Effect of axial load on the cervical spine: a study of Congolese woodbearers.

We studied the cervical spine radiographically of 72 women between 24 and 78 years of age who had carried wood on their head for a mean of 12 (5-41) years and compared the findings with those of 44 women between 21 and 80 years of age who served as controls. The height of the intervertebral discs and the vertebral bodies was statistically lower among woodbearers. Osteophytes were seen infrequently in pre-menopausal women in the study group, and their presence related to age ( P<0.01), short stature ( P<0.01), and the number of years working as a woodbearer ( P<0.05). The medullary canal was narrow in almost half of the post-menopausal woodbearers and narrower in those with degenerative changes ( P<0.01). Listhesis also was more frequent among woodbearers.