Stenosis

Cervical Stenosis

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

Stenosis in the neck, also called the cervical spine, affects the upper part of the body including the arms and hands. Stenosis is the narrowing of the bony canal that protects the spinal cord and its branching nerves to the point where it injures the spinal cord or nerves. This may be caused by a number of conditions including bone spurs or rupture of the spinal discs, the spongy pads of tissue that keep the vertebrae from grinding against each other when you bend your back. Cervical stenosis may even cause pain, numbness, or weakness in the legs. The pain may move from one part of the body to another but is often most noticeable in the neck.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007