Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Warm Moxibustion and Scraping as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Cervical Spondylosis Treatment
Published on: June 27, 2025
Cervical spondylosis anatomy: pathophysiology and biomechanics
Daniel Shedid1, Edward C Benzel
1The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Spine Institute, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
Abstract:
Cervical spondylosis is the most common progressive disorder in the aging cervical spine. It results from the process of degeneration of the intervertebral discs and facet joints of the cervical spine. Biomechanically, the disc and the facets are the connecting structures between the vertebrae for the transmission of external forces. They also facilitate cervical spine mobility. Symptoms related to myelopathy and radiculopathy are caused by the formation of osteophytes, which compromise the diameter of the spinal canal. This compromise may also be partially developmental. The developmental process, together with the degenerative process, may cause mechanical pressure on the spinal cord at one or multiple levels. This pressure may produce direct neurological damage or ischemic changes and, thus, lead to spinal cord disturbances. A thorough understanding of the biomechanics, the pathology, the clinical presentation, the radiological evaluation, as well as the surgical indications of cervical spondylosis, is essential for the management of patients with cervical spondylosis.
Related Concept Videos
Degenerative Disc Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Degenerative Disc Disease I: Introduction
Herniated Intervertebral Disc l: Introduction
Spinal Cord Injury ll: Pathophysiology
General Structure of a Vertebra
Articulations of the Vertebral Column