Written by Zhu Huiqing (Xinhua News Agency)

Shanghai Chunzuo (Xinhua News Agency)

Keep your head down for a long time and be careful of cervical spondylosis

"Who would have thought that I could get cervical spondylosis at the age of more than 20 years old?" Xiao Guo, 22 years old, had dizziness and headache symptoms not long ago. The hospital inspection results showed that "the physiological curvature of the cervical vertebra became straight, the hyperosteogeny at the edge of some vertebrae became sharp, the C4/5, C5/6, C6/7 intervertebral discs slightly bulged, and the dural sac was compressed..." The doctor told her that she had cervical spondylosis. Xiaoguo wondered, isn't this disease only for middle-aged and elderly people? The doctor inquired about Xiaoguo carefully and speculated that it might be related to her looking down at her mobile phone for a long time.

"In recent years, because of the increase of young patients coming to see doctors with cervical spondylosis, most of them need to work with their heads bowed down for a long time, such as programmers, teachers, office staff, etc." He Da, director of spine surgery of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, introduced that unlike the natural degenerative disease of the middle-aged and elderly cervical spondylosis, the young people's cervical spondylosis has congenital factors, Most of them are closely related to work and life style, among which, bad living habits such as long time bowing to play with mobile phones are important inducing factors.

How heavy is the neck when you play with your mobile phone for a long time? The European Spine Association once warned that the head of normal adults weighs about 10 kg. For long-term mobile phone play, when the neck leans forward at an angle of 15 degrees, the weight of the cervical spine is about 24 kg; when the neck leans forward at an angle of 30 degrees, the weight of the cervical spine is about 36 kg; when the neck leans forward at an angle of 45 degrees, the weight of the cervical spine is about 44 kg; when the neck leans forward at an angle of 60 degrees, the weight of the cervical spine can be up to 54 kg.

"The ideal posture for using mobile phones should be to keep the eyes level with the screen as far as possible, and not to bow or raise the head too much, and not to droop or raise the chin." He Da said that the normal cervical spine has a forward bending arc, which is in a C-shaped structure. This C-shaped physiological arc ensures better flexibility and relative stability of the cervical spine, It is also because of the existence of physiological radians and the coordinated support of muscles and ligaments that the seven vertebrae that make up the cervical spine can bear the weight of the whole skull and complete various movements. If you play with your mobile phone for a long time, the muscles at the back of your neck will continue to be in a tense state, prone to strain, pain, stiffness and other discomfort. If you continue like this, the muscles of your neck will have spasms, congestion, edema, aseptic inflammation, etc. The elasticity of the neck muscles that should be like rubber bands will gradually decrease, and the C-shaped cervical spine will gradually straighten, or even appear reverse arch.

Since it is harmful to play with mobile phones for a long time, can cervical spondylosis be prevented if we go the opposite way - keep using mobile phones with our heads up?

"In daily life, it is difficult for people to keep their heads up for a long time. Playing mobile phones with their heads up can help alleviate the neck discomfort caused by long-term head lowering, which can be helpful in the short term, but can not prevent cervical spondylosis in the long term." He Da explained that if they look up at mobile phones for too long, the neck muscles will also spasm and ache, and the cervical spine will be tense, stiff and other discomfort, Because any fixed position lasting for too long will not relax the neck muscles, which is easy to cause damage to the cervical spine.

Experts remind that in addition to using mobile phones for a long time, we should also pay attention to avoiding these bad habits in life: sleeping on a high pillow, lying on the table, watching TV, etc. He Da introduced that when the physiological curvature of the cervical spine becomes straight or even the cervical spine turns back, a series of changes will occur in the joints, muscles, ligaments, fascia, blood vessels, etc. around the cervical spine, which may cause various types of cervical spondylosis, induce pain in the head, neck, shoulder, back, stiff neck and shoulder, limited activity, dizziness, etc., and even nausea, vomiting, vision loss, tinnitus Vertigo and other symptoms, some patients will also have anxiety, dry eyes, memory decline and other conditions. Once these symptoms are found, go to the hospital for inspection in time.

If the cervical physiological curvature becomes straight, can it be recovered? "For young people who simply straighten the physiological curvature of the cervical spine, if the muscles and joints of the neck are flexible, there is a chance to restore the physiological curvature of the cervical spine. The sooner the cervical structure is restored, the better." He Da said that the change of the physiological curvature is not caused by one or two days. It generally takes years. The longer the time is, the more irreversible the change of the vertebral body and intervertebral disc will be. Therefore, The earlier the problem is found and the earlier the intervention is carried out under the guidance of the doctor, the higher the probability of recovery will be.

Sit still for a long time, be careful of lumbar pain

"Ouch, the waist hurts like a needle", "people in their twenties and thirties, people in their fifties and sixties are all lumbar intervertebral discs, why are I so prominent"... On social media, the topic of lumbar health has frequently caused heated discussions. Data shows that the number of patients with lumbar spondylosis in China has exceeded 200 million, among whom young people are not a minority.

"Common lumbar diseases mainly include lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal canal stenosis, lumbar spondylolisthesis, lumbar muscle strain, etc. The patients are mainly characterized by low back pain, lower limb radiation pain, and some may have leg pain, limited mobility, etc." He Da introduced that lumbar disc herniation has both congenital and acquired factors, and the congenital factors are usually family heredity Congenital lumbar dysplasia, etc. Acquired factors include trauma, lumbar overstrain, sedentary, obesity, pregnancy, etc.

"In recent years, the incidence of lumbar spondylosis in the population has shown a trend of younger age, which is related to the lifestyle and work nature of modern young people." He Da introduced that the human spine consists of 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, 5 lumbar vertebrae and sacrococcygeal bones to form a soft, curved "multi segmented stick"; the lumbar intervertebral disc is the cartilage connection between two adjacent vertebrae, It is composed of peripheral fibrous ring and central nucleus pulposus. Under normal circumstances, the waist protrudes forward, while the sacrum protrudes backward, forming a normal physiological curve. When sitting, the lumbar spine bears the weight of the head, trunk and upper limbs. The longer you sit, the greater the pressure on the lumbar spine. Sitting for a long time without exercise, long-term bad posture (such as bending, twisting, etc.), obesity, excessive use of waist force (such as carrying heavy objects, strenuous exercise), etc., are likely to cause the rupture of the fibrous ring, the protrusion of the nucleus pulposus from the rupture, resulting in nerve root stimulation or compression, low back pain, numbness of lower limbs, and other symptoms.

"Nowadays, many young people have a lot of work pressure, less exercise, weak waist muscles, and poor stability of the lumbar spine. Muscles can protect the lumbar spine. The stronger the muscle protection ability is, the stronger the muscle protection ability is. At ordinary times, they can do some functional exercises of the lumbar muscles, such as bridge sports, