Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a condition that makes joints painful and stiff, and the most common type of arthritis in the UK. The protective cartilage on the ends of the bones breaks down, and bony growths can form (NHS). It most often affects the knees, hips and hands. In the spine, osteoarthritis and the related age-related changes are usually called spondylosis: cervical spondylosis in the neck, or cervical spine, and lumbar spondylosis in the lower back, or lumbar spine.

What is spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis covers a range of gradual changes in the neck: in the intervertebral discs, the facet or zygapophyseal joints, the small uncovertebral joints at the sides of the vertebrae, and the ligaments and bony arches at the back. It is a natural part of ageing and is present in most people over 50. The neck is especially prone to it because it has to bend, straighten, rotate and tilt while carrying the head and protecting the spinal cord, nerves and arteries (Margetis & Tadi, 2025).

When it causes symptoms, the NHS describes neck and shoulder pain or stiffness that comes and goes, and headaches that often start at the back of the neck. It is common in people over 40, previous neck injury and a family history make it more likely, and many people with it have no symptoms at all (NHS).

Osteoarthritis on a scan: how much does it explain?

Signs of wear in the spine are so common in people without pain that a scan finding on its own does not show where pain is coming from.

• In the neck. MRI scans of 1,211 healthy volunteers aged 20 to 70 found disc bulges in 87.6%, including about three-quarters of those in their 20s. Compression of the spinal cord was rare (5.3%) and became more common after 50 (Nakashima et al., 2015).
• In the lower back. CT scans of 188 adults from the community showed facet joint osteoarthritis in 60% of men and 67% of women, rising from 24% of under-40s to 89% of people in their 60s. People with it were no more likely to have had low back pain in the past year (Kalichman et al., 2008).

For osteoarthritis in general, the NHS says X-rays are not usually needed to diagnose it, and that it does not necessarily get worse over time and can sometimes improve (NHS). For the scan finding itself, see bulging disc.

Osteoarthritis and desk work

The NHS lists ageing, earlier neck injury and family history as causes of cervical spondylosis (NHS), not desk work. Its general advice on osteoarthritis does mention the desk: avoid staying in the same position for too long, make sure your chair is at the right height and take regular breaks to move around (NHS). See microbreaks and office chair setup.

What helps cervical spondylosis?

The NHS suggests gentle neck exercises, attention to posture and painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. Treatment may include exercises and carrying on with usual activities as much as possible, and physiotherapy if symptoms haven’t improved in a few weeks. Surgery is only considered when a nerve root is being pinched, known as radiculopathy, or the spinal cord is affected (NHS). Examples of gentle movement are on neck stretches, and the wider picture is in neck pain from desk work.

When to see a doctor

See a GP if neck pain or stiffness hasn’t gone after a few weeks, or is worse when you move. Ask for an urgent appointment or contact NHS 111 if neck pain starts suddenly and is severe or worsening quickly, or if you have heaviness or weakness in your arms or legs, pins and needles in an arm with neck or arm pain, or pain between your shoulder blades. Call 999 for new problems walking, loss of bladder or bowel control, or sudden clumsiness such as trouble buttoning a shirt. Also call 999 if someone’s face droops on one side, they can’t lift both arms or their speech is slurred, as these can be signs of a medical emergency (NHS).