Is there an alternative to surgery, such as medication, to relieve pain and correct the condition?
“Cervical spinal stenosis” means narrowing of the spinal cord in the neck. Because there isn’t much extra space near the spinal cord in the neck, any condition that narrows this space can cause significant problems. Cervical spinal stenosis occurs most commonly because of arthritis, disc degeneration (“wear-and-tear” deterioration), calcium deposits in the spinal ligaments, a fracture or a combination of these conditions. Typical symptoms include neck pain, limited neck motion, extremity weakness or balance problems. A related condition, nerve root compression, may cause similar symptoms, and it can develop for the same reasons. Nerves enter and exit the spinal cord through small openings between the bones of the spine; it doesn’t take much arthritis, disc slippage or other spine disease to compress these nerves. Treatment for cervical spinal stenosis (or nerve root compression) may include: • Non-medication approaches — Heat, cold, stretching exercises, massage, and acupuncture are c
