spondylosis
Question:
If your dog is losing function in one of his hind legs then I would be very suspicious of intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). This is where one or more of the discs between the back bones has ruptured into his vertebral canal. The resulting pressure on the spinal cord causes neurological deficits in the hind leg of the affected side. Evidence of IVDD is not always present on plain radiographs, it takes a myelogram to properly diagnose this. Medical treatment is strict cage rest for 4-6 weeks +/- steroids to control inflammation. If medical treatment is inneffective then surgery is necessary. If your dog does have IVDD and you have him running around right now, then he could suddenly have a disc completely rupture into his spinal cord and paralyze him. I don’t know for sure that your dog has IVDD but you need to find out. I would suggest referral to a neurologist or at least a second opinion with another local vet. J. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > The diagnosis was actually "bridging spondylosis" but I am > not sure if that is any more definitive. Unfortunately I > live in a very rural area and pet chiropractors, although in > the area, are about 1 to 1 1/2 hours away. But at this > point I am getting desparate. My BMD is almost at the point > of losing the use in his back left leg. It seems to be a > little better after he has walked some. > * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping. Smart is Beautiful
Response:
Theresa, I have an 8-year old Sheltie with severe lumbar spondylosis and hip dysplasia. I won’t use Rimadyl or even aspirin (he has a malignant tumor in his mouth and I try to put no toxins into his system) and I have found that high doses of Vitamin C, a raw diet with NO grains, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates, MSM, Bromelain, and a good antioxidant to be successful in treating it. The raw diet made a huge difference and so did the MSM. He gets a chiropractic adjustment every 6 weeks and acupuncture about as frequently. Good luck. > Does anyone know of alternative treatments for spondylosis > (ie diet, exercises, etc). Or if anyone has had success > with any conventional treatment, I’d love to hear about > it. My dog is in so much pain. The vet diagnosed > spondylosis in his lumbar and gave us rimadyl. It seemed to > help some, but the cost is more than we can afford on a > regular basis. He is a wonderful Bernese Mtn Dog only 6 yrs > old. Please HELP! > * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also
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The diagnosis was actually "bridging spondylosis" but I am not sure if that is any more definitive. Unfortunately I live in a very rural area and pet chiropractors, although in the area, are about 1 to 1 1/2 hours away. But at this point I am getting desparate. My BMD is almost at the point of losing the use in his back left leg. It seems to be a little better after he has walked some. * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping. Smart is Beautiful
Response:
I believe the other person who responded is a vet, so read that first. That being said, my 13yo GSP has also been diagnosed w/ spondylosis, in addition to moderate arthritis in his hips, and he was helped enormously by acupuncture and veterinary chiropractic adjustments. Before these treatments, he was still insisting on running 3-4 miles a day, but his movement was much less fluid. We also supplement with therapeutic doses of antioxidants, which have an anti-inflammatory effect, but you should either do a lot of research or consult with a holistic vet before proceeding down that road. HTH, Tracy Landauer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Does anyone know of alternative treatments for spondylosis > (ie diet, exercises, etc). Or if anyone has had success > with any conventional treatment, I’d love to hear about > it. My dog is in so much pain. The vet diagnosed > spondylosis in his lumbar and gave us rimadyl. It seemed to > help some, but the cost is more than we can afford on a > regular basis. He is a wonderful Bernese Mtn Dog only 6 yrs > old. Please HELP! > * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping. Smart is Beautiful
Response:
I would consider a second opinion. Spondylosis is generally an incidental finding on x-rays and rarely causes pain. You may have more success treating the pain if the actual cause can be identified. J. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Does anyone know of alternative treatments for spondylosis > (ie diet, exercises, etc). Or if anyone has had success > with any conventional treatment, I’d love to hear about > it. My dog is in so much pain. The vet diagnosed > spondylosis in his lumbar and gave us rimadyl. It seemed to > help some, but the cost is more than we can afford on a > regular basis. He is a wonderful Bernese Mtn Dog only 6 yrs > old. Please HELP! > * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping. Smart is Beautiful
Response:
Does anyone know of alternative treatments for spondylosis (ie diet, exercises, etc). Or if anyone has had success with any conventional treatment, I’d love to hear about it. My dog is in so much pain. The vet diagnosed spondylosis in his lumbar and gave us rimadyl. It seemed to help some, but the cost is more than we can afford on a regular basis. He is a wonderful Bernese Mtn Dog only 6 yrs old. Please HELP! * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping. Smart is Beautiful
Response:
I haven’t been feeding the cat a lot of fish at all, maybe 3 times a month. The vet meant the added weight is not the cause, but is worsening the problem. He said some of the 19 lbs has got to come off. He prescribed W/D Prescription Diet, which I purchased. I tried it today. The cat seemed to like it. So, I hope it works. Another vet said, make sure the cat eats every day, and then gradually reduce the portions. My vet wants to see her at 14 lbs. I don’t know about the other 2 medical terms you mentioned, but I’ll check. Thanks for your input. Don Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
