What is cervical spondylosis Cervical spondylosis is a series of symptoms caused by degenerative changes in the bones, cartilage and ligaments of the neck that involve the surrounding or adjacent spinal cord, nerve roots, blood vessels and soft tissues. Cervical spondylosis is a common and frequent disease among middle-aged and elderly people, and it is gradually increasing among young people as people’s lifestyles change. Causes of cervical spondylosis The cervical spine is characterized by frequent activities in daily life, heavy load, and weak structure, which, together with long-term strain and aging with age, can easily lead to pathological changes such as cervical disc protrusion, osteophytes, ligament calcification, etc., and the corresponding nerves, blood vessels and tissues are compressed, resulting in clinical symptoms. If you do not pay attention to good posture in daily life such as whether the pillow is suitable when sleeping, long-term application of computer, watching TV, etc., it will aggravate the injury of cervical spine. Classification of cervical spondylosis Cervical spondylosis can be divided into six types: cervical cervical spondylosis, neurogenic cervical spondylosis, vertebral artery cervical spondylosis, sympathetic cervical spondylosis, spinal cord cervical spondylosis, and mixed cervical spondylosis Clinical characteristics of cervical spondylosis Cervical cervical spondylosis: It is the most common type. Acute attacks are often referred to as “falling pillow” and are caused by improper position of the head and neck during sleep, cold or sprain. Patients are mostly persistent soreness or pain, and the pain is aggravated when the head and neck move. The pain is deep and can involve the collar, shoulder and upper back, and is often accompanied by stiffness in the neck. Nerve root type cervical spondylosis: The incidence is second only to the cervical type. The pain is mostly confined to one side, and its nature is drilling or knife-cutting pain, or it can be persistent vague pain or soreness, radiating to the shoulder, arm or even the fingers. The pain is aggravated when the patient coughs, sneezes, or over-extends or flexes the neck. Some patients have numbness and ankylosis in the arm. Vertebral artery cervical spondylosis: The longest symptoms are vertigo, headache and visual disturbance due to compression of the vertebral artery by the formation of bone spurs or subluxation of the cervical spine. The headache is mostly in the occipital area, and vertigo often occurs when the head is twisted or turned excessively, and in severe cases, nausea, vomiting and sweating may occur. Visual impairment mainly manifests as diminished visual acuity. Sympathetic cervical spondylosis: direct or pseudo-indirect compression of sympathetic nerves by cervical spine lesions leads to the disease. Symptoms such as pain, nausea, dizziness, and vomiting may also occur. Characteristic cardiac flexural pain is characteristic and should be differentiated from angina pectoris. The pain is aggravated by movements such as head and neck rotation, raising the arms, coughing, etc., and is not effective with nitroglycerin. Spinal cord type cervical spondylosis: The incidence of this type is low, mainly caused by direct compression of the spinal cord due to spinal stenosis caused by cervical spine lesions. The main features are progressive numbness, coldness, pain and weakness of both lower limbs. Patients may experience a “cotton-stepping” sensation, unstable gait and easy to fall. Mixed cervical spondylosis: It is the most common clinically, with most cases having both neurogenic and sympathetic types, as well as several other types. However, the clinical manifestation is often dominated by one of these types. How to diagnose cervical spondylosis In recent years, due to the in-depth clinical understanding of the etiology and pathological mechanism of the disease and advanced diagnostic tools, especially through X-ray, CT, MRI and other influential means, and the typical clinical symptoms of patients, it is not difficult to diagnose the disease. The age of suffering from the disease is also gradually younger, and is no longer only a common disease of the elderly. Treatment of cervical spondylosis 1. General treatment: In the acute stage, attention should be paid to bed rest and avoid strenuous activities. Local hot compress and neck brake can be used to relieve discomfort. Avoid poor daily posture, such as prolonged use of computer, television, poor sleeping posture, etc. Appropriate participation in swimming and other activities that are beneficial to the cervical spine. 2.Physical therapy: with certain efficacy, microwave therapy with ultra-laser irradiation can be used, which has the effect of anti-inflammation and pain relief. 3.Acupuncture or TENS therapy: local pain points (A-Yi point) or acupuncture points such as Dazhi and Fengchi can be selected for treatment. In recent years, TENS therapy is used to place electrode plates on the painful neck and shoulder muscles and pressure points on the affected side, and stimulate them once a day for 20 minutes each time to achieve good results. 4. Medication: Initial internal medication has a certain effect on pain relief, and hormone therapy can be added in the acute stage. Vitamin B1 and B12 have the function of nerve nutrition and have no adverse effects, so they can be used as regular adjuvant drugs. 5.Nerve block therapy: It is one of the best methods and the patient suffers little pain. The mixture of local anesthetic drugs and hormones is injected directly into the lesion, which can restore the normal function of the stimulated nerves and improve the blood flow in the neck and upper chest. The hormones have excellent anti-inflammatory and edema eliminating effects and can eliminate muscle spasm and relieve pain. Even for fairly old lesions, the use of this method is able to sweep the disease away. 6.Surgical treatment: Patients whose various non-surgical treatments are ineffective and whose symptoms gradually worsen can be considered for surgical treatment.