Cervical spondylosis: most common cause of position and vibratory sense loss.

At present, spondylosis of the cervical spine is the most common cause of loss of position and vibratory sense. The loss is asymmetric in regard to location and degree of involvement and results from intermittent contusion of the posterior columns against the lamina in persons having congenital narrow spinal canal. Subluxation of the vertebrae, reversal of cervical lordosis, and a hypertrophic ligamentum flavum further compromise the canal. Measurement of the anteroposterior diameter of the spinal canal is meaningful, as a narrow canal correlates best with the clinical symptoms. Not all patients with a narrow sagittai diameter have clinical signs, but all patients with clinical signs have a narrow sagittal diameter. Immobilization of the cervical spine in partial flexion with a light collar is the proper treatment in the absence of spinal fluid block.