Treatment Options for Cervical Spondylosis and Lumbar Disc Herniation

Due to the change of lifestyle and office, the number of patients suffering from various types of cervical and lumbar spondylosis is increasing, and the trend of rejuvenation is becoming more and more obvious. Cervical and lumbar spondylosis has become a common disease of middle-aged and young people and an “occupational disease” of white-collar workers, and even some teenagers have joined the ranks of patients with cervical and lumbar spondylosis. Although the symptoms of cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis are different, their pathogenesis is similar. As people age and the spine is in an incorrect posture for a long time leading to strain, and sometimes combined with spinal trauma, gradually appearing intervertebral disc degeneration and protrusion, the posterior edge of the vertebral body and the formation of small joint protrusion hyperplasia of the bony cumbersome (commonly known as bone spurs), hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum and so on, to the spinal cord, nerve roots, sympathetic nerves and vertebral arteries and other oppression, which in turn appears a series of clinical syndromes. Cervical spondylosis Spinal cord type is the most serious Cervical spondylosis can be divided into a number of types according to the symptoms and tissues involved, among which spinal cord cervical spondylosis is the most serious. Spinal cord cervical spondylosis is mainly characterized by weakness and numbness of the limbs, especially the upper limbs, and impaired fine hand movement, such as weak holding, easy to fall, difficulty in fastening buttons and choosing vegetables, unsteady walking, easy to fall or difficult to walk, and a feeling of stepping on cotton, and in severe cases, dysfunction of urination and defecation, and even bed-ridden to the point that the patient can not live by himself/herself. In addition to symptoms and a physical examination by a doctor, diagnosis of cervical spondylosis usually requires some imaging tests, including X-rays of the cervical spine, CT or MRI. These tests can detect the formation of bony encumbrances, compression of the spinal cord, narrowing of the spinal canal, and identify and exclude other diseases. Cervical spondylosis should be treated as early as possible once detected. Many cases have proved that non-surgical treatments can be tried for some mild cervical spondylosis, especially vertebral artery and sympathetic cervical spondylosis, but once spinal cord cervical spondylosis is diagnosed, most of them need surgical treatment. For cases of anterior compression of the spinal cord, anterior decompression and internal fixation can be done; for multiple segmental compression or combined with calcification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, posterior cervical spondylolisthesis can be applied. Clinically, it is found that some of the spinal cord cervical spondylosis only manifests as numbness of fingers or loss of grip strength in the early stage. If such patients can be diagnosed and treated at an early stage, the further development of spinal cord lesions can be prevented or mitigated, while on the contrary, there is a risk of aggravation of the condition. Lumbar spondylosis Surgical methods should be carefully selected Degenerative lesions of the lumbar spine include bulging and protruding intervertebral discs, hyperplasia, lumbar spine instability, spinal stenosis, etc., leading to symptoms such as lumbago, leg pain, lower limb numbness and walking difficulties. For these degenerative lumbar spine lesions, surgical treatment is required when conservative treatments are ineffective. Traditional surgical approaches include decompression to relieve nerve compression, internal fixation with screws, and fusion surgery. The purpose and principle of surgery is to remove the intervertebral discs, decompress the nerves, and restore the stability and motion of the lumbar spine under the premise of preserving the normal weight-bearing and motion of the lumbar spine and protecting the function of the nerves as much as possible. Usually, the results of the surgery are satisfactory, especially when operated under discoscopy with less trauma, less bleeding and faster recovery. For patients with spinal stenosis, the usual decompression and internal fixation surgery is more traumatic and requires fusion and fixation of part of the lumbar vertebrae resulting in loss of motor function, and even causes new lesions to appear in the adjacent areas due to excessive pressure, leading to recurrence of lumbar and leg pain and nerve compression. In order to solve the above problems, in recent years, spinal surgeons from all over the world have been committed to exploring and researching new surgical techniques, among which artificial disc replacement and dynamic spinal fixation techniques have been born, bringing the gospel to the majority of patients with lumbar diseases. Artificial disc replacement is to simulate the function of intervertebral discs through artificial devices. The surgery not only removes the diseased discs, but also restores the stability and activity of the segment, which theoretically avoids the accelerated degeneration of adjacent segments brought about by lumbar spinal fusion. The Wallis Interbody Dynamic Stabilization System is a type of dynamic spinal fixation technique. It is capable of relieving nerve compression while adopting a dynamic fixation approach, which restores lumbar stability and preserves the motor function of the lumbar spine at the surgical site. Each surgical method has its own indications and contraindications. The choice of which surgical method is right for you should be based on full communication with your doctor and the advice of a professional spine surgeon.