Come and learn! Doing these exercises more often can prevent cervical spondylosis

Author: Tang Qin, Researcher of Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Liu Nan, Chief Physician, Peking University Third Hospital

The incidence of cervical spondylosis in my country has been increasing year by year, which has attracted widespread attention.

So, what is cervical spondylosis? How is it caused? How should people prevent it in their daily lives? Let's answer them one by one.

1. How to judge whether you have cervical spondylosis

Cervical spondylosis refers to a disease in which degenerative changes in the cervical intervertebral discs and the subsequent pathological changes in adjacent structures affect the surrounding tissue structures (nerves, blood vessels, etc.) and present clinical manifestations corresponding to imaging changes.

Many people who sit for a long time experience symptoms such as upper limb pain and numbness, and think they have cervical spondylosis, but this is not the case. To determine whether you have cervical spondylosis, you need to see whether the following three conditions are met at the same time.

First, there must be clinical symptoms, such as neck pain, dizziness, tinnitus, vertigo, numbness in the hands and feet, etc.

Second, there must be imaging changes, that is, imaging examinations (X-rays, CT or MRI examinations) indicate cervical disc hyperplasia or herniation.

Third, the imaging changes must correspond to the clinical symptoms, that is, the cervical curvature, sequence and bone lesions can be seen.

Figure 1 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

2. Causes of cervical spondylosis

The causes of cervical spondylosis are as follows:

1. Age factor : After the age of 30, various functions of the human body begin to decline, and the function of the cervical spine also declines. This is one of the causes of cervical spondylosis.

2. Chronic strain : such as long-term use of computers, mobile phones or poor sleeping posture.

Figure 2 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

3. Trauma : such as neck fracture, etc.

4. Developmental spinal stenosis : Due to congenital developmental abnormalities, the sagittal diameter of the spinal canal becomes smaller.

5. Congenital malformations of the cervical spine : such as two vertebrae being congenitally close to each other, or even fused together, or the presence of skull base depression.

6. Metabolic factors : abnormal human metabolism.

7. Mental factors : often in a bad mood.

All of the above factors can easily lead to cervical spondylosis.

3. What exercises can sedentary people do to prevent cervical spondylosis?

For people who sit for a long time, doing the following exercises can effectively prevent cervical spondylosis.

1. Neck mobility exercise : Sit on a chair with a backrest, keeping the neck and upper body in a neutral position. Do the following three movements: flex the neck forward (backward) to the limit, flex the neck to the left (right) to the limit, and rotate the neck to the left (right) to the limit. Hold each movement for 1 to 2 seconds, and do 10 times in each set.

Figure 3 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

2. Neck strength exercises : Sit down, relax your shoulders as much as possible, slightly retract your chin, and keep your neck in a neutral position; cross your hands on your forehead and push backwards, with your neck resisting the movement, hold for 5 to 10 seconds each time, 10 times per set, and practice 2 sets; cross your hands behind the pillow and push forwards, with your neck resisting the movement, hold for 5 to 10 seconds each time, 10 times per set, and practice 2 sets; place your right hand on the left side of your head and push toward the right, with your neck resisting the movement, hold for 5 to 10 seconds each time, 10 times per set, and practice 2 sets in each direction.

3. Head retraction exercise : Sit down, relax completely, and look straight ahead; move your head backward steadily and slowly (i.e. retract your jaw), hold at the limit for 3 to 5 seconds, and then relax back to the starting position. This is one time. Do 10 times per set, and practice 2 to 3 sets.

4. Shrug exercise : Stand with your arms hanging naturally on both sides of your body, slowly lift your shoulders to the limit and hold for 2 seconds, then slowly lower them to the limit for 1 time, 10 times per set, practice 2 sets. Keep your jaw slightly retracted and do not stick your head forward.

5. Freehand rope climbing exercise : Stand up, imagine that there is a vertical rope in front of you, grab it with both hands alternately, simulate the rope climbing action, climb from the level of the navel to the limit above the top of the head, keep your eyes on your hands, do it 5 to 10 times, each time for 30 seconds.

6. Ball-pushing exercise against a wall : Stand against a wall, keep your head and neck in a neutral position, slightly retract your chin, and place a small elastic ball behind your head. Use your neck to press the ball backwards, slowly turn your head to the left to the limit and hold for 1 to 2 seconds, then turn your head to the right to the limit and hold for 1 to 2 seconds. This is one time. Try to keep the ball from falling. 12 to 15 times is one set. Practice 2 to 3 sets.

4. What should we pay attention to in our daily life?

In daily life, we should pay attention to adjusting our posture and movement habits, which is very effective in preventing cervical degeneration and cervical spondylosis.

1. Pay attention to sleeping posture and pillow : Incorrect sleeping posture can cause many neck diseases, and correct sleeping posture is an effective way to prevent cervical spondylosis. When sleeping, the pillow should not be too high or too low, nor too soft, otherwise it will affect the curvature of the cervical spine, which will cause cervical spondylosis over time.

2. Pay attention to the posture of the cervical spine : The cervical spine is the support connecting the head and the body. From a mechanical point of view, the reasonable inclination of the cervical spine will reduce and lower the pressure on the cervical intervertebral disc. The greater the inclination of the cervical spine, the less stable the cervical intervertebral disc is, and the more likely it is that cervical intervertebral disc degeneration will occur.

In ordinary leisure activities, such as playing mahjong, watching TV, etc., our minds are often too focused and we keep the same posture for a long time. If we do not pay attention to adjusting the head posture, it is easy to cause cervical spondylosis. Therefore, the same posture should be changed after a period of time to make adjustments.

Prevention is the key to cervical spondylosis. As the saying goes, "Don't sit if you can stand, and don't stand if you can move." We should start from little things in our daily life, so that we can have a healthy body.

References

【1】Editorial Department of Chinese Journal of Surgery. Expert consensus on classification, diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of cervical spondylosis (2018)[J]. Chinese Journal of Surgery. 2018; 56(6): 401-402.

【2】Cui Shusheng. Self-care for cervical spondylosis without asking for help[M]. Beijing: Chemical Industry Press, 2020.