• “Spondylosis” refers to degenerative changes in the spine such as bone spurs and degenerating intervertebral discs. Spondylosis is more of a descriptive term than it is a clinical diagnosis. The term Spondylo means the vertebrae and Lysis means disintegration. And in today’s world it has come to embody a general term for age-related wear and tear of the spinal discs.Degenerative Spondylosis can occur in the cervical spine (neck spondylosis), thoracic spine (upper and mid back), or lumbar spine (low back). Lumbosacral spondylosis is spondylosis that affects both the lumbar spine and the sacral spine (below the lumbar spine, in the midline between the buttocks). While Spondylosis causes majorly is deterioration of the vertebrae, Spondylosis symptoms range wide including pain, numbness and tingling. Multilevel spondylosis means that these changes affect multiple vertebrae in the spine.

    Spondylosis Vs Spondylitis:These are two medical terms that sound similar but are different conditions. Spondylitis is inflammation of one or more vertebrae, such as in ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory form of arthritis of the spine. This is a very different process than spondylosis because spondylosis is degenerative while spondylitis is inflammatory.

    Spinal stenosis, a condition associated with Spondylosis, is a narrowing of the spinal canal that limits the amount of space for the spinal cord and nerves. This puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves due to limited space, causing pain, numbness, and tingling.

    Sciatica, also associated with spondylosis, is pain shooting down the sciatic nerve as it runs from the low back down the buttock and the leg, either on one side or both sides. Sciatica often occurs when a herniated disc puts pressure on the sciatic nerve as it exits the spinal canal in the low back.