1. How to Help Your Doctor Confirm a
Spinal Bone Spur Diagnosis

2. If you begin to feel chronic neck or back pain, or if
you’ve experienced unexplained tingling,
numbness, and/or muscle weakness in the
extremities, there’s a chance you may have
developed nerve compression caused by a spinal
bone spur. A diagnosis by your doctor is necessary,
however, because attempting to self-diagnose and
self-medicate might lead to even bigger problems.
That said, you are not completely off the hook
when it comes to determining what is causing your
symptoms. A proper diagnosis is a collaborative
effort between you and your doctor.

3. Expect to Answer Questions
Although no two doctors follow the exact same
path to making a spinal bone spur diagnosis, there
are a number of methods you can expect to
encounter when you make an initial office visit.
You’ll likely be asked about your medical history, as
well as that of your family, to determine whether
there may be a congenital component to your
condition. You may also be asked about your injury
history, especially as it relates to the spine.

4. What to Think About Before
Your Appointment
Family medical history as it pertains to the spine is a particularly useful piece of information,
because many degenerative spine conditions that lead to spinal bone spurs, such as osteoarthritis
and degenerative disc disease, are believed to develop in part because of
inherited traits. Before your initial consultation, try to find out if your
grandparents or parents suffered with spinal arthritis or bone spurs.
If so, your chance of developing osteophytes is greater.
In addition, you should be prepared to answer questions like this:
• Have you ever been in a car accident?
• Have you ever suffered a back or neck injury while playing sports?
• Do you work in an occupation that requires a lot of lifting, standing, or sitting in one
position?
• Are there particular physical activities that make your symptoms worse or better?
• How long have you experienced the symptoms?
• What forms of self-treatment have you attempted, if any?

5. Write It Down Before You
Visit the Doctor
Keep in mind that these questions might not be all that easy
to answer if you haven’t considered them beforehand. One
way to make sure you provide accurate information to your
doctor is to keep a written journal of your symptoms. Write
down the time of day you experience your symptoms, and
describe what you are doing at the time. And finally,
throughout the bone spur diagnosis process, don’t hesitate to
ask your doctor to explain things, in detail, even if he or she
has already gone over it once. Communication is a two-way
street, and the more you know about your condition, the
better you will be able to handle it.

6. Communication Doesn’t
End With Diagnosis
Even after you have been diagnosed with a spinal bone spur
problem, it is imperative that you remain in close
communication with your doctor or physical therapist. Any
changes in your symptoms should be reported as soon as
possible, so that appropriate adjustments can be made to the
treatment plan. It is also important to remain patient and
don’t expect definitive results overnight. Finding the right
combination of conservative treatment for nerve compression
related to spinal bone spurs often requires a bit of trial and
error. Ultimately, though, the vast majority of patients are
able to manage their symptoms without surgery.