Patients of all ages often come to the hospital with shoulder and back pain, and when asked about their medical history, they realize that many of them have had neck discomfort and numbness in their fingers for a long time, and only come to the doctor when the pain worsens and affects their work, study and life. After examination, it is mostly cervical spondylosis.
How cervical spondylosis is formed
Cervical spondylosis refers to a series of discomfort manifested in the neck, shoulder and upper limb due to degenerative changes in the cervical intervertebral disc and cervical spine osteophytes, which stimulate or compress the adjacent spinal cord, nerve roots, blood vessels and sympathetic nerves. Since the sensory nerve fibers of the cervical nerve roots are arranged on the top and the motor nerve fibers are on the bottom, upper extremity sensory nerve disorders are often seen clinically.
There are seven cervical vertebrae in the human spine, which are the smallest, weakest, most flexible, most frequently active, with a large unit area load, and most prone to strain, and have the special characteristics of congenital developmental narrowing and deformity of the cervical spinal canal, and the lower segment is relatively fixed to the thoracic spine. Therefore, the cervical spine is a good site for spinal damage, especially the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th segments of the cervical spine, which are more prone to injury and the formation of cervical spondylosis.
Pathophysiological changes due to ageing and various acute and chronic strains can lead to progressive degenerative lesions of the cervical disc. This includes changes such as dehydration of the nucleus pulposus, decrease in elasticity and atrophy, bulging and rupture of the fibrous ring, and narrowing of the cervical spine gap. Over time, reactive osteophytes and calcification and thickening of ligaments appear at the posterior edge of the vertebral body, posterior joint and hook vertebral joint, resulting in narrowing of the intervertebral foramen and spinal canal, which in turn compresses the corresponding spinal nerve roots and vertebral artery, producing a series of cervical spondylosis symptoms.
Some bad living environment and habits can promote and accelerate the formation of cervical spondylosis. For example: 1) sleeping with a high pillow for a long time; 2) not sitting straight, not standing straight, not lying straight since childhood, always burying their heads in books and writing; 3) sports that exceed the neck’s tolerance; 4) endocrine diseases such as diabetes and hypothyroidism can also contribute to degenerative changes in the cervical spine; 5) neck trauma, sprains, strains, traffic accidents, etc.; 6) ankylosing spondylitis, osteoporosis family; 7) picky eating that affects bone The age of onset of cervical spondylosis is getting younger and younger because of inappropriate use of computers, sedentary, inactivity, and some children and teenagers playing computer games without restraint.
Non-surgical treatment of cervical spondylosis
1. Rest has a significant effect on the relief of cervical spondylosis pain. Patients with cervical disc herniation and all types of cervical spondylosis in the acute attack period or the first attack, rest can relax the neck muscles and reduce the pressure on the intervertebral disc due to muscle spasm and the weight of the head; reduce neck activity, which is conducive to the decreasing of tissue congestion and edema, especially beneficial to the decongestion of the herniated intervertebral disc. Bed rest is more effective if it is combined with injection therapy, application of heat therapy, cervical traction and drug therapy. However, bed rest should not be too long to avoid muscle atrophy, muscle, ligament, joint capsule adhesions, joint stiffness and other changes, resulting in chronic pain and dysfunction. 2. nerve block or focal injection therapy is to inject drugs directly into the nerve roots, ganglia, nerve trunk near or into the loose connective tissue including nerve tissue, to improve blood circulation, blood flow rate, blood flow at the lesion site, and to eliminate pain and numbness. It is more effective in eliminating pain and numbness and improving symptoms such as dizziness, insomnia, tinnitus and visual fatigue.
3. Cervical traction therapy is a more effective and widely used treatment method for cervical spondylosis. This therapy is applicable to all types of cervical spondylosis and is effective for early cases. For patients with serious degenerative changes in cervical spondylosis, attention should be paid to the time, intensity and angle of traction. Cervical traction for spinal cord type cervical spondylosis with long duration of disease can sometimes aggravate the symptoms and should be used with caution and not.
4. Traditional massage and massage therapy is a more effective treatment measure for cervical spondylosis. However, for disorders of small joints of the cervical spine, cervical subluxation, serious osteoporosis and other disorders, the cervical spine rotational reset technique should be used with caution and prohibited. It is recommended that cervical spine treatment by rotational repositioning should be carried out on the basis of cervical spine X-ray examination.
5. The collar and neck brace can play the role of braking and protecting the cervical spine, reducing nerve wear, alleviating the traumatic reaction of intervertebral joints, and facilitating the decreasing of tissue edema and consolidating the therapeutic effect. The collar and neck brace can be worn during the day and removed at rest. Long-term application of neck brace and collar can cause neck and back muscle atrophy, joint stiffness, but not beneficial, but harmful, so wear time should not be too long, after the gradual reduction of symptoms, to remove in time, strengthen muscle exercise.
6. Physical therapy is also a more effective and commonly used treatment method.
7. Drugs can play an auxiliary symptomatic treatment role in the treatment of cervical spondylosis. Commonly used drugs include: antipyretic and analgesic, vasodilator drugs, antispasmodic drugs, drugs for nutrition and regulation of the nervous system, calcium agents for enhancing bone metabolism, etc.
8. Local application of various topical drugs has good effect on reducing the pain caused by myofasciitis and muscle strain.
Self-protection for cervical spondylosis
When suffering from cervical spondylosis, in addition to active treatment, attention should also be paid to the protection in daily work life.
1. Change the bad posture and position in life and work, work too long on the case and work too long on the computer, change the way of work temporarily as far as possible, like “elementary school students”, increase the “class” break time; especially the computer family, should often “Lazy”, do more shoulder, neck stretching exercise.
2. Rest on a hard bed during the onset of the disease, choose a pillow with a height of about 10cm, or use a medium concave pillow with moderate softness. 3. Exercise more to enhance the strength of the back and shoulder and neck muscles.
4. Correct the habit of bending the neck for a long time.
5. Reduce neck activities during the pain period, and gradually start to exercise the neck activities in all directions after the pain is reduced to enhance the muscle strength, which helps to stabilize and recover from cervical spondylosis.
6. Pay attention to keeping warm, do not crave for cold and do not let the “cool wind” blow directly on the back of the pillow.
7. When the symptoms worsen, think about seeing a doctor.