After a long period of life and labor, the human neck is too “fatigue”, and therefore too easy to have problems. If you do not give it a good support (pillow and bed) and position at night rest after a day of exertion, it is not to add insult to injury, more aggravate its strain and degeneration? It can be seen that the cervical spine is like a machine in some parts, critical, dexterous and most vulnerable to wear and tear. The structure of the human neck (cervical spine) is adapted to the needs of the human body, in order to ensure the flexibility of head activities to adapt to the needs of daily life and work in sitting, standing and walking, the structure of the cervical vertebrae is light and complex, and the muscles of the neck are numerous but slender. This makes the cervical spine the section with the largest range of motion in the spine, capable of both forward and backward flexion, left and right lateral deviation and rotation, as well as a variety of compound movements. At the same time, in order to protect the safety and smooth communication of the highest command body of the human body (the brain in the skull), the cervical spine must not only bear the weight of the skull and cushion the shock to the brain when walking, bouncing and other activities, but also ensure that the vertebral artery located in its transverse process is not compressed to give the brain sufficient blood and oxygen supply, and to ensure that the normal structure and function of the spinal cord and nerves leading to the whole body in its spinal canal are not affected. This in turn makes the cervical spine a spine. This in turn makes the cervical spine the most complex and functionally important segment of the vertebrae. The uppermost two segments of the cervical spine (the cricoaxial spine) have the greatest rotational activity. The other cervical vertebrae have a small foramen in the transverse process from which two vertebral arteries cross up to supply the brain with nutrients (blood and oxygen). It is well known that the brain is the supreme command of the body and all activities of the whole body are directed by it. The tissues that transmit the brain’s commands (spinal cord and nerves) are traversed through the cervical spine. Thus, injury to the cervical spine not only causes neck pain, but also distal symptoms such as urinary and fecal incontinence, limb paralysis and numbness due to the influence of the brain center on the sensory and motor command of the limbs. From these special anatomical structures, it is easy to understand how important the cervical spine is in human life and life, and why a disease in the cervical spine not only causes local symptoms, but also affects other parts of the body, including the feet and hands far from the cervical spine. Considering the complex structure of the cervical spine, it is also not difficult to understand the complexity and diversity of cervical spine pathologies. For example, if a cervical spine bone spur grows larger toward the posterior side of the spinal canal, then there may be tightness in the legs, difficulty walking, and the formation of spinal cord-type cervical spondylosis. If the bone spur is on the posterior side, it is more likely to stimulate the cervical nerve root and cause symptoms such as numbness of the fingers, resulting in neurogenic cervical spondylosis. If a bone spur grows on the lateral side of the cervical vertebra, it is easy to stimulate the vertebral artery next to it and cause symptoms of vertebral artery cervical spondylosis such as dizziness and stroke. If the cervical spine lesion affects the sympathetic nerve, it can also cause symptoms of sympathetic cervical spondylosis such as headache and dizziness, visual impairment and panic heartbeat. However, simple cervical spondylosis is rare, and mixed cervical spondylosis, in which both types are combined, is the most common. From this, we can also see how complex cervical spondylosis is and how widespread its effects are. Its impact on life and work is also evident. So it seems that cervical spurs alone can cause cervical spondylosis, but the reality is much more complicated than that. The formation of bone spurs is a compensatory self-protection of the aging body, and almost everyone has varying degrees of osteophytes after middle age, but the vast majority of people do not feel any discomfort and cannot be diagnosed with cervical spondylosis even if the osteophytes are seen in photographs. It is only when the cervical spine has developed to the point of inability to compensate and a series of pathological changes have occurred in various parts of the cervical spine, such as dehydration and thinning of the cervical intervertebral discs, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the small joints of the cervical spine, loosening and destabilization of the adjacent ligaments, hypertrophy and calcification of the adjacent ligaments and strain and atrophy of the neck muscles, that osteophytes will play a role in the pathogenesis. The above pathological changes in the cervical skeletal joints intervertebral discs, etc. are the so-called disorders of the internal balance of the cervical spine, while the changes in the soft tissues such as the muscles and ligaments of the neck are the so-called disorders of the external balance. Under normal circumstances, the internal and external balance, one hard and one soft, complement each other and together maintain the normal function of the cervical spine. A single or combined disorder of the two is the generalized reason for the occurrence of cervical spondylosis. So, what triggers this disorder of cervical spine balance? In addition to the structural and functional factors of the cervical spine mentioned at