I just found out from the vet that my 13 year old cat has spondylosis of the spine. (calcium deposits) He showed me the x-ray. It looks kind of bad. He said it was probably brought on by obesity. He recommended a special diet food. The cat seems healthy other than she wants to lay down a lot. And if she jumps off of the bed, I know she feels it. Some days are better, some are worse. I really feel bad, for I let her eat, probably more than she should. But this obesity came on rather quickly. I hope I can get her weight down, for the vet says this is very important to slow down any further damage. Does anyone have info on this disease, and things I can do now, that I should have done a couple years ago to watch food intake. Thanks, Don Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
> I just found out from the vet that my 13 year old cat has spondylosis of > the spine. (calcium deposits)
Wow! That’s one I haven’t heard very often. It’s not from obesity, it’s from too much Vitamin A. Have you been feeding your cat a diet of mostly fish or liver or both for a long time? That’s what usually causes it. Spondylosis is usually the result of hypervitaminosis A in cats. Did the X-rays show some of the cervical vertebrae fused together? Did your vet mention ankylosis? Put the food and water bowls on a phone book, a few inches off the floor so your cat won’t have to bend her neck too much. If you caught it early enough, a balanced diet may allow for regression. If not, low doses of anti-inflammatory agents will make your cat more comfortable. Most cats love fish and liver, so people tend to give them too much. A good brand to go with is Iams or Nutro. What did your vet prescribe? Phil — "How long does a cat stretch? From one end of my life to the other" http://maxshouse.com -good cat health info – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> He showed me the x-ray. It looks kind of bad. He said it was probably > brought on by obesity. He recommended a special diet food. The cat seems > healthy other than she wants to lay down a lot. And if she jumps off of > the bed, I know she feels it. Some days are better, some are worse. > I really feel bad, for I let her eat, probably more than she should. But > this obesity came on rather quickly. I hope I can get her weight down, > for the vet says this is very important to slow down any further damage. > Does anyone have info on this disease, and things I can do now, that I > should have done a couple years ago to watch food intake. > Thanks, Don > Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
I haven’t been feeding the cat a lot of fish at all, maybe 3 times a month. The vet meant the added weight is not the cause, but is worsening the problem. He said some of the 19 lbs has got to come off. He prescribed W/D Prescription Diet, which I purchased. I tried it today. The cat seemed to like it. So, I hope it works. Another vet said, make sure the cat eats every day, and then gradually reduce the portions. My vet wants to see her at 14 lbs. I don’t know about the other 2 medical terms you mentioned, but I’ll check. Thanks for your input. Don Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
I just found out from the vet that my 13 year old cat has spondylosis of the spine. (calcium deposits) He showed me the x-ray. It looks kind of bad. He said it was probably brought on by obesity. He recommended a special diet food. The cat seems healthy other than she wants to lay down a lot. And if she jumps off of the bed, I know she feels it. Some days are better, some are worse. I really feel bad, for I let her eat, probably more than she should. But this obesity came on rather quickly. I hope I can get her weight down, for the vet says this is very important to slow down any further damage. Does anyone have info on this disease, and things I can do now, that I should have done a couple years ago to watch food intake. Thanks, Don Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
> I just found out from the vet that my 13 year old cat has spondylosis of > the spine. (calcium deposits)
Wow! That’s one I haven’t heard very often. It’s not from obesity, it’s from too much Vitamin A. Have you been feeding your cat a diet of mostly fish or liver or both for a long time? That’s what usually causes it. Spondylosis is usually the result of hypervitaminosis A in cats. Did the X-rays show some of the cervical vertebrae fused together? Did your vet mention ankylosis? Put the food and water bowls on a phone book, a few inches off the floor so your cat won’t have to bend her neck too much. If you caught it early enough, a balanced diet may allow for regression. If not, low doses of anti-inflammatory agents will make your cat more comfortable. Most cats love fish and liver, so people tend to give them too much. A good brand to go with is Iams or Nutro. What did your vet prescribe? Phil — "How long does a cat stretch? From one end of my life to the other" http://maxshouse.com -good cat health info – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> He showed me the x-ray. It looks kind of bad. He said it was probably > brought on by obesity. He recommended a special diet food. The cat seems > healthy other than she wants to lay down a lot. And if she jumps off of > the bed, I know she feels it. Some days are better, some are worse. > I really feel bad, for I let her eat, probably more than she should. But > this obesity came on rather quickly. I hope I can get her weight down, > for the vet says this is very important to slow down any further damage. > Does anyone have info on this disease, and things I can do now, that I > should have done a couple years ago to watch food intake. > Thanks, Don > Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
> I’ve written previously asking why trauma leads to arthritis and your > responses were very highly appreciated. I had an appointment with my > anesthesiologist on Friday and he told me that the neurologist to whom > he’d recently referred me found not only TOS but also severe cervical > spondylosis with chronic muscular spasm. My anesthesiologist has > ordered an MRI of my lumbar spine for tomorrow (Thursday). I really > don’t know anything about spondylosis — I don’t even know if it falls > under the umbrella of arthritis; if it is an arthritic condition, would > any of you please give me some information about what to expect, what it > means, et cetera. My anesthesiologist told me that he really wanted to > rule out anything that might be correctable via surgery before > implanting a morphine pump. Needless to say, I’ve a bit of anxiety. In > advance, thanks. Irene.
