Be alert! The rejuvenation of cervical spondylosis

   Cervical spondylosis is one of the common and prevalent diseases among middle-aged and elderly people, but the trend of younger cervical spondylosis is sounding the alarm to modern people.  One survey showed that in the mid-1980s, the average age of high incidence of cervical spondylosis was 55 years old. In the mid-1990s, this age dropped to 49 years old. Now, the high incidence age of cervical spondylosis inpatients is only about 39 years old. Moreover, the incidence of the disease among those under 30 years of age is showing a rapid increase. Among the patients in the rehabilitation clinic, although there are middle-aged and old-aged patients with cervical spondylosis, there are also few young people who come to the rehabilitation treatment for cervical spine problems, and there are even teenagers aged 15 or 16. The reasons for this are mostly due to improper posture in life, such as the popular use of computers, long hours of ambulatory work, sleeping with a high pillow or no pillow, reading books or TV in a reclined position, and the widespread use of air conditioners in the hot summer.  Among these young people, most of them may still have straightening of the physiological curvature of the cervical spine, and only a few of them have cervical disc lesions. The danger of straightening the physiological curvature of the cervical spine is that it will lead to hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum, injury to the collateral ligament, injury to the muscles associated with the vertebral body, so that the cervical spine is in an imbalance, and as we age, the elasticity of the cervical extensor muscle group decreases, which will lead to increased activity of the cervical vertebrae in the joint synapse, the hook vertebral joint and the vertebral body edge of the ligament, the periosteum suffers strain, injury, bleeding, mechanization and then ossification into osteophytes, or Disorders of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine may occur.  Although the phenomenon of straightening of the physiological curvature of the cervical spine is more common in young people, there is no need to worry too much. Chronic strain injury is the cause of straightening of the physiological curvature of the cervical spine. The straightening of the cervical curvature in young people is often different from the straightening of the cervical curvature in the elderly due to small joint enlargement and degenerative changes in old age, which is caused by bad habits in work and study as well as in life, and most of them can be restored to normal through treatment and changes in habits. Therefore, early detection, early treatment and early prevention of cervical spondylosis are crucial, and the prevention of cervical spondylosis is especially important.  Then how to prevent the occurrence of cervical spondylosis?  1, after an hour of head-down work should stop work, activity neck and shoulder, in order to strengthen the exercise of the neck and shoulder muscles, which can relieve fatigue, but also muscle development, toughness, which is conducive to the stability of the neck section of the spine, enhance the ability of the neck and shoulder to comply with sudden changes in the neck, such as simple cervical spine medical gymnastics “rice” exercises.  2, long-term low workers, in addition to frequent activities in the work of the neck and shoulders, but also often adjust the distance between the seat and the work surface, such as the conditions can make the work surface at a certain angle, to avoid being in the state of low work, and try to reduce the time of low work.  3, in daily life, to sit with a sitting posture, stand with a standing posture, should try to maintain the chest flat posture, so that the neck is at a normal physiological angle. Can not lie on the bed or side lying on the sofa to watch TV or read a book.  4, avoid the bad habits of high pillow sleep, sleep habit pillow high pillow people must be changed to pillow low pillow (pillow height to 8 ~ 10 cm is appropriate), the pillow core filling amount to be appropriate to maintain a certain degree of hardness and elasticity, and the pillow will be changed to pillow neck, because when the neck with pillow support up, the back of the neck muscle is relaxed, so as to effectively relieve the tension of the neck and shoulder muscles, the prevention and treatment of cervical spondylosis is of great benefit.  5.Pay attention to keeping the neck and shoulder area warm, avoid carrying heavy objects on the head and neck, and prevent trauma.  6.Early and thorough treatment of soft tissue strain in the neck, shoulder and back to prevent the development of cervical spondylosis.  Although the trend of cervical spondylosis is low, but we do not have to be overly nervous, as long as the usual more to maintain the correct posture, more exercise, cervical spondylosis can still be prevented.