Neck & jaw Orthopaedic Rehabilitation
Cervical Spondylosis
- Neck stiffness, worse in the morning
- Ache into the shoulders and upper back
- Headaches from the base of the skull
- Grinding or clicking on turning the head
Quick answer
Cervical spondylosis is age-related wear in the joints and discs of the neck. It is extremely common and often causes no symptoms at all. Where it does, physiotherapy reduces stiffness and pain and improves neck function, typically over six to eight weeks, though the underlying changes remain.
Typical recovery
Managed long-term; symptoms usually improve in 6–8 weeks
A typical range, not a promise — how long it takes depends on how long it has been going on, and on what you do between appointments.
Cervical spondylosis is the radiologist's term for age-related change in the neck: discs lose height, joints develop bony margins, and the spaces around them narrow slightly. By the age of sixty it is present in the large majority of people, most of whom have no neck symptoms whatsoever.
That is the most useful thing to know about it. Being told you have cervical spondylosis is closer to being told you have grey hair than to being told you have a disease.
When it does cause symptoms
Morning stiffness that eases with movement, an ache spreading into the shoulders, headaches from the base of the skull, and grinding or clicking when turning the head. Where a bony margin narrows the space a nerve root travels through, there may be pins and needles or pain down the arm.
How physiotherapy helps
The bony changes do not reverse, but almost everything that makes them symptomatic does respond:
- Restoring movement in the stiff segments through hands-on treatment
- Strengthening the deep neck muscles and shoulder blade stabilisers
- Reducing the sustained postures that irritate an already narrowed joint
- Nerve mobilisation where arm symptoms are present
- Heat, and modalities such as traction where they help — as an adjunct to exercise, not a substitute
How long it takes
Symptoms usually improve substantially within six to eight weeks. Because the underlying changes persist, most people benefit from continuing a short maintenance programme.
When to seek help urgently
Seek prompt medical assessment for weakness or clumsiness in the hands, unsteadiness when walking, or problems with fine tasks like buttons and keys. These suggest pressure on the spinal cord rather than a nerve root, and are assessed differently.
Medically reviewed by Kapil Kumar, BPT, MPT, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy · Last reviewed September 2026