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Bone Spurs in the Back and Neck

Bone spurs, also called osteophytes, are enlargements of your body’s normal bone structure. As these enlargements progress, they may protrude into surrounding tissues, sometimes causing pain and other symptoms. Bone spurs can occur on virtually any bone, including on your vertebrae, but contrary to their name, they do not actually create a point. Rather, they are smooth structures that your body creates to repair itself after bones are exposed to pressure, stress, or rubbing over time. Please refer to our bone spur causes section for more details.

Bones conform to any pressure applied to them, and through the years, tendons (which hold muscle to bone) and ligaments (which hold bone to bone) can start to pull the bone from where it should be, stimulating the creation of bone spurs. As these protrusions grow and form, they sometimes impinge on a nerve, causing pain and debilitating symptoms.

Bony Spurs in neck, colored X-ray. Bony spurs (osteophytes) grow from the vertebrae as a normal part of the aging process. They stabilize the spine when the discs of cartilage between the vertebrae shrink and become less flexible.

Bone spurs forming along the spinal column can lead to nerve impingement that may cause severe pain, restricted movement, radiating arm and leg pain, weakness in the extremities, numbness and, in some cases, disability. If you think you're starting to show signs of a bone spur and want to confirm your suspicions, we suggest you take a moment to browse through our bone spur symptoms page. On this page, the experts at Laser Spine Institute review the most common symptoms associated with bone spurs.

Bone Spurs & Treatment Options

If you have been diagnosed with bone spurs and conventional treatment is not helping you, it might be time to start considering other approaches, such as minimally invasive surgery. In fact, the safe and effective endoscopic procedures that Laser Spine Institute uses for bone spurs treatment has a much faster recuperation than open back surgery and a very high success rate.

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If you still have additional questions, or you would like more information on how Laser Spine Institute can help you live a life relieved of back and/or neck pain, feel free to contact us, and we will gladly help you.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.