Cervical Canal Stenosis
Do you know what the word “stenosis” means? It simply means narrowing and hence cervical canal stenosis is the condition where spinal canal located in your neck (cervical) region gets narrowed. This narrowing may cause compression of your spinal cord or nerve roots, leaving you with radicular symptoms. It is more common in elderly population due to degenerative changes with advancement of age but it could be the result of congenital defects in anatomy of spine. Males are more prone for development of this condition in relation to females between 2nd and 8th decade of their of life.[1] Cervical stenosis mostly results from cervical spondylosis, disc herniation, hypertrophy of Ligamentum Flavum (connects adjacent vertebrae), osteophytes formation (overgrowth of bone).
Common Symptoms that You Might Experience
The condition might be asymptomatic until it occurs in association with cervical radiculopathy. However, following are the common symptoms you might have:
- Continuous neck pain
- Pain radiating to one or both arms
- Weakness in grip
- Tingling and numbness in arms
- Difficulty in walking
How Physical Therapy can Help You[2]
Physical Therapy plays crucial role in conservative management of cervical stenosis.
First step is to establish the treatment diagnosis and perform differential diagnosis through examination of available movements, strength, upper quadrant screening, reflexes, sensory and neurological examination.
Pain which keeps you away from performing any exercise regimen is generally targeted first. Interferential Current (IFC) reduces muscle spasm and thus mitigates pain. Hot pack also serves the same purpose by removing waste products at faster rate and providing increased flow of oxygen. During initial period of severe pain, free neck movements in pain free range should also be performed to maintain available range. Muscular imbalance can be corrected by targeted stretching of Upper Trapezius, Levator Scapulae and Sternocleidomastoid muscle. This helps in correcting forward head posture. Scapular Stabilization Exercises which mainly targets Rhomboids, Serratus Anterior helps in providing overall stability to your shoulder girdle. During initial periods, isometric exercises of these muscles should only be performed which in later stages should be followed by strengthening exercises. Isometric activation of Deep Neck Flexors namely Rectus Capitis Anterior, Rectus Capitis Lateralis, Longus Colli and Longus Capitis muscles provides gretaer stabilization to your spine. If cervical stenosis accompanies symptoms of cervical radiculopathy then Maitland Thoracic Spine Manipulation helps in reducing neck pain as well as improves your overall neck mobility.
If you are suffering from cervical stenosis then here are some tips for you to follow:
- Maintain good posture by using ergonomic furniture
- Avoid high impact activities such as running that worsens symptoms of cervical stenosis
- Avoid prolong sitting or standing
- Avoid heavy weight lifting that stresses your neck
References:
1) Ko, S., Choi, W., & Lee, J. (2018). The prevalence of cervical foraminal stenosis on computed tomography of a selected community-based Korean population. Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery, 10(4), 433-438.
2) Tahir, M., Kumar, M., & Sadique, G. (2022). POST LAMINECTOMY PHYSIOTHERAPY MANAGEMENT OF CERVICAL CANAL STENOSIS: A CASE STUDY. NeuroQuantology, 20(2), 759.
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