Cervical stenosis is the compression of the spinal cord within the spinal column. While the most common cause is osteoarthritis, other causes include a herniated disk, ligament changes, spinal tumors, injury, Paget's disease (a disease in which your body overgenerates bone) or achondroplasia (dwarfism), according to the Mayo Clinic. In addition, the main risk factor for developing spinal stenosis is age. Fortunately, nonsurgical and surgical treatments are available to help relieve the symptoms of cervical stenosis and to prevent further complications. Therefore, schedule an appointment with your doctor to avoid complications of cervical stenosis.
Loss of Sensation
According to the Mayo Clinic, you may notice a loss of feeling in your neck, shoulder, arms, hands or fingers. This loss in sensation can occur only with certain activities, or it can be chronic. This loss of feeling occurs because the sensory nerves in your spinal cord may be compressed causing a disruption in the sensory signal to the brain. You may notice difficulty in completing daily activities such as writing or typing. In addition, the Mayo Clinic notes that cuts or wounds may become seriously infected without you noticing. Therefore, you should check your hands frequently for cuts to avoid an unnoticed infection.
Neck Pain
According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), you may experience a chronic pain in the neck or the upper back. This occurs because your cervical spinal stenosis can compress nerves that sense pain in the neck or upper back. In addition, if osteoarthritis is the cause, you may notice pain from the decrease in cartilage and the bone-on-bone rubbing of your vertebra that occurs with disease. Pain can be dull and achy or sharp and burning in nature. Your pain may also radiate into your shoulder, arms, hands or fingers depending on which nerves are compressed. See your doctor to seek a proper diagnosis and treatment of this condition to avoid worsening pain.
Weakness
The NIAMS states that weakness may be a complication of cervical stenosis. This occurs because the nerves in the spinal cord that send signals to your muscles may be compressed by your cervical stenosis. This complication can make it difficult to perform your daily activities, such as driving or grooming. According to the Mayo Clinic, your weakness may not improve even if the pressure has been relieved off your spinal cord. A lack of improvement occurs because all muscle needs a constant signal from the brain to maintain its strength. Therefore, let your doctor know early in the course of this disease to prevent the advancement of compression on your spinal cord.
