Cervical spondylosis, as medically defined, is defined as
Cervical spondylosis, refers to degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc tissue of the cervical spine and its secondary degenerative (i.e., aging) changes in the intervertebral joints involving the surrounding important tissue structures (nerve roots, spinal cord, vertebral artery, sympathetic nerves, etc.), with corresponding clinical manifestations.
Simply put, for a doctor to diagnose cervical spondylosis, one of the following three conditions is missing.
1. The cervical disc tissue and joints are altered;
2.The change affects the surrounding tissues;
3. Clinical symptoms, such as neck pain, are present.
Therefore, neck pain alone cannot be arbitrarily considered as cervical spondylosis.
I. How to self-identify true and false cervical spondylosis?
True cervical spondylosis
The possibility of cervical spondylosis should be considered when neck pain is accompanied by one of the following conditions
1. Increased arm paralysis
Straighten one arm horizontally at the same height as your shoulder and stretch your head and neck hard to the other side. If the paralysis extending from the arm to the fingertips increases, then cervical spondylosis is more likely.
2.Persistent pain
Neck pain does not change because of changes in weather, exercise, rest and other factors, but persists, then this pain is likely to be caused by cervical spondylosis.
3.Inconvenience of limbs
Weakness of the feet and the feeling of “stepping on cotton”, reduced flexibility of the hands, and difficulty in buttoning and clamping dishes.
Pseudo-cervical spondylosis
If the following conditions occur, it is not neck pain caused by whiplash.
1.The pain can be solved by rest
Neck pain occurs after working on a computer for a long time, and no other symptoms are present. Leave the computer, rest for a while, the pain is relieved, that is only the neck muscle strain.
2.It’s fine after turning your neck
The neck is sore and painful, gently turn a circle, eh, it does not hurt. In fact, it is tired and has nothing to do with the cervical spine.
3.Dizziness and headache
Although, cervical spondylosis can cause dizziness and headache. But neurological diseases, will also appear dizziness and headache symptoms, so you can not rely on this symptom alone to determine that it is cervical spondylosis.
Special attention should be paid to the fact that if you suspect cervical spondylosis, don’t blindly go to the massage room for treatment, as incorrect techniques can easily dislocate the cervical joints. Be sure to go to an orthopedic hospital to ask a professional doctor to diagnose and give a treatment plan.
Second, how to prevent cervical spondylosis?
1.Correct bad sitting posture
Long-term bad sitting posture is most likely to cause fatigue of the cervical muscles, which will lead to cervical spondylosis over time. To prevent cervical spondylosis, the first thing to do is to start with the correct sitting posture.
2.Avoid prolonged low head or the same posture
Long-term computer or ambulatory work of the crowd, try to avoid maintaining the same posture for a long time. Half an hour to rest, far-seeing or turn the neck once, but also to relieve eye fatigue.
3, choose the right pillow
The pillow is too high or too low can cause cervical spondylosis. Different pillow heights for different sleeping positions.
Supine: the height of the head pillow on the pillow should be 8 ~ 10cm.
Side lying: the same height as the unilateral shoulder width (self-adjustment according to different body types).
4, often do cervical spine exercises
Close your eyes and breathe deeply, turn the cervical spine slowly forward, backward, left and right. Clockwise and counterclockwise directions are done 1 to 2 times. Do 3 to 5 times a day, can effectively relieve neck muscle tension and prevent cervical spondylosis.