Cervical spondylosis treatment in Hyderabad,without surgery

What is cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is the general term for wear and tear in the neck — discs that lose height and water, facet joints that develop arthritis, and small bony spurs at the edges of the vertebrae. It becomes more common with age, and many people with these changes on a scan have no pain at all.

When it does hurt, the pain usually comes from specific structures: most often the facet joints at the back of the neck, sometimes a disc or a nerve root narrowed by the wear.

Common causes of cervical spondylosis

Ageing is the main cause, but some things add to the load on the neck and can make wear, or its symptoms, arrive earlier:

• Age-related drying and thinning of the neck discs
• Arthritis of the cervical facet joints
• Bone spurs that narrow the space for the nerve roots
• Long hours at a desk, laptop or phone with the head held forward
• An earlier neck injury, heavy overhead work, or smoking

Symptoms of cervical spondylosis

The usual symptoms are neck pain and stiffness, often worse after holding one position and in the morning, with difficulty turning the head to reverse a car or look over your shoulder. Pain can spread to the shoulder blades or the back of the head and cause headaches.

If a nerve root is narrowed, you may feel pain, tingling or numbness running into the arm or hand. Less commonly the spinal cord itself is affected, which is covered under when to see a doctor below.

How Halcyon finds the cause

Because the wear appears on almost every scan after a certain age, the scan alone does not make the diagnosis. The consultant examines your neck, shoulders and arms, checks reflexes and strength, and reviews any X-ray or MRI you bring.

If a facet joint is the likely source, a medial branch block is done first. A small amount of local anaesthetic is placed on the tiny nerves supplying that joint under image guidance. If your usual pain settles, that joint is confirmed as the source; if it does not, the plan changes. This is what stands between a diagnosis and a guess.

Non-surgical treatment options at Halcyon

When the medial branch block confirms the worn facet joints are causing the pain, Halcyon treats them with cervical facet radiofrequency. A precise current, delivered through a fine needle under image guidance, interrupts the small nerves carrying pain from the joint. The joint itself is not operated on.

Radiofrequency is never the first thing done — it follows only a positive block. Where the scan and examination point to an irritated nerve root rather than a facet joint, a different image-guided injection aimed at that root may be advised instead. Posture changes and a neck exercise programme are usually part of the plan.

What to expect on the day and after

Both the block and the radiofrequency procedure are done under local anaesthetic, so you stay awake and talking. There is no general anaesthetic and no admission, and most people are home within about two hours of their procedure at the Kukatpally centre.

You will leave with aftercare instructions and a review date, and the consultant will tell you what to do and what to avoid before you go. Costs are explained at the consultation, before anything is booked.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor if neck pain lasts more than a few weeks or spreads into your arm. Signs that the spinal cord may be under pressure need urgent assessment in a hospital rather than a clinic appointment.

• Weakness in the arms or legs, or clumsy hands that are getting worse
• Unsteady walking or loss of balance
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Neck pain with fever, or after a fall or accident
• Neck pain with a severe sudden headache, or numbness spreading on both sides