Hi, Irene! I am sorry to hear that you have got such bad news! As I have understood it, spondylosis is just another word for osteoarthritis of the spine (just like OA is called artrosis here in Norway, not O arthritis…). Why don’t you have a look at drdocs site? I am sure you can find some info there… Please keep us posted on how you’re doing and what your docs decide to do about your problems!!! — Best regards, Visit my home page at: Med vennlig hilsen, <URL:http://home.newmedia.no/flaker/> Aase Marit 
))))) ("Aw-se-Mareet")
Response:
I’ve written previously asking why trauma leads to arthritis and your responses were very highly appreciated. I had an appointment with my anesthesiologist on Friday and he told me that the neurologist to whom he’d recently referred me found not only TOS but also severe cervical spondylosis with chronic muscular spasm. My anesthesiologist has ordered an MRI of my lumbar spine for tomorrow (Thursday). I really don’t know anything about spondylosis — I don’t even know if it falls under the umbrella of arthritis; if it is an arthritic condition, would any of you please give me some information about what to expect, what it means, et cetera. My anesthesiologist told me that he really wanted to rule out anything that might be correctable via surgery before implanting a morphine pump. Needless to say, I’ve a bit of anxiety. In advance, thanks. Irene.
Response:
> I’ve written previously asking why trauma leads to arthritis and your > responses were very highly appreciated. I had an appointment with my > anesthesiologist on Friday and he told me that the neurologist to whom > he’d recently referred me found not only TOS but also severe cervical > spondylosis with chronic muscular spasm. My anesthesiologist has > ordered an MRI of my lumbar spine for tomorrow (Thursday). I really > don’t know anything about spondylosis — I don’t even know if it falls > under the umbrella of arthritis; if it is an arthritic condition, would > any of you please give me some information about what to expect, what it > means, et cetera. My anesthesiologist told me that he really wanted to > rule out anything that might be correctable via surgery before > implanting a morphine pump. Needless to say, I’ve a bit of anxiety. In > advance, thanks. Irene.
Irene, I did a search on the Web and found the following (long) information at the NYU Department of Neurosurgery. This should give you as much info as you need before tomorrow. Evelyn (mother of Elena, who has JRA) Cervical Spondylosis Clinical Aspects Cervical spondylosis refers to a degenerative process of the cervical spine producing narrowing of the spinal canal and neural foramina, producing compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots, respectively. Through wear and tear with aging, the following processes occur: 1.Bony ridges (osteophytes) develop on the vertebral bodies adjacent to the areas of motion at the intervertebral discs. 2.The facets undergo degeneration and hypertrophy, as in the lumbar spine. 3.The ligamentum flavum undergoes hypertrophy and buckling, again as in the lumbar spine. The symptoms and the mechanisms which produce them are similar to those associated with herniated cervical discs. However, the two processes are fundamentally different in that disc herniation is an acute event while spondylosis is a chronic, slowly progressive process which may be punctuated by episodes of worsening. The manifestations of radiculopathy were discussed in the previous section. The following discussion focuses on cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Myelopathy refers to dysfunction of the long tracts of the spinal cord. It may manifest as weakness and spasticity, sensory loss, position sense loss, and incontinence. Myelopathy develops in only 5-10% of patients with symptomatic spondylosis. Interestingly, coexistent neck and radicular pain are unusual. Several syndromes of cervical spondylotic myelopathy have been delineated (Gregorius): 1.Transverse syndrome: corticospinal, spinothalamic, and dorsal column dysfunction. 2.Motor system syndrome: corticospinal and anterior horn cell dysfunction. 3.Mixed radicular and long tract syndrome. 4.Partial Brown-Sequard syndrome. 