Our bones are constantly working to replace old bones with new, healthy tissue, and this process tends to occur much more easily when we’re younger. As we get older, it can get harder for bones to perfectly replace old bone tissue, especially if you’ve suffered an injury or some natural wear and tear in the area. If the bone isn’t replaced properly, tiny fragments known as bone spurs can develop and irritate nearby soft tissues. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at bone spur formation and how you can treat any issues that they are causing in your neck.
Why Do Bone Spurs Develop?
As we touched on above, bone spurs develop as a result of your body’s attempt to replace old bone with healthy tissue. Sometimes this new bone production can lead to small rounded growths on our bones. If these growths irritate nearby soft tissues or nerves, symptoms can develop. They are more likely to develop if you’re older, you have some natural wear and tear on your discs and vertebral column, or if you’ve suffered an injury to structures in the area.
In fact, bone spurs are incredibly normal in older adults. A large portion of adults would show signs of bone spur development in their neck or elsewhere within their spinal column if images were taken of the area. However, most cases of bone spurs are asymptomatic. That’s because the bone spur itself doesn’t cause symptoms. If the spur is not irritating nearby nerves or soft tissues, you’re not going to feel any discomfort. Most older adults have small bone spurs somewhere along their spinal column, but because they are small and not compressing healthy tissue, they aren’t a problem.
If the bone spur grows or eventually begins to compress a nerve or soft tissue, you may experience a number of different symptoms, including but not limited to:
- Localized pain
- Pain that travels down your arms
- Numbness
- Muscle weakness
- Tingling or burning sensation
- Difficulty walking
- Decreased flexibility
Treating Bone Spurs In The Neck
If you’ve been diagnosed with symptomatic bone spurs in your neck, you can likely treat the problem with conservative techniques so long as you don’t put off treatment for too long. After a consultation and physical exam by a spine specialist, your provider will talk with you about some non-operative treatment plans that may help to alleviate your discomfort. These treatments won’t eliminate the bone spur, but it can help to calm inflammation and provide more comfortable movement without the spur irritating nearby structures. Those treatments include:
- Anti-Inflammatory Medications – Medications can help to calm inflammation that could be making it easier for the bone spur to irritate nearby soft tissues or nerves.
- Physical Therapy – Physical therapy can help to improve your neck strength and flexibility, limiting discomfort caused by bone spurs.
- Posture Improvements – Sometimes bone spurs can irritate nearby tissues because your poor posture is leading to inflammation or tissue compression. Improving your posture can go a long way in helping to relieve neck pain caused by bone spurs.
- Heat/Ice – Some people can manage bone spur symptoms using heat or ice therapy to control swelling and inflammation in specific areas of their body.
In the event that these simple daily adjustments don’t address your nerve compression, your doctor may recommend some hands-on treatments. Manual manipulation, corticosteroid injections or even a minimally invasive debridement procedure may be recommended if symptoms are moderate to severe and not responding to the above treatments. Most people do not progress to this stage, but Dr. Jackman is more than capable of providing this level of care if you’re dealing with a difficult case of cervical bone spurs.
For more information about bone spurs in the spinal column, or for help with a different back issue, reach out to Dr. Jackman and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
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