Describe a day in modern times with three movements: standing and looking down at the phone; sitting, probing the computer; lying down, playing with the phone with a hunched back...
In the "Top Ten Stubborn Diseases in the World" published by the World Health Organization, cervical spondylosis ranks second, while there are about 200 million patients on the mainland.
Is your neck okay? Life Times (search for "LT0385" within WeChat to follow) interviews experts, lists the dangers of cervical spondylosis and teaches you how to raise it.
Experts interviewed
Xiao Songhua, Director of the Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital, affiliated to Tsinghua University
Song Fei, deputy chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital, affiliated to Tsinghua University
Xu Kai, attending physician of the Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital, affiliated to Tsinghua University
Is head back below 30 degrees cervical spondylosis?
Recently, the #head back less than 30 degrees be careful # topic has attracted attention on Weibo. Can 30 degrees really be used as a criterion for judging cervical spine disease? What symptoms do I need to see a doctor for my neck?
The video is too long, look at the point
Li Tao, director of the Orthopedic Center of Nanjing Jiangbei Hospital, said in an interview with the Yangtze Evening News: It is meaningless that the cervical vertebrae cannot reach 30 degrees backwards, and sometimes 40 degrees and 20 degrees cannot be extended, and there may be problems. The real criteria for judging are divided into two parts: one is organic lesions and the other is functional lesions.
Organic lesions refer to the indications for surgery (in these 4 cases, it is recommended to come to the hospital for treatment):
24-hour tingling in the hands, persistently unresponsive, accompanied by cervical discomfort;
Radioactive tingling from the shoulder to the fingers;
Fingers become clumsy, sluggish, inactive, and weak in strength;
When walking, there is a feeling of stepping on cotton, and the feet do not listen to the call.
Functional lesions refer to bone structures, nerve compression are not a problem, but the function is not good, generally manifested in the neck soreness, sometimes radiating to the shoulders.
Cervical spondylosis from mild to severe takes only 4 steps
Cervical spondylosis is a disease based on degenerative pathological changes, mostly caused by long-term cervical strain, bone hyperplasia, intervertebral disc herniation, ligament thickening, etc., which can cause discomfort such as stiffness, soreness, numbness, and spasms in the implicated areas.
Pre-cervical spondylosis
Muscle strain or cervical flexion caused by excessive bowing and decreased exercise in the early stage may cause discomfort such as neck pain and stiffness, but may not meet the diagnostic criteria for cervical spondylosis.
In 2017, the European Spine Association issued a warning to the world: bowing your head 60 degrees is equivalent to pressing more than 50 pounds of weight on your neck.
If imaging examination does not find structural changes such as bone hyperplasia and disc herniation, even if relevant symptoms occur, clinical diagnosis of cervical spondylosis cannot be diagnosed, and can only be regarded as pre-cervical spondylosis.
Structural initial change period
With the increase in frequency of use, the structure of the cervical spine will gradually change, that is, degenerative changes, which will accelerate this process if the posture is used for a long time.
Cervical spondylosis can be diagnosed with symptoms when imaging findings begin to bulge or bone hyperplasia occurs.
Conservative treatment such as medication, physiotherapy, or targeted exercise can be given early to help alleviate the condition, or to make the condition enter a quiescent phase and the discomfort symptoms disappear.
Period of aggravation of compression
As the disease progresses, degenerative changes begin to compress nerve roots, etc., leading to a series of symptoms.
For example, the compression of nerve roots on both sides of the cervical spine will cause radiation pain, weakness, etc. in the upper limbs; compression to protect the dural sac of the spinal cord, which can cause soreness and numbness in the shoulders, back, arms and fingers; direct compression of the spinal cord, there will be obvious lower limb symptoms, including walking instability, a feeling of stepping on cotton, etc.
There are also patients with high lower limb muscle tone, symptoms are difficult to perceive for a while, and must be distinguished and diagnosed by imaging tests.
Spinal cord damage period
If the condition is allowed to worsen, the spinal cord compression condition is not improved for a long time, and the patient's blood flow is blocked for a long time, there will be ischemic necrosis of some spinal cords, and then paralysis.
At this stage, there is no possibility of reversal recovery, and only surgery can solve the spinal cord compression. If the surgery is early, the lower limb function can basically be restored; if it is delayed too long, the prognosis will be "discounted".
Cervical spondylosis "pressure" is a big problem everywhere
The spine is full of nerves, the spinal canal protects the spinal cord, no matter which part of the cervical spine is compressed, it can cause non-negligible damage to the body.
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"Press" the nerve roots
Nerve roots are the sites where peripheral nerves connect to the spinal cord and emanate from the nerve root canals on both sides of the spine, responsible for transmitting commands from the brain to the trunk and limbs.
If it is stimulated by inflammation or mechanical compression, it will show different sensations and movement disorders in the corresponding innervation area, such as shoulder and back pain, radiation pain in the upper limbs, and numbness and weakness of the fingers.
"Press" the spinal cord
Compression and ischemia in the central spinal canal due to cervical disc herniation, ligament hypertrophy, bone hyperplasia, or other causes can cause spinal cord dysfunction. Cervical myelopathy has a wider and more severe impact than radiculotype.
If the pressure is on the side of the spinal cord, the patient will have movement disorders, such as muscle spasms, inflexibility of fine movements of the limbs, abnormal pain and temperature sensation, etc.;
If you press behind, you will have a feeling of stepping on cotton when you walk, and it is easy to trip when encountering steps;
Less commonly, compression is just on the anterior side, which can lead to severe hand weakness and even muscle atrophy.
"Presses" the sympathetic nervous system
To be precise, sympathetic cervical spondylosis is not caused by compression, but degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc lead to instability in bone structure, which stimulates the sympathetic nerve endings around the cervical spine, and then causes corresponding symptoms such as dizziness, palpitation, and nausea.
Although such manifestations are common in the clinic, because the above symptoms are not specific, they are sometimes confused with stroke, otolithiasis and other diseases, and the current diagnosis requires multidisciplinary comprehensive judgment.
"Press" the vertebral artery
Only when the cervical degeneration is very serious, it is possible to compress the vertebral artery, and symptoms similar to cerebral ischemia may appear, and mild symptoms may appear when rotating the neck, which can lead to cerebral infarction.
In life, if there is dizziness and transient blackness, you can first choose neurology to see a doctor to determine whether it is caused by cerebrovascular disease.
Cervical spine favorite "one action, three habits"
In the formation of cervical spondylosis, the influence of bad lifestyle habits is more important than the natural degeneration caused by aging. At the very least, the prevention of cervical spondylosis should adhere to "one action, three habits":
One action: resistance neck extension exercise
Hands crossed to hold the cerebellum, while the head is pushed backwards, the palms are pushed forward, forming a state of confrontation, insisting for 15 seconds each time, relaxing for 10 seconds, each group for 15 minutes, 3 groups per day.
This stationary confrontation exercise helps to strengthen the neck muscles without causing structural instability in the cervical spine due to excessive activity.
Three habits: bow your head less, do not sit high, and be diligent and warm
Bowing head for a long time is one of the important causes of cervical spondylosis in young people:
It is recommended to reduce the time spent working continuously and raise the computer screen;
Pillows that are too high will affect the natural physiological curve of the cervical spine, usually to the height of a fist is appropriate, but everyone's physical condition is different, should be adjusted to the height of the pillow that feels most comfortable.
In addition, keeping the neck warm when the temperature is low will help the blood circulation to flow smoothly, thereby promoting neck health. ▲
Editor of this issue: Deng Yu Action demonstration: Wang Xiaoqing
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