowing of the spinal canal, muscle inflammation, strain or trauma. In rare cases, it may be a sign of cancer or meningitis.
However, if your neck pain is so severe you can't sit still, or if it is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, contact a medical professional right away: Fever, headache, and neck stiffness.
Chronic neck pain persists for more than 3 months; it may be felt all the time or worsen with certain activities. Although its source may be hard to determine, contributing factors include nerve damage, tissue scarring, arthritis, or emotional effects of pain.