5.Central cord syndrome. The central cord syndrome frequently occurs with minor trauma, especially involving hyperextension. A typical history is a fall, striking the forehead or chin, with hyperextension and immediate weakness of the arms, and to a variable degree of the legs, with variable sensory loss. The presumed mechanism of spinal cord injury is contusion, compression, or ischemia of the cord against a bony spondylotic ridge. In retrospect, there has often been a history of gradual worsening of myelopathic symptoms prior to the fall. Radiographic Evaluation Plain X-rays of the cervical spine disclose osteophytes at the involved level, loss of disc height, and often a narrow spinal canal. It must be emphasized that some degree of spondylotic changes are seen in 25-50% of the population over the age of 50 years, and in 75% of people over 75 years! Obviously, most people do not develop symptoms from these processes; a patient’s clinical picture must be assessed carefully to determine which symptoms may be caused by spondylosis, and to what degree. This must be individualized for each patient. Myelogram with CT, as discussed previously, provides the best bony detail. In most cases MRI may be unnecessary. Treatment Unlike the case with cervical disc herniation, most patients do not improve with nonoperative treatment, because of the progressive degenerative nature of spondylotic disease. Patients who are poor medical candidates or for another reason are treated nonoperatively must be followed closely for worsening of myelopathy. The surgical options are anterior or posterior decompression. Anterior approaches are similar to that described for herniated cervical disc and may be performed at multiple levels as appropriate. Alternatively, the entire vertebral body may be removed (corpectomy) between adjacent levels of spondylosis, or several bodies may be removed. A bony graft is placed for fusion. With long grafts, a plate and screws are usually placed. Posterior decompression involves laminectomy at the affected levels. The effectiveness of posterior decompression is contoversial, but most surgeons today would probably prefer an anterior procedure when feasible. Outcome Overall, improvement following anterior decompression with interbody fusion is seen in 60-84% of patients. When myelopathy alone was present, 40% improved in one study. When myelopathy and radiculopathy were both present, the myelopathy was improved in 60% and completely relieved in another 12%. Several factors have been shown to impact negatively on the degreee of improvement from surgery: 1.Age greater than 50 2.Duration of symptoms greater than 12 months 3.Involvement of multiple levels The effect of age is probably related to advanced disease.
Response:
> I’ve written previously asking why trauma leads to arthritis and your > responses were very highly appreciated. I had an appointment with my > anesthesiologist on Friday and he told me that the neurologist to whom > he’d recently referred me found not only TOS but also severe cervical > spondylosis with chronic muscular spasm. My anesthesiologist has > ordered an MRI of my lumbar spine for tomorrow (Thursday). I really > don’t know anything about spondylosis — I don’t even know if it falls > under the umbrella of arthritis; if it is an arthritic condition, would > any of you please give me some information about what to expect, what it > means, et cetera. My anesthesiologist told me that he really wanted to > rule out anything that might be correctable via surgery before > implanting a morphine pump. Needless to say, I’ve a bit of anxiety. In > advance, thanks. Irene.
Hi, Irene! I am sorry to hear that you have got such bad news! As I have understood it, spondylosis is just another word for osteoarthritis of the spine (just like OA is called artrosis here in Norway, not O arthritis…). Why don’t you have a look at drdocs site? I am sure you can find some info there… Please keep us posted on how you’re doing and what your docs decide to do about your problems!!! — Best regards, Visit my home page at: Med vennlig hilsen, <URL:http://home.newmedia.no/flaker/> Aase Marit ))))) ("Aw-se-Mareet")
Response:
I’ve written previously asking why trauma leads to arthritis and your responses were very highly appreciated. I had an appointment with my anesthesiologist on Friday and he told me that the neurologist to whom he’d recently referred me found not only TOS but also severe cervical spondylosis with chronic muscular spasm. My anesthesiologist has ordered an MRI of my lumbar spine for tomorrow (Thursday). I really don’t know anything about spondylosis — I don’t even know if it falls under the umbrella of arthritis; if it is an arthritic condition, would any of you please give me some information about what to expect, what it means, et cetera. My anesthesiologist told me that he really wanted to rule out anything that might be correctable via surgery before implanting a morphine pump. Needless to say, I’ve a bit of anxiety. In advance, thanks. Irene.