the beginning of this article, they are also related to changes in people’s living habits, the nature of their work, and the structure of their diet. For example, the progress of science has greatly reduced people’s physical work, but when people sit in front of the computer in the office or work at a desk, the work of the cervical spine is not reduced (in fact, it is relatively increased), but because of the reduction of the activities of the whole body, the coordinated exercise of the skeletal muscles of the neck is affected, so that they become relatively weaker and more prone to strain. First of all, it affects the muscle strength, which becomes atrophy and weak due to the long time in a single posture to do work, and cannot maintain the stability of the internal balance (normal arrangement, weight-bearing and activities of the cervical vertebrae), which will cause changes in the physiological curve of the cervical spine, disorders of the small joints of the cervical spine and changes in the weight-bearing mechanics of the cervical spine. This adverse mechanical change increases the burden on the cervical spine muscles and exacerbates the imbalance of the cervical spine, and the two interact with each other to form a vicious circle. The decrease in exercise, the unreasonable diet structure, and the abuse of drugs (especially hormonal drugs) have resulted in a decrease in calcium and bone density in the body. This forms the intrinsic basis for cervical spine bone degeneration. New studies have shown that; autoimmune changes in the cervical disc tissue also play an important role. These suggest that the causes of cervical spondylosis are multifaceted and comprehensive. Once this is known, it is easy to understand how to prevent and treat cervical spondylosis. In terms of treatment, it is ostensibly a matter for doctors, but in reality, for most cervical spine patients, patient self-treatment and prevention are even more crucial. How exactly do you do this? 1, first of all, if you have symptoms such as sore neck, pain, numb fingers, dizziness and nausea, panic and heartbeat, tight legs, difficulty in walking, or even a sudden fall, you should consult a doctor promptly to check whether you have cervical spondylosis. Early and timely treatment is very important, and delayed treatment will not only make a difference in the effect, but also bring irreparable damage. For example, early treatment of neurogenic cervical spondylosis may prevent the formation of muscle atrophy; timely treatment of carotid cervical spondylosis may prevent a sudden onset of stroke that could cause a terrible accident. Early detection and treatment of spinal cord type cervical spondylosis may be able to control the disease with non-surgical treatment and avoid a larger surgical treatment. The importance of early diagnosis and timely treatment is emphasized here. 2. Secondly, cervical spondylosis is already a common and multi-infarct disease at present. In the attitude towards the disease, two situations should be prevented. One is that some patients panic when they hear that they have cervical spondylosis, fearing that it will cause paralysis. In fact, the proportion of spinal cord cervical spondylosis is very small (about 10%), and the number of cases that develop into paralysis is even smaller, so the key is early detection and early treatment. Another tendency is to care less, treatment is not enough attention, the condition slightly improved on, stopped treatment, resulting in symptoms often attack, gradually aggravated. For this reason, we must especially emphasize the importance of adhering to treatment, do not cure stopping and abandoning the previous work. 3, because cervical spondylosis has both internal balance (cervical spine bone, joint, intervertebral disc, etc.) structural degeneration, hyperplasia, misalignment, inflammation and autoimmune reaction and other pathological changes, but also the external balance of the neck muscles, ligaments and other disorders. In the treatment, both internal and external treatment should be taken into account. Specifically, it is necessary to use comprehensive treatment. Practice has proved that the effect of single treatment is poor. Commonly used treatment methods are physical therapy, massage, closure, traction, drugs and surgery, etc. Each treatment has a different effect on each person, and the treatment effective for A is often ineffective for B. Therefore, we should pay attention to try to find the most effective way for themselves. A typical example is that some people do very well with traction, while others are not only ineffective after traction, but more uncomfortable. The Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine has a special research laboratory for cervical spondylosis, which has been engaged in the research and treatment of cervical spondylosis for a long time and has made a number of research results in the combined treatment of cervical spondylosis with Chinese and Western medicine, which has greatly improved the treatment effect of cervical spondylosis. 