What are the differences between cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis are common bone diseases in daily life. There are great differences between cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis, and the locations of onset are also different. Lumbar spondylosis generally causes pain, swelling, etc. in the lumbar area, while cervical spondylosis can cause neck pain, dizziness, and affect upper limb activities.

There is a huge difference between lumbar spondylosis and cervical spondylosis. First of all, the location of the disease is different. Generally, lumbar spondylosis is caused by lesions in the lumbar spine. This phenomenon may also be caused by diseases such as lumbar disc herniation.

Patients with cervical spondylosis mainly suffer from neck compression or visual acuity. Long-term sitting in one posture may also cause neck pain. Patients with cervical spondylosis may experience neck stiffness and may also suffer from dizziness and other symptoms.

There are many differences between lumbar spondylosis and cervical spondylosis. One occurs on the neck, and the other occurs in key vertebrae. Moreover, the complications of lumbar spondylosis and cervical spondylosis are also different. Generally, cervical spondylosis may cause headaches and may also cause high blood pressure.

The clinical symptoms of cervical spondylosis are relatively complex. The main symptoms include neck and back pain, upper limb weakness, numbness of fingers, lower limb weakness, difficulty walking, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and even blurred vision, tachycardia and difficulty swallowing. The clinical symptoms of cervical spondylosis are related to the site of the lesion, the degree of tissue involvement and individual differences.

1. Cervical spondylotic radiculopathy

(1) It has typical radicular symptoms (numbness, pain), and the range is consistent with the area innervated by the cervical spinal nerves.

(2) Positive head pressure test or brachial plexus traction test.

(3) The imaging findings are consistent with the clinical manifestations.

(4) Pain point blocking has no significant effect.

(5) Diseases other than the cervical spine, such as thoracic outlet syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, and frozen shoulder, which are the main causes of upper limb pain.

2. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy

(1) Clinical manifestations of cervical spinal cord damage.

(2) X-rays show bone hyperplasia at the posterior edge of the vertebral body and spinal canal stenosis. Imaging confirmed the presence of spinal cord compression.

(3) Excludes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal cord tumors, spinal cord injury, multiple neuritis, etc.

complication

1. Swallowing disorders: There is a feeling of obstruction when swallowing and a foreign body sensation in the esophagus. A few people experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, hoarseness, dry cough, and chest tightness. This is due to the direct compression of the posterior wall of the esophagus by the front edge of the cervical spine, causing esophageal stenosis. It may also be caused by the rapid formation of bone spurs, which causes irritation of the soft tissue around the esophagus.

2. Visual impairment: manifested as decreased vision, eye pain, photophobia, tearing, unequal pupil sizes, and even narrowing of the visual field and sharp decrease in vision. Some patients may even go blind. This is related to the ischemic lesions in the visual center of the occipital lobe of the brain caused by autonomic nervous system disorders and insufficient blood supply to the vertebral-basilar artery due to cervical spondylosis.

3. Cervical syndrome: manifested by precordial pain, chest tightness, arrhythmia (such as cardiac arrest, etc.) and ST segment changes on the electrocardiogram, which can be easily misdiagnosed as coronary heart disease. This is caused by the stimulation and compression of the cervical nerve roots by cervical bone spurs.

4. Hypertension and cervical spondylosis: It can cause high or low blood pressure, among which high blood pressure is more common, which is called "cervical hypertension". Since cervical spondylosis and hypertension are both common diseases among middle-aged and elderly people, the two often coexist.

5. Chest pain: manifested as slow-onset, persistent unilateral pectoralis major and breast pain, with pectoralis major tenderness during examination. This is related to the compression of the C6 and C7 nerve roots by cervical bone spurs.

6. Paralysis of the lower limbs: Early symptoms include numbness, pain, and lameness of the lower limbs. Some patients feel like they are walking on cotton when walking. Some patients may also have bowel and urination disorders, such as frequent urination, urgency, difficulty urinating, or incontinence. This is because the lateral vertebral bundle is stimulated or compressed by the cervical bone spurs, resulting in movement and sensory disorders in the lower limbs.

7. Cataplexy: It often occurs when the body loses support due to a sudden turn of the head while standing or walking. The person will wake up quickly after falling to the ground, without any disturbance of consciousness or sequelae. Such patients may experience symptoms of autonomic dysfunction such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and sweating. This is because the proliferative changes of the cervical vertebrae compress the vertebral artery, causing obstruction of blood supply to the basilar artery, resulting in temporary cerebral ischemia.