Is there a correlation between Cervical Stenosis and Shoulder Pain?

This is not intended to either diagnose or recommend treatment to anyone suffering from shoulder pain.

Shoulder pain has myriad causes and each one of those causes might be treated differently. Only a doctor can tell you how your specific pain can be treated.

This article is intended to determine whether or not there may be a correlation between a condition known as cervical stenosis and shoulder pain.

During the process of this article we will discuss cervical stenosis and shoulder pain along with their causes and recommended treatment. There may be medical terminology used during the course of the discussion.

Cervical Stenosis

What is cervical stenosis? By definition it is a condition that occurs when the canal guarding both the nerves in the spinal cord as well as the spinal cord itself narrows.

This type of condition can cause radiating pain as well as numbness on the person who has it. Once the narrowing begins it can get worse in some patients. This condition presents itself in a variety of ways.

If you have any pain in the cervical region then you should see a doctor as soon as you can to not only diagnose the problem but also in order to get relief as soon as you can.

Back pain is not something that you want to play with because it can be absolutely debilitating as well as dangerous to a person’s mobility if not taken care of with all speediness.

Causes

There are actually quite a few known causes of this particular condition. Although people affected are normally born this way others can contract it from simple wear and tear on the spine.

It can also be caused by different conditions. Someone who ruptures their spinal disc can contract it in that fashion.

The spinal disc is actually a sort of vertebral disc that rests in between two adjacent vertebras. It is made up of a spongy material and its purpose is to keep adjoin vertebrae form rubbing up against each other.

This can happen due to an accident or other injury to the spine. There are a few more ways that this can be contracted and they are all relative to injuries.

Treatments

There are two different schools of thought on this and each doctor will prefer one over the other.  One type of treatment is thought of as conservative and the other is a surgical one.

When a doctor recommends the conservative type this could be in him prescribing certain anti-inflammatories along with putting the patient on a regimen of pain pills.

When the doctor prescribes this form of treatment there may also be an accompanying recommendation for the patient to wear a cervical collar depending on the progression of the condition and the patient’s pain level.

Also, patients will be advised to not lift items over a certain weight and to put a restriction on both the type and amount of physical activities. This process can take time to begin to be effective.

The surgical types would include a type of surgery known as a de-compressive laminectomy.

What this does is to take the laminae out of the spine thereby allowing more space for the affected nerves. Once the swelling from the surgery recedes there should be a sign of results already.

Shoulder pain

Shoulder pain is a common ailment in almost everyone at some point in their lives.

Causes

Shoulder pain can be caused by a great deal of things. It can be anything from sprains or strains to dislocation to issues involving the rotator cup and even more.

Treatments

The treatment for shoulder pain will depend on the type of pain it is as well as what the cause is.

An anti-inflammatory and pain pills may help or more invasive action up to and including surgery may be prescribed.

Often with shoulder pain there may also be some sort of physical therapy prescribed.

Correlation

Yes, there is definitely a correlation between cervical stenosis and shoulder pain.

Because the cervical stenosis has to do with the nerves of the spinal column as well  as the spinal column itself, it can cause pain not only in the shoulders but also in the neck, hands, arms and has even been known to cause numbness in those areas too.

If you or someone you know is having shoulder pain then they should see a doctor as soon as possible for a diagnosis. This condition can worsen over time if it remains untreated.