Cervical Spondylosis Explored - Share Your Experience

I wanted to open a new discussion, to allow some space for those with Cervical Spondylosis (C/S) to simply express their opinions (including my own obviously) on how they think the C/S dynamics,  and its progress over time actually results in the changeable symptoms they experience.  I have my own ideas about how it all combines to produce the daily struggle we endure,  but I'm also aware that opinions differ,  and it might be a wise thing to do to consider other opinions,  so that I get a more balanced overview.  Same for everyone, I suppose.

I've had C/S a long time, over 30 years,  and I've many of the different phases that are common to posters on this site, and other sites.  One thing that strikes me is that most posters are in different phases of the condition,  and although sympathy/empathy are nice things, they don't quite get into the area of finding or sharing suitable solutions for those differing experiences.  What seems to be missing is a general overview, common to all, and acceptable to all,  which would give a foundation to build suitable solutions upon.  Some might even think that there are no solutions, except possibly medications or surgery....but, I personally, disagree with that, because I reckon that those possible but risky solutions are only relevant to certain grades of C/S.

The one thing that really stands out for me, after experiencing many different types of C/S phases, is that reasonable manageability always seems to return after difficult phases,  and I'm inclined to ask questions about that because that is not a common feature of many other chronic conditions.  It's like a rollercoaster effect, which in turn plays a bit of havoc with our expectations, and with our default settings for just getting by with the least possible disruption.  It adds to the overall problem, by introducing a mindset that can't predict tomorrow's issues.  Also, I think that just adds to an undermining of the decisions we might want to make in the present moment,  decisions which might affect how tomorrow actually does evolve.

Just going back to the issue of 'phases' which pass, I've come round to seeing that as an attempted 'corrective' dynamic,  whereby most of the symptoms we experience probably result from reactions to threats of nerve compression,  and that those same symptoms have little to do with bone degeneration except in the sense that the threat to nerves wouldn't happen if there weren't any bone degeneration.  I realise that some people with C/S have an underlying arthritic condition which increases degenerative rates, and thus increases symptom potential, but I still think it makes sense that symptoms result from threats to nerves rather than from spinal degeneration (although one causes the other, and the other causes the symptoms).  By that definition, I think it's possible that even where there is serious degeneration,  it doesn't necessarily mean the symptoms will get worse....unless there is accompanying increase of threat to nerves.  Make sense ?