4.On the surface, cervical spondylosis is a localized lesion of the neck, but in fact, it is a local reaction to a systemic lesion. In the prevention and treatment, it is necessary to start from the whole body. Normally, we should increase certain physical activities to improve the overall level of physical fitness. In terms of diet, we should pay attention to a reasonable mix, and increase some calcium-rich and muscle-strengthening, liver and kidney nourishing food. For example, yam, gui yuan, black sesame, papaya, ribs, etc. From the point of view of Chinese medicine and the results of recent studies, by nourishing the liver and kidneys, strengthen the tendons and bones can play a role in delaying degeneration, inhibiting hyperplasia and prolonging life. 5, usually pay attention to the posture and exercise of the cervical spine. For those who work with their heads down for a long time, for example, accountants, secretaries, editors, writers, draftsmen, computer users, etc., one should pay attention to their sitting posture and table and chair height adjustment, and the second to avoid too long lasting work and cause cervical strain injury. Effective way is to increase the interval exercise, and after each 60 minutes of work, stop for a moment, hands crossed fingers held behind the neck, while holding forward to pull the neck, actively stretch the neck backward, and the power of the hands before holding against the force, even 30-50 times, in order to exercise the neck muscles, increase the stability of the external balance. Some people, including even some “qigong masters” and other non-professional medical personnel to let patients do a large turn of the head exercise, although some people feel temporarily comfortable after doing, but this is unreasonable, and even harmful. As if the bearings of a machine, after a long period of operation has caused serious wear and tear, if excessive, large cervical spine rotation and other improper exercise methods are used, it will only increase the degree of wear and tear of the cervical vertebrae, with fewer benefits and more disadvantages. The comfort felt after such exercise is short-lived, but the damage it brings is lasting. For the complex human cervical spine, it is more likely to cause wear and tear and instability of the cervical spine, and even cause serious complications such as dizziness and stroke. By the same token, not every case of cervical spondylosis is suitable for massage or repeatedly moving and rotating the neck to treat it, and some patients may become “addicted” to it or form habitual cervical dislocation, which is quickly treated and quickly broken. In addition, patients with spinal cervical spondylosis should be more cautious, as improper manipulation can cause serious consequences such as compression and sprain of the spinal cord. Such complications are reported from time to time and should be given high priority. 6, the normal cervical spine has a curvature forward physiological bending. When the cervical spine is tired after a day, continue to maintain this physiological bend at night when sleeping, is not only the basic condition to ensure that the neck muscles are fully rested, but also one of the key factors in the prevention and treatment of cervical strain injury. If you do the math you will be amazed that about a third of a person’s life is spent in sleep, which determines the importance of the right sleeping position and pillow. More and more research proves this, the wide variety of medicinal pillow varieties on the market, the rapid development of a professional pillow manufacturer Qingdao fitzibo also indirectly proves this point. A suitable pillow not only helps prevent cervical strain, but also is one of the effective ways to treat cervical spondylosis. Severe cases still need to go to pain specialists, orthopedics and other departments to formal diagnosis and treatment is good. Cervical spine pain is divided into two types: injury and degenerative. As people grow older, the cervical bony joints continue to degenerate, proliferate and narrow the vertebral space, resulting in incomplete obstruction of the originally crowded cervical spine “channel”. This can lead to vascular discomfort, nerve and spinal cord compression. In particular, when peripheral nerve roots are compressed, symptoms of pain in the occiput, shoulders, back and upper extremities may occur. If the cervical spinal cord and blood vessels are compressed, dizziness, tinnitus, blurred vision, poor memory, unresponsiveness, chest tightness, breath-holding, panic, weakness of the lower extremities and unstable walking may occur. So how to diagnose and treat these diseases? If the above symptoms are mild, you can choose rest, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture and traction to completely restore normal. If the symptoms are more severe, you should go to a pain specialist for a serious examination, especially cervical MRI scan is the safest and easiest way to diagnose whether the cervical spine neurovascular and spinal cord are compressed. What are the current treatment options? If the patient has severe symptoms and the MRI shows bony spinal stenosis in the cervical spine, he or she should not hesitate to choose an orthopedic surgeon for open surgery. If the patient has severe symptoms but the MRI scan does not show significant bony spinal stenosis, a minimally invasive approach may be considered. There are many minimally invasive methods, including discoscopy, laser, ozone, radiofrequency, pneumatization, spinotomy, and various drug injections, among others. Either way, the goal is to reduce the pressure within the disc and reduce the compression of the disc on the nerves, blood vessels and spinal cord, thereby improving the patient’s symptoms described above. It is also important to note that minimally invasive treatment is not a foolproof technique. The effect of minimally invasive techniques is only apparent if the patient’s herniated or bulging annulus fibrosus has a certain degree of elasticity. Patients with short protrusion time and mild symptoms can be treated with ultrasound-guided selective nerve root block for cervical spondylosis, which is certainly effective and without the risk of radiation. Minimally invasive techniques for cervical spondylosis are very safe and effective and generally do not cause negligent injuries or serious adverse reactions to patients.