In recent years, cervical spondylosis has become more and more younger, and repeated pain is crushing this young man with fragile cervical spine, and some netizens have even rated cervical spondylosis as "the undead cancer of contemporary young people". On the content social platforms where young people gather, patients will not only share their own experience of illness, but also organize and publish many "self-help guides" for cervical spondylosis according to their own treatment and health care process.
In the sharing similar to "I hope all sisters with cervical spondylosis can brush this" and "10 years of cervical spondylosis, I heal myself like this", enthusiastic netizens found a "life-saving magic weapon" for cervical spondylosis: wearing a neck brace, "inverting the head", changing pillows, massage, hot compresses, plasters, bone correction, cervical exercises... Are these methods really effective for cervical spondylosis? How should cervical spondylosis be prevented and treated? Recently, a reporter from China Youth Daily interviewed Zhai Bingsheng, director of the Department of Orthopedics of Beijing Tongrentang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, to judge which means can really benefit the prevention and rehabilitation of cervical spondylosis from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine.
"Anti-bowing" neck brace: "IQ tax" or "neck protection artifact"
In recent years, all kinds of neck braces have quietly become popular on the Internet, including bracket type, inflatable type, as well as heating type, massage type, which can play the role of "fixed orthopedics" and "support and decompression", and even labeled as "recommended by orthopedic surgeons". Many young people also regard wearing a neck brace as a convenient means to prevent long-term bowing of the head and correct the neck forward and other bad posture. Some netizens recommended: "Wear a neck brace, how long to work the neck is not so tired!" ”
Zhai Bingsheng told the Zhongqing Daily reporter: "The effect of the neck brace is not so 'divine', it restricts the movement of the cervical spine, and the principle of plaster is the same." "Wearing a cervical brace is generally divided into two situations, the first is that after cervical spine surgery, it is necessary to protect the cervical spine from moving at will; The second is that when there is an acute, congestive injury to the cervical spine, and the pain is intense, it needs to be worn. In the case of only minor cervical spondylosis, prolonged wear is not recommended.
He introduced that although the neck brace can protect the muscles, wearing it for a long time will lead to weakened neck muscle strength, poor muscle balance, and worse cervical spine. In particular, the inflatable neck brace is used as a medical cervical traction device, and some patients will experience symptoms such as dizziness when wearing it. And although cervical traction is one of the important methods for the treatment of cervical spondylosis, however, cervical traction is not the more times the better, nor the longer the better, excessive traction can lead to the relaxation of ligaments attached to the cervical spine, accelerate the degenerative lesions of the cervical spine, and reduce the stability of the cervical spine.
Is it okay to "turn your head down"? How to lie is important for the cervical spine
"Lie flat on the bed, head back on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, lie head down for 5 minutes every night, and immediately feel much more comfortable when you wake up!" This is the "inverted head method" circulating on the Internet, and some netizens recommend that the "inverted head method" not only relieves cervical spine problems without moving, but also "increases cerebral blood supply" and "assists sleep" and many other benefits.
For this kind of "upside down method", Zhai Bingsheng believes that it is very undesirable. He said: "The occipital bone, that is, the back of the head, must have something to support. "For long-term low-headed people, the curvature of the cervical spine will become straight, or there is a tendency for the curvature of the cervical spine to straighten, and the cervical spine will shift forward after "hanging" for a long time. At the same time, hanging on the back of the head will allow blood to quickly collect in the head, causing dizziness. For people with arteriosclerosis and vertebral arteriosclerosis, this action is even more dangerous, and "promoting blood circulation in the head" has no scientific basis.
Some people sleep with their shoulders on the bed, with only the back of the pillow next to the pillow, leaving the cervical spine dangling. "This suspension can cause force, tension and even spasms of the posterior muscles of the cervical spine." Therefore, Zhai Bingsheng suggested that when lying down, you should use a pillow to support the cervical vertebrae and avoid hanging your head or raising your head for a long time. In the choice of pillow, the height should be one punch to one and a half punches (10-15 cm), traditional buckwheat husk or memory health pillow and other materials can be used. The pillow can completely support the cervical spine, and push out the normal curvature of the cervical spine, which can reduce the pressure on the cervical joint, return the cervical joint to normal, and relax the tense muscles, thereby reducing the entrapment of the neurovascular.
To protect the cervical spine, passive relaxation should be combined with active exercise
In the self-help guide for cervical spondylosis shared by many netizens, you can see hot compresses, plasters, massage, bone correction and other methods. Someone pours hot water on their neck when bathing, or blows their neck with hot air from a hair dryer; Some people evaluated different plasters and shared the "heavenly dishes" to relieve shoulder and neck pain; Others rely on massage, shoulder and neck massage or Chinese orthopedics...
Zhai Bingsheng believes that applying plasters and hot compresses can indeed temporarily relieve cervical spine discomfort and play a role in assisting relaxation, but pay attention to avoid skin allergies or damage. Massage, Tuina, and orthopedics must choose a qualified regular Chinese medicine hospital, and first go through a doctor's examination to judge the severity of the patient's condition. If it is a very mild cervical spondylosis, only the discomfort of the neck and shoulders, no nerve compression, you can do Tuina massage. If the condition is severe, Tuina massage may worsen the condition (such as pain, numbness, etc.). He has encountered cases of high paraplegia of spinal cord injury due to orthopedics, so he suggested that if you want to massage massage or orthopedics, you must find a regular hospital and clarify the condition before doing it.
In Zhai Bingsheng's view, it is not enough to protect the cervical spine and only let the cervical spine passively relax, but also to carry out active exercises on the cervical spine, such as cervical spine exercises can improve shoulder and neck problems. There are many types of cervical exercises, mainly by going up and down, left and right, gently turning the head and neck to achieve local exercise of the neck. On the one hand, increase the strength of neck muscles, stretch and stretch the elasticity and flexibility of muscles; On the other hand, the range of motion of the joints is improved by moving left, right, back, and forward to bow the head.
"To protect the cervical spine, we must combine passive relaxation and active exercise, and do more with less. At the same time, it is necessary to develop good living habits, reduce looking down at mobile phones and computers for a long time, pay attention to work and rest rules, and avoid staying up late. It should also be avoided to blow air conditioners, fans, etc. for a long time to avoid causing cold in the neck and aggravating symptoms. ”
China Youth Daily / China Youth Net reporter Zhang Shitong Source: China Youth Daily