Joints and arthrosis
Cervical arthrosis
What is arthrosis?
Arthrosis is chronic wear of the cartilage in a joint associated with an imbalance between the production and degradation of bone cells.
Arthrosis is a complex phenomenon involving physical and metabolic factors.
In a joint, the cartilage covers the end of the bone and plays a role in the mobility of the joint with minimal friction. The cells are replaced at the same rhythm as they are destroyed. The joint thus preserves all its mobility capacities.
When the cells are replaced more slowly than they are destroyed, and/or the physical constraints, such as shocks or repeated friction, are too significant, the metabolic balance of the joint becomes deregulated. Wear of the cartilage then starts with cracks which gradually deepen until actual holes are formed (ulcerations). The bone can be completely bare in places and the bone surfaces come into direct contact with each other.
The phenomenon tends to auto-amplify. It results in a painful limitation of joint mobility: the joint becomes stiffer and stiffer.
The pain associated with arthrosis occurs when the joint is used and calms down when at rest. Certain inflammatory forms are nevertheless also painful at night.
Arthrosis can affect all the joints in the body but is most often seen in the knees, hands, spinal column and hips. It is favoured by physical or hereditary factors, by age or by obesity.
What is cervical arthrosis?
Cervical arthrosis is chronic wear of the cartilage between the cervical vertebrae (at the level of the posterior articular apophyses), that is, it is localised at the level of the neck.
Onset of this condition most commonly occurs around the age of forty, with pain at the base of the neck (between C4 and C7). The pain increases as the cartilage wears down. The neck becomes stiff and movements of the head become increasingly difficult.
The pain can irradiate towards the nape, shoulder and arm because of the appearance of bone spurs or "osteophytes" (the anarchic development of new bone matter) which compress the spinal nerve roots. Bone spurs can also compress the vertebral arteries and provoke dizziness.
This condition can also pass unnoticed, with no pain and no physical incapacity.
It is common in people who work with their head bent forwards, looking at a keyboard for example. It is present in all individuals to a greater or lesser degree, but is predominant in women.
This condition is also known as "cervicarthrosis".
Orthopaedic treatment
The main aim of the orthopaedic solution is to decrease the pain.
Wearing a foam cervical collar (C1) makes it possible to conserve local heat (analgesic effect).
The cervical collar partly supports the weight of the head and relaxes the musculature. This in turn decreases the constraints exerted at the level of the cervical joints.
In order to keep the neck and head in a good position, it is necessary to adapt the height and circumference of the cervical collar properly.
It is important that wearing the cervical collar during painful episodes be accepted. Any possible reticence can be attenuated by means of fashion accessories, such as wearing a scarf or polo neck.
Orthopaedic management can fit into the framework of a medical treatment prescribed by your doctor. In case of doubt, ask your doctor or orthopaedist for advice.
