Cervical Spine Arthritis.

Cervical spine arthritis is the cause of many neck and arm pain presentations that I see in my clinic.

There are two main types of cervical spine arthritis and we will go through each in turn. They are:

Osteoarthritis - a degenerative condition affecting the quality of joint surfaces. It is most commonly age-related and develops over time.

Rheumatoid arthritis - is a systemic inflammatory disorder that mainly affects joints and tissues resulting in inflammation, movement reduction and deformities of the joints.

The mechanics of both types affects your neck in a similar way. In both cases, movement of your neck is reduced by pain and thickened tissues associated with arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis tends to be quite severe in most cases where osteoarthritis varies from mild to severe depending on each individual.

So what actually happens in arthritis of your neck?

The arthritic nodules and thickened tissues cause movement to be blocked in certain joints, in certain directions. If you try to move through this inflamed thickness it will hurt you, so your body’s natural reaction is to avoid those movements, and over time this will lead to further movement loss and joint damage causing more pain.

So you can see it is a vicious circle of pain reducing movement, and movement reduction potentially increasing pain.

To diagnose your cervical spine arthritis you should have x-rays and blood tests taken by a qualified doctor. If the result shows rheumatoid arthritis you will probably require systemic medication to facilitate your management. You will be referred to a specialised doctor called a rheumatologist for this.

Once your pain has been managed through medication my advice is to start physiotherapy. Physiotherapy will help you maintain, and sometimes gain movement range as well as strengthening your neck and back muscles to help reduce the load on your neck joints. Believe me over time you will be glad you did this!

If it is osteoarthritis that you have seek a chartered Physiotherapist who works in this area and start treatment immediately. Early treatment can help you enormously. We will work on your joint tightness, and loosen it all up, which is the key to reducing the pain and increasing the movement. This will be followed by a home exercise programme that you can do daily to maintain the benefits of the physiotherapy. I usually see my osteoarthritis neck clients for 6 sessions twice yearly.

I also recommend homeopathic treatments and dietary advice from a local colleague of mine who will advise you on what foods to avoid with arthritis. Homeopathic remedies can work very well for some clients.

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The information on this web site does not replace specific medical advice. It should only be used to complement advice from your doctor. Always seek in-person advice from a doctor or other qualified health provider for your particular condition.