has any one ever heard what this is and how does this differ from AS?
every time i go to see the docs they tell me smomething new i have and they cant seem to make up their minds about what i have got wrong with me. i tried to do a google on this term but could not find much about it. it seems to be in my neck and T section now. someone have any info on this? spense??????????

this is all i could find out about it and this doesnt tell me much
j.’s of Luschka a series of jointlike structures at the lateral edges of the vertebral bodies from vertebra C3 to T1, forming small spurlike lips at the upper surface, covered with cartilage, and containing a capsule filled with fluid. They are considered by some to be true diarthrodial joints, and by others to be degenerative spaces of the intervertebral disks filled with extracellular fluid and lined by a membrane formed by fibrocytes. They are frequent sites of spur formation. Called also uncovertebral j's

sorenecky12
Sorry to hear of your pain and troubles.

Cervical radiculopathy is a dysfunction of a nerve root of the cervical spine. The seventh
-C7; 60%- and sixth -C6; 25%- cervical nerve roots are the most commonly affected.

In the younger population, cervical radiculopathy is a result of a disk herniation or an acute injury causing foraminal impingement of an exiting nerve. In the older patient, cervical radiculopathy often is a result of foraminal narrowing from osteophyte formation. Factors associated with increased risk include heavy manual labor requiring lifting of more than 25 pounds, smoking, and driving or operating vibrating equipment. The purpose of this article is to provide information on the presentation, evaluation, differential diagnosis, and treatment of cervical radiculopathy.
Cervical radiculopathy occurs at an annual incidence rate of 85 per 100,000, with much less frequency than radiculopathy of the lumbar spine.

Seven cervical vertebra and eight cervical nerve roots exist. C1-2, or the atlantoaxial joint, forms the upper cervical segment. This joint allows for 50% of all cervical rotation motion. The occipital atlantal joint is responsible for 50% of flexion and extension. Below the C2-C3 level, lateral bending of the cervical spine is coupled with rotation in the same direction. This is due to the 45° inclination of the cervical facet joints.

The vertebral bodies of C3-C7 are similar in appearance and function. They articulate via zygapophyseal or facet joints posteriorly. On the lateral aspect of the vertebral bodies are sharply defined margins, which articulate with the facet above. These articulations are called uncovertebral joints, or joints of Luschka. These joints can develop osteophytic spurs, which can narrow the intervertebral foramina.

Intervertebral disks are located between the vertebral bodies of C2-C7. The disks are composed of an outer annular fibrosis and an inner nucleus pulposus and serve as force dissipators, transmitting compressive loads throughout a range of motion. The intervertebral disks are thicker anteriorly and therefore contribute to normal cervical lordosis. The foramina are largest at C2-3 and progressively decrease in size to the C6-7 level.

The nerve root occupies 25-33% of the foraminal space. The neuroforamen is bordered anteromedially by the uncovertebral joints, posterolaterally by facet joints, superiorly by the pedicle of the vertebra above, and inferiorly by the pedicle of the lower vertebra. Medially, the foramina are formed by the edge of the end plates and the intervertebral disks. The nerve roots exit above their correspondingly numbered vertebral body from C2-C7. C1 exits between the occiput and atlas and C8 exits below the C7 vertebral body. Degenerative changes of the structures that form the foramina can cause nerve root compression. This compression can occur from osteophyte formation, disk herniation, or a combination of the two.


Sorenecky12, Go to this site and see if it helps any. Good Luck!

http://www.emedicine.com/sports/TOPIC21.HTM

thank you MS.B
i read all that but am not sure how this all plays into what i have wrong with me other than i have this wrong with my neck in addition to the T section, i have seen my xrays and i have all of this 'lip' like formation that occurs at each and every one on my hard verterbre bones, this is what seems to be puzzling my rhuemy and orthorpod so much is that i have these lip like over growths that looks like AS bone over growths from C and T section but they are unsure as to if is it really AS or not or just PS, now i am confused. it seems i am not a text book case of AS and as such they dont know how to treat me.
they have bloods and hla-b27 was neg, but my sed rate was up.
when i went for PT it was my PT taht looked at my xrays and told me after many years of workingwith patietns of all kinds that i have this looking more like AS than not,but when i ask my orthopods, they get a quizzed look about their faces since i amnot fused at my SI joint or if i am it has not shown up as such.
i am so very confused as to waht my DX acutally is.
i have the kyphois, the pain and stiffness in my neck and T section. when i went to be masssaged by my PT, he was trying to massage my T section but noticed that he could not get anymovement out of the vertrebre, even when he showed me how to position myself to try to strectch my back and try to adjust it naturally, the right side doesnt budge or adjust or crack at all. i have the thumb joint by the wrist on the right side hurting me and my shoulders and clavical is loaded down with arthritis as well as my spine.
my hips oddly enough ( while i dont complain) do not bother me as yet thankfully.
but can someone have the 'lip' boney overgrowths that looks like AS not be AS? thanks for your replys