Using a computer during work hours and using a mobile phone during get off work hours, the "head bower" will not only hurt the eyes but also the cervical spine at a young age.
In recent years, it has been discovered more and more clinically that a new hidden health hazard has appeared in the "head-down family".
Many people will feel discomfort in the neck or cervical spine after using the computer and mobile phone for a long time.
If you feel a headache, be careful.
Recently, the Department of Neurology of the Run Run Run Run Run Run Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine diagnosed two young "head-down families". They had headaches due to long-term use of computers and mobile phones with their heads down. The examination at the hospital turned out to be "brain leakage."
How can the brain "leak"?
In fact, the "water" here refers to cerebrospinal fluid.
The so-called "leakage" refers to the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid.
However, using a computer and playing with a mobile phone can cause the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid.
The headache of the "head-down family" turned out to be a leakage of cerebrospinal fluid
36-year-old Mr. Song (pseudonym) is a salesperson of a company in Hangzhou. Two months ago, he suddenly felt acupuncture-like pain on the right side of his head and his ears were dull.
After sleeping that day, Mr. Song felt that his headache was relieved a lot. He thought that he was just too tired and lacked rest. He didn't expect to get up to work for a few hours the next day, and he started to have unbearable headaches and couldn't work normally.
After that, Mr. Song went to the Department of Neurology, Run Run Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. After detailed consultation and examination by the doctor, he quickly “solved the case”: Mr. Song’s cervical spine has been degenerated in multiple segments, and multiple disc herniated with calcification. The formed local bone spurs pierced the dura spinal membrane, causing leakage of cerebrospinal fluid, and ultimately resulting in intracranial hypotension.
The doctor asked about the medical history and found that Mr. Song likes to stay at home and play with his mobile phone in his free time, even holding his mobile phone when he walks. He is a proper "head bower" and he rarely exercises. Sometimes he feels soreness and discomfort in his neck. Improper.
Coincidentally.
Xiao Jiang (pseudonym), who was 25 this year, was recently admitted to the Department of Neurology of Run Run Run Run Run Shaw Hospital because of similar problems.
Xiao Jiang is a kindergarten teacher. In the first half of the year, he needed to give online lectures to students because of the epidemic. “Originally, the cervical spine was not good. Online courses need to be re-prepared. It takes a long time to plan content and prepare PPT. It takes a lot of time to prepare. Very tired".
A week ago, Xiao Jiang began to feel dizzy and light-headed, and gradually turned into an erect headache (that is, when standing or sitting, he immediately had a headache, his entire hair was swollen, and the back of his neck and shoulders became sore, and he improved after lying flat).
After going to the Department of Neurology of Run Run Run Run Run Shaw Hospital, Xiao Jiang was quickly diagnosed with intracranial hypotension accompanied by subdural hemorrhage.
The examination showed that Xiaojiang’s cervical intervertebral disc degenerated, forming bone spurs and punctured the dura spinal cord, causing leakage of spinal cerebrospinal fluid, and low intracranial pressure also caused meningeal blood vessel tears and subdural hemorrhage.
1. Headaches when standing and a painless head when lying down are danger signs
Cerebrospinal fluid is a colorless and transparent liquid that exists in the ventricles and subarachnoid space, which surrounds and supports the entire brain and spinal cord.
Both of these "head-down tribes" used computers or mobile phones for a long time, causing problems in the cervical spine and forming bone spurs. The bone spurs pierced the dura spinal membrane, causing leakage of cerebrospinal fluid, forming intracranial pressure, and headaches.
Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is caused by leakage of spinal cerebrospinal fluid, resulting in a decrease in cerebrospinal fluid volume.
Our brain and spinal cord cavity are a connected airtight sac. The cerebrospinal fluid fills the sac and plays a floating role to prevent the cranial nerves from being concussed.
The brain produces about 500 ml of cerebrospinal fluid every day, and at the same time absorbs 500 ml, so that the total amount of fluid in this sac remains basically constant.
Once the sac (dura mater) of the spinal cord is breached, the cerebrospinal fluid leaks and the cerebrospinal fluid volume decreases, resulting in low intracranial pressure.
The most common manifestations of low intracranial pressure are: headache when sitting or standing, headache relief when lying down, medical terminology is called upright headache, and sometimes dizziness in the upright position, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and tinnitus.
Headache and dizziness in the upright position are unbearable, and the symptoms are basically relieved in the lying position.
