Cervicoartrosis
What is cervicoarthrosis?
The cervicoarthrosis is the location of arthrosis in the cervical spine and is probably the most common cause of cervical spinal pain (cervical pain). Its frequency is large, to appreciate on radiographs 75% of patients over 40 years. But neck pain is attributed to arthritis when other diseases are ruled out.
The vertebrae are the bones we have in the back, and are arranged one above the other forming the “backbone”. Latin for cervical neck, hence the vertebrae of the neck region, are called “neck”.
Each vertebra articulates with the neighbor, ie, forms with it a kind of hinge, which allows movement of the back, and in this case the neck.
In the joints of arms and legs, the contact surfaces of the hinge are of a material called articular cartilage, which acts as a shock absorber and friction with movement.
OA is called the progressive disappearance of the articular cartilage, and is due to various reasons such as age, blows to the cartilage that makes their irregular surface rather than smooth, and so on.
The hinge responds to this situation by producing bone on their edges, as an outgoing. These are called, osteophytes (the literal translation would be “bone growths”), pushing the surrounding tissues and limited joint mobility.
It is important to understand that the vertebrae have two ways to form the hinge: In the center used the cover of articular cartilage (joints “uncovertebral” and “apophyseal”). But in its use of shock front intervertebral disc, which is not a cover but a kind of rubbery hard wafer, placed between two vertebrae.
As the disc wears loses height and elasticity, and bone with which contact begins to suffer, condensing and producing osteophytes around the edges. When they grow into the bone can compress it.
Although it may be affected any intervertebral disc, located between the 5th and 6th cervical vertebrae is being affected more often, since it is very mobile.
Osteoarthritis of the joints using the cover of articular cartilage, can produce these edges (osteophytes) that close the hole through which pass the nerve roots exit the spinal, and whose irritation is responsible for the pain in the upper extremity, and many cases of shoulder pain.
Patients with high-arched neck, often suffering from osteoarthritis of the facet joints.