Response:
> I’ve written previously asking why trauma leads to arthritis and your > responses were very highly appreciated. I had an appointment with my > anesthesiologist on Friday and he told me that the neurologist to whom > he’d recently referred me found not only TOS but also severe cervical > spondylosis with chronic muscular spasm. My anesthesiologist has > ordered an MRI of my lumbar spine for tomorrow (Thursday). I really > don’t know anything about spondylosis — I don’t even know if it falls > under the umbrella of arthritis; if it is an arthritic condition, would > any of you please give me some information about what to expect, what it > means, et cetera. My anesthesiologist told me that he really wanted to > rule out anything that might be correctable via surgery before > implanting a morphine pump. Needless to say, I’ve a bit of anxiety. In > advance, thanks. Irene.
Irene, I did a search on the Web and found the following (long) information at the NYU Department of Neurosurgery. This should give you as much info as you need before tomorrow. Evelyn (mother of Elena, who has JRA) Cervical Spondylosis Clinical Aspects Cervical spondylosis refers to a degenerative process of the cervical spine producing narrowing of the spinal canal and neural foramina, producing compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots, respectively. Through wear and tear with aging, the following processes occur: 1.Bony ridges (osteophytes) develop on the vertebral bodies adjacent to the areas of motion at the intervertebral discs. 2.The facets undergo degeneration and hypertrophy, as in the lumbar spine. 3.The ligamentum flavum undergoes hypertrophy and buckling, again as in the lumbar spine. The symptoms and the mechanisms which produce them are similar to those associated with herniated cervical discs. However, the two processes are fundamentally different in that disc herniation is an acute event while spondylosis is a chronic, slowly progressive process which may be punctuated by episodes of worsening. The manifestations of radiculopathy were discussed in the previous section. The following discussion focuses on cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Myelopathy refers to dysfunction of the long tracts of the spinal cord. It may manifest as weakness and spasticity, sensory loss, position sense loss, and incontinence. Myelopathy develops in only 5-10% of patients with symptomatic spondylosis. Interestingly, coexistent neck and radicular pain are unusual. Several syndromes of cervical spondylotic myelopathy have been delineated (Gregorius): 1.Transverse syndrome: corticospinal, spinothalamic, and dorsal column dysfunction. 2.Motor system syndrome: corticospinal and anterior horn cell dysfunction. 3.Mixed radicular and long tract syndrome. 4.Partial Brown-Sequard syndrome. 5.Central cord syndrome. The central cord syndrome frequently occurs with minor trauma, especially involving hyperextension. A typical history is a fall, striking the forehead or chin, with hyperextension and immediate weakness of the arms, and to a variable degree of the legs, with variable sensory loss. The presumed mechanism of spinal cord injury is contusion, compression, or ischemia of the cord against a bony spondylotic ridge. In retrospect, there has often been a history of gradual worsening of myelopathic symptoms prior to the fall. Radiographic Evaluation Plain X-rays of the cervical spine disclose osteophytes at the involved level, loss of disc height, and often a narrow spinal canal. It must be emphasized that some degree of spondylotic changes are seen in 25-50% of the population over the age of 50 years, and in 75% of people over 75 years! Obviously, most people do not develop symptoms from these processes; a patient’s clinical picture must be assessed carefully to determine which symptoms may be caused by spondylosis, and to what degree. This must be individualized for each patient. Myelogram with CT, as discussed previously, provides the best bony detail. In most cases MRI may be unnecessary. Treatment Unlike the case with cervical disc herniation, most patients do not improve with nonoperative treatment, because of the progressive degenerative nature of spondylotic disease. Patients who are poor medical candidates or for another reason are treated nonoperatively must be followed closely for worsening of myelopathy. The surgical options are anterior or posterior decompression. Anterior approaches are similar to that described for herniated cervical disc and may be performed at multiple levels as appropriate. Alternatively, the entire vertebral body may be removed (corpectomy) between adjacent levels of spondylosis, or several bodies may be removed. A bony graft is placed for fusion. With long grafts, a plate and screws are usually placed. Posterior decompression involves laminectomy at the affected levels. The effectiveness of posterior decompression is contoversial, but most surgeons today would probably prefer an anterior procedure when feasible. Outcome Overall, improvement following anterior decompression with interbody fusion is seen in 60-84% of patients. When myelopathy alone was present, 40% improved in one study. When myelopathy and radiculopathy were both present, the myelopathy was improved in 60% and completely relieved in another 12%. Several factors have been shown to impact negatively on the degreee of improvement from surgery: 1.Age greater than 50 2.Duration of symptoms greater than 12 months 3.Involvement of multiple levels The effect of age is probably related to advanced disease.
Response:
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