What is Cervical Spondylitis?
Let us start with defining spondylitis. The word ‘spondylitis’ originates from the Greek word ‘Spondylo’, meaning vertebra. Spondylitis occurs as a result of changes in the joints of the vertebral column, mostly due to wear of the discs in between the different vertebrae, which in turn results in changes in the bones and tissues of the vertebral column. The cervix or the cervical column, near the neck, is the beginning of the spinal cord. Degeneration and wear and tear of the discs in the cervical spine causes cervical spondylitis. Cervical spondylitis is a degenerative disease that progresses with advancement in age. Earlier on, cervical spondylitis was seen usually in people around 50 to 55 years of age. However, of late, there have been numerous cases where the patient age has been lower than 55 years, in some instances even 35 years. Nowadays a large number of young executives are seen to be having this condition.
