The etiology of cervical spondylosis Cervical spondylosis, also known as cervical spine syndrome, is a group of syndromes caused by degenerative changes in the cervical intervertebral discs, cervical spine osteophytes and cervical spine injuries that cause imbalance in the internal and external balance of the spine, stimulating or compressing the cervical nerve roots, vertebral artery, spinal cord or sympathetic nerves. This disease is a common and frequent disease of middle-aged and elderly people. It belongs to the category of “Xiang tendon anxiety”, “Xiang shoulder pain” and “vertigo” in Chinese medicine. Cervical spondylosis is a degenerative disease of the cervical spine. Degeneration of the cervical intervertebral disc and cervical spine attachments is the internal cause of this disease, and various acute and chronic neck trauma and cold are the external causes of this disease. 1, endogenous: in general, the cervical intervertebral disc starts to degenerate after 30 years of age, the cartilage plate starts to ossify gradually, the permeability decreases, the water in the nucleus pulposus gradually decreases, fibrosis eventually forms, shrinking and hardening into a fibrocartilaginous entity, which leads to thinning of the intervertebral disc and narrowing of the intervertebral space. Due to the narrowing of the intervertebral space, the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments relax, the vertebral body becomes unstable, the posterior joint capsule relaxes, the joint cavity becomes smaller, and the joint surface is prone to wear and tear leading to hyperplasia. Due to the above factors, the spinal stability of the cervical segment decreases and the vertebral body becomes unstable, so compensatory osteophytes form in front of and behind the vertebral body. In short, osteophytes in the posterior vertebral body joints, hook vertebral joints and other parts, as well as narrowing of the intervertebral foramen or narrowing of the anterior and posterior diameters of the vertebral canal are the main pathological basis for the compression of the spinal cord, cervical nerve roots, vertebral arteries and sympathetic nerves. 2.External causes: acute trauma or chronic strain of the cervical spine is the external cause of cervical spondylosis. Due to the fall, twist, flash or long-term low work can make the cervical intervertebral disc, posterior joint, hook vertebral joint, the ligaments around the cervical spine and its nearby soft tissues damaged to varying degrees, thus destroying the stability of the cervical spine, prompting the cervical vertebrae and accessories to compensatory osteophytes. If the proliferation stimulates or compresses the adjacent nerves, blood vessels and soft tissues, various symptoms will occur. In addition, cold in the cervical region and muscle spasm, which causes local ischemia and hypoxia, can also cause clinical symptoms or induce various types of cervical spondylosis.