Spondylosis

Spondylosis refers to the degenerative osteoarthritis (OA) of the vertebral column.  When severe enough, this degeneration can affect motor and sensory sensations like pain, sensitivity, and muscle weakness in the affected joint(s).  Some further complications to this condition are radiculopathy or myelopathy.  Radiculopathy is due to an affected nerve root causing sensations down the arm, neck, back, or leg, while myelopathy is much more severe and is due to pressure on the spinal cord causing pain down the neck and back.  With myelopathy the patient may experience lightening-like sensations down their arms and legs, especially with flexion of the cervical spine. 

Myelopathy

 The specialized test to check for myelopathy is L’hermitte’s test: the patient actively flexes their cervical spine and a positive test causes those lightening-like sensations previously discussed.  Some dangerous signs and symptoms of this condition may include: loss of balance, gait imbalances, severe muscle weakness, and loss of bladder or bowel control.  This should be considered an immediate emergency room referral out of the office.  This could ultimately display a space-occupying lesion, such as a tumor within the spinal canal, which would be best visible on MRI or CT scan.  This would be an absolute contraindication for manipulation of the cervical spine. 

Radiculopathy

On the other hand, radiculopathy is caused when the space between two adjacent vertebrae narrows causing the compression of a spinal nerve root.  This condition is very favorable to chiropractic care, as opposed to a myelopathy condition.  Degeneration happens to everyone’s spinal column with age.  However, proper chiropractic care may halt the progression and severity of this condition and, ultimately, improve range of motion, pain, and quality of life for the individual.