However, some patients may have serious complications such as intracranial hemorrhage, venous sinus thrombosis, brain sinking (brain herniation), among which the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage is as high as 20%, and it can be life-threatening if it is not treated in time.
2. More and more cerebrospinal fluid leakage is caused by spinal joint degeneration
Domestic and foreign literature reports show that the most common cause of spinal-cerebrospinal fluid leakage is congenital weak development of the spinal membrane and tearing of the spinal membrane leading to cerebrospinal fluid leakage.
However, in recent years, it has been discovered that more and more patients do not have congenital developmental abnormalities, but because the spine joints degenerate and proliferate, bone spurs are formed over time, which pierce the dura spinal membrane, and finally lead to cerebrospinal fluid leakage.
According to relevant reports in Europe and America, nearly one-third of patients with low intracranial pressure cerebrospinal fluid leakage are caused by bone spurs.
The Run Run Run Run Run Run Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine has carried out standardized diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous intracranial hypotension in 2008, and established the intracranial hypotension diagnosis and treatment center based on the multidisciplinary cooperation of neurology, radioneuroimaging, anesthesia and pain department, and neurosurgery, which is the first in China Carrying out the epidural autologous blood patch under precise positioning to treat spinal cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and achieved remarkable results.
As the largest intracranial hypotension diagnosis and treatment center in Asia, Run Run Run Run Run Run’s low intracranial pressure data in the last two years also showed that nearly 50% of patients with low intracranial pressure found that cerebrospinal fluid leakage is related to the formation of spinal spurs. Most of these patients are young people. The average age of the patients was 39 years old.
3. For a long time in the state of "head down with chest", more and more young people are beginning to degenerate the spine
Spinal degeneration is related to age and living habits, and most of them are middle-aged and elderly patients.
Severe chronic spinal degeneration can cause cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis.
In addition to pain in the neck, shoulders and waist, cervical spondylosis can also have different types of nerve compression symptoms such as limb numbness, weakness, walking instability, and incontinence.
The spinal degeneration in the case of spinal cerebrospinal fluid leakage, although there are no such severe symptoms of compression, the examination found that the patient’s spine has formed multiple small bone spurs. The sharp bone spurs can penetrate the spinal cord, causing severe cerebrospinal fluid leakage and intracranial hypotension. as a result of.
In recent years, patients with spinal degeneration have been significantly younger, and patients between the ages of 20 and 30 have also experienced multi-segment disc herniation with bone spur formation.
Case data show that unlike middle-aged and elderly patients with spinal degeneration that often involve the cervical and lumbar spine, young patients mostly have cervical and upper thoracic spine degeneration. This phenomenon further suggests that the cause is related to their usual living conditions-"head-down family" for a long time The screen operation causes the human spine to be in a state of "head down and chest" for a long time.
Research from orthopedics shows that when the neck is in the upright position, the force is about 10-12 pounds, and the force of 15 degrees forward is doubled, and the force of bending to 60 degrees is equivalent to bearing a weight of 50 kg.
Coupled with sitting for a long time without sports, the spine is overwhelmed, and bone spurs slowly form.
4. Change the habit of not leaving the mobile phone to prevent the disease from recurring
After Mr. Song and Ms. Jiang passed the precise leak location inspection and targeted epidural blood patch cerebrospinal fluid leak repair treatment, the intracranial pressure recovered and the headache was quickly relieved.
However, although the symptoms can be relieved after repair of the meningeal tear, the problem of spinal degeneration may still exist.
If the bone spurs grow further, it is still possible to pierce the spinal cord again and cause recurrence of cerebrospinal fluid leakage.
Patients must change their living habits in the follow-up, reduce the time of bowing their heads, change the habit of keeping their mobile phones in their hands, and practice cervical spine exercises under the guidance of physicians to avoid recurrence.
For the general population, if you need to work at the desk with your head down for a long time, it is recommended to adjust your posture appropriately, such as using a mobile phone holder or raising the computer.
If you have to bow your head to work, it is recommended that you get up for proper activities after you bow your head for half an hour.
Normally develop the habit of regular exercise. Aerobic exercise 2 to 3 times a week can relieve muscle fatigue and improve metabolism, increase the ability of spine muscles to resist pressure, thereby delaying spinal strain and degeneration.
(Author: Wang Jin, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, chief physician)