Arthritis is a very common condition, one that should be taken incredibly seriously. The word arthritis literally means joint inflammation but is used to refer to a group of more than 100 different rheumatic diseases that can cause pain and stiffness. These diseases might not affect just the joints but also other parts of the body.

There are a few different types of degenerative arthritis that a person can deal with, and it can range from being mild degenerative arthritis to severe degenerative arthritis. One of the rarest and most dangerous types of degenerative arthritis is degenerative cervical arthritis.

Degenerative cervical arthritis is an osteoarthritic condition that affects the upper spine. The vertebrae in the neck, which are known better as the cervical vertebrae, begin to degenerate and often are accompanied by the degeneration in the flexible disks of the cartilage that fit in between them.

Degenerative cervical arthritis tends to develop in people between the ages of 30 and 50 as part of the normal aging process. It can also develop in persons aged younger than this, but chances are rare.

There are a few signs and symptoms that you should be aware of when it comes to degenerative cervical arthritis, and this includes chronic neck pain, muscle weakness, tenderness, stiffness, and headaches.

Treatment and Prevention

Of course prevention is the best step, and so you should be doing everything possible in order to avoid developing the arthritis disease to begin with. Because of rapid advances in medical technology in the world today, fortunately there are a variety of treatments presently available for degenerative cervical arthritis.

Most cases of cervical arthritis respond well to conservative treatment, as long as it is carefully thought out for each individual. After all, just because one particular arthritis treatment works well for one patient, this certainly does not mean that it will be successful at all for another, and so each person needs to be assessed on a separate basis.

There are the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications which are prescribed more than any other type for all arthritis conditions. For patients who have a severe episode of cervical arthritis, they may be recommended to get a steroid epidural, which is the use of steroids injected directly into the person’s affected joint.

Arthritis of any sort can definitely be difficult to deal with, but with the right treatment and a positive outlook you will be able to effectively treat your condition and get back to living your life.