What is cervical spondylosis? Cervical spondylosis is a degenerative disease that can cause a series of clinical manifestations in the neck, upper limbs, head and even lower limbs due to strain, aging and trauma of the cervical spine, cervical disc itself and its surrounding muscles and ligaments, which stimulate and compress the nerves, blood vessels and spinal cord in the neck. Medically, it is called cervical spondylosis. What is the physiological role of the cervical spine? The cervical spine is located at the uppermost end of the spine, and various nerve signals from the brain are first transmitted to all parts of the body through the cervical spine, and conversely, the nutrition required by the brain is also transported through the blood vessels around the cervical spine, so the cervical spine is an important hub connecting the brain and the whole body. What are the types of cervical spondylosis and the main clinical manifestations? 1.Cervical type mainly manifests as head, neck and shoulder pain; 2.Nerve root type mainly manifests as nerve root numbness and pain and the scope is consistent with the cervical spinal nerve innervation area, and there may be cervical symptoms at the same time; 3.Vertebral artery type mainly manifests as sudden postural vertigo, or dizziness, headache, etc., and there may be cervical symptoms at the same time; 4.Sympathetic type mainly manifests as dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, chest tightness, panic, nausea, etc. 5.The spinal cord type is characterized by slowly progressive stiffness and trembling of both lower limbs, unsteadiness and weakness of walking, etc.; the feeling of thoracic and abdominal girdle; 6.The esophageal type is mainly characterized by difficulty in swallowing (due to compression of the esophagus by osteophytes at the front edge of the vertebral body) and may be accompanied by cervical symptoms; 7.The mixed type has both clinical symptoms of two or more types of cervical spondylosis. How to self-judge whether cervical spondylosis is born? From the above introduction, it can be seen that the symptoms of cervical spondylosis are intricate and complex. When some of the symptoms appear, how to determine whether cervical spondylosis is born, generally speaking, the vast majority of cervical spondylosis is accompanied by stiffness and discomfort in the neck or upper back, pain, and aggravation of symptoms when the cervical spine is active, etc. To further confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to ask for the help of a specialist. In addition to asking your doctor to do the necessary tests, you should also take x-rays of the cervical spine and, if necessary, make a CT or MRI examination. Is cervical spine osteophytes cervical spondylosis? When we find bone spurs in the cervical spine, sometimes called osteophytes or degenerative changes, after taking an X-ray, is this cervical spondylosis? To clarify this question, you first need to understand why bone spurs develop. There is a joint between two adjacent cervical vertebrae so that the cervical vertebrae can move in different directions. As we grow older, especially in middle age, the contact friction between the vertebrae increases when the cervical vertebrae move, and over time “calluses” will develop, which is what is known as osteophytes in medicine. This shows that people will have bone spurs at a certain age, but not everyone has cervical spondylosis, the key lies in the size and location of the bone spurs, only when the bone spurs are too large or improperly located, stimulating or compressing the surrounding nerves, blood vessels or spinal cord, then cervical spondylosis will occur. In this sense, having a bone spur is not terrible, and in terms of treatment, it does not have to be eliminated. As long as there are no obvious symptoms, there is no major harm in making peace with it. What is a herniated cervical disc? There is an elastic cushion between the two cervical vertebrae, which is medically known as a cervical disc. The cervical disc consists of three parts: two cartilage plates on the top and bottom, a fibrous ring around it, and a nucleus pulposus wrapped inside. The fibrous ring is like a tire, with interlocking fibrous tissues, so it is called a fibrous ring; the nucleus pulposus is like an egg yolk and is gelatinous. If the annulus fibrosus ruptures and the nucleus pulposus flows outside the annulus fibrosus, the condition is medically called a herniated disc. What are the dangers of cervical spondylosis? These symptoms can affect our quality of life, including emotions, sleep, daily life and work and study. In addition, if the disease develops further, it can cause insufficient blood supply to the brain, reduced brain function and, in rare cases, lower limb motor dysfunction or even paralysis. According to domestic and foreign research data, there are more than 70 symptoms clinically related to cervical spondylosis, therefore, cervical spondylosis also needs to be prevented and treated early so as not to cause future problems. Can cervical spondylosis be cured? The question of whether cervical spondylosis can be cured cannot be answered in a simple way. First of all, the occurrence of cervical spondylosis is related to the increase of age; secondly, it is also closely related to our usual sitting and lying posture and living habits. Over a period of time, the mechanical balance inside and outside the cervical spine is disrupted, and the nerves, blood vessels or spinal cord in the neck are adversely stimulated or injured, which will trigger a series of clinical symptoms, but the majority of patients can be relieved after treatment. Therefore, whether cervical spondylosis can be cured or not, the key lies not in the doctor but in the patient himself, that is to say, if you have cervical spondylosis, first of all, you should establish the correct concept, actively cooperate with the doctor, correct the bad sitting and lying posture, develop good living habits, and pass the attack period, once the new mechanical balance is established in the internal and external environment of the cervical spine, the condition will naturally tend to stabilize. How to choose the right treatment method for cervical spondylosis. Treatment methods for cervical spondylosis are divided into two categories: surgical and non-surgical. Some research data show that only 5% of cervical spondylosis patients need to receive surgical treatment, so 95% of cervical spondylosis patients can apply non-surgical methods to relieve their pain. Non-surgical treatment methods for cervical spondylosis include internal and external use of drugs, manipulation, acupuncture, physical therapy, traction, etc. Each method has a certain effect. Each method has a certain effect, and generally two or more methods need to be used together to receive a good treatment effect, so please consult a specialist for the specific treatment method you choose. How can I prevent the occurrence or aggravation of cervical spondylosis? To prevent the occurrence or aggravation of cervical spondylosis, you can start from the following six aspects. 1, correct bad posture, avoid cervical spine for a long time to maintain in a fixed position, generally about 1 hour should change the posture or do some simple neck activities. At the same time, also avoid half lying half sitting posture; 2, to avoid cold neck, including sweating out of the rain, direct wind and cold; 3, choose the right sleeping position and the right pillow. General pillow height should be slightly higher than their shoulder width, the texture of the pillow should be soft and flexible; sleep on your back, the pillow should be padded under the neck as much as possible; side sleep, avoid pressing the pillow under the shoulder. Do not sleep with a hard texture and fixed shape of the pillow; 4, neck pillow method. Take the supine position, the bath towel folded and rolled into a cylindrical pad under the neck, pay attention to adjust the height of the pad pillow, on the one hand, to the cervical spine curvature pad out, that is, under the neck with a sense of support; on the other hand, the back of the head pillow and can not leave the bed. Once a day, each time the pad time to 30 to 60 minutes is appropriate, do not be too long. This method on the one hand helps restore the physiological curvature of the cervical spine, on the other hand, is also a very practical and convenient traction method, which uses the mechanics of the principle of leverage, the use of the body and the head’s own weight to achieve traction on the cervical spine, more natural and comfortable, long-term adherence can achieve better results; 5, cervical spine health exercises. Cervical spine forward flexion, back extension, left and right lateral flexion, left and right rotation, a total of six angles, each angle alone to the maximum range of activities, each do 3 to 6 times. Can be repeated several times a day. Do not carry out too fast, too violent head ring shaking.