Spondylosis is a possible cause of back pain. The term spondylosis covers various diseases of the spine. The characteristic feature of spondylosis is bony spurs that form on the vertebral body. Spondylosis is caused by wear and tear of the spine and is characterized by neurological symptoms.
Find out everything you need to know about spondylosis here and find selected spondylosis specialists.
Spondylosis is a collective term for several wear and tear diseases of the spine. These include
Typical of spondylosis is additional bone growth in particularly stressed areas of the spine - called spondylophytes . Spondylosis can affect any section of the spine, i.e. the cervical spine, thoracic spine or lumbar spine.
Back pain is often caused directly by the spine © CLIPAREA.com / Fotolia
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) lists spondylosis under the code M47. It is divided into five forms based on the clinical picture.
The type of spinal column damage determines the category of spondylosis:
There are also other spondyloses without myelopathy or radiculopathy. In these cases, there are no neurological symptoms or discomfort.
The spine is subjected to considerable strain over the course of a person's life. With increasing age, the flexibility of the intervertebral discs between the vertebral bodies decreases. The intervertebral discs act as a buffer for the vertebrae.
This means that vertebrae lying on top of each other can come closer together and even touch. The so-called facet joints of the spine are affected first. This results in facet syndrome. Watch the video to see how this wear and tear disease develops:
As the spine wears out, it loses stability. Additional bone growth is intended to strengthen and stabilize the spine again. The body therefore forms spondylophytes, i.e. small bone spurs.
At the same time, this additional bone mass takes up more space. Under certain circumstances, the spondylophytes can affect
canal. This results in pain and neurological discomfort.
The vertebral bodies touch at the facet joints - in spondylosis, the bony contact surfaces enlarge © bilderzwerg / Fotolia
In some cases, the spondylophytes that grow on different vertebrae join together. This creates a coherent bony structure that restricts the mobility of the spine. Doctors refer to such a deformation of the spine as spondylosis deformans.
There are also special forms that develop differently. Spondylosis hyperostotica, for example, is caused by a metabolic disorder. One potential cause of hyperostotic spondylosis is diabetes.
Different symptoms occur depending on which vertebrae are affected by spondylosis. The signs of wear and tear typically only manifest themselves with mild symptoms and pain at the beginning. More severe symptoms only appear gradually.
Back pain is common with spondylosis. The pain may also occur in the neck or radiate to the arms and legs.
Spondylosis partially affects the spinal cord and peripheral nerves. If the spinal nerves or the spinal cord are damaged, further neurological symptoms typically occur:
In many adults, the first signs of wear and tear on the spine and intervertebral discs appear early on. They progress with increasing age.
The overwhelming majority of people over the age of 65 have bone spurs on their vertebrae. However, only some of those affected suffer from
Spondylosis often remains unrecognized and asymptomatic.
Spondylosis sometimes leads to further problems. Spondylosis with radiculopathy or myelopathy causes neurological symptoms and nerve pain. As the disease progresses, muscle tension can also cause pain.
The muscle tension is often caused by a relieving posture that patients adopt due to spondylosis.
The X-ray image shows changes to the spine © luxpainter / Fotolia
A doctor usually takes
which shows the condition of the spine. In this way, other possible diseases can also be ruled out.
Further tests may be necessary, for example to check for possible nerve damage. The doctor will often also take a blood sample to rule out inflammation as the cause.
An operation can relieve the spinal cord that may be at risk or help to make the spine more mobile again. A doctor will only consider surgery if other treatment options have already been exhausted or do not appear to be sufficient in the individual case. The exact procedure is different for each patient.
If the cause of the pain is facet syndrome, injections prove to be an effective pain therapy. The video shows how a facet infiltration is performed:
In some cases, the surgeon removes the offending spondylophyte and widens the spinal canal. In this way, the nerve compression is relieved. The surgeon can also replace the vertebra with a prosthesis.
In other cases, the doctor only corrects the position of the vertebra. The videos provide information about the surgical options:
Sometimes spondylosis is caused by diabetes or another metabolic disorder. The treatment of this underlying disease then plays an important role.
You will often be given painkillers to relieve the symptoms of spondylosis.
The best time to take preventive measures is when you are not yet suffering from spondylosis. Typical signs of ageing, such as fatigue of the intervertebral discs, cannot be completely prevented. Nevertheless, you can do something for your back health.
Here's how you can reduce the risk of spondylosis:
If your back pain does not improve over three to six weeks, consult a doctor.
In many cases, a physiotherapist will help patients to improve their back health. The physiotherapist will take into account the specifics of the condition. Not every type of sport is suitable for training the back muscles in patients with spondylosis.
Jerky movements, for example, are generally considered problematic with back problems.
Physiotherapy often helps with progressive spondylosis © drubig-photo / Fotolia
Most older people have bone spurs on their vertebrae. The spondylophytes are the body's attempt to strengthen the degenerating spine. Herniated discs and metabolic diseases are among the risk factors.
After an inconspicuous initial period, spondylosis sometimes develops into a serious problem. Pain and muscle tension impair quality of life and the spinal cord may be at risk.
You should therefore consider preventive measures and consult a doctor in good time to promote your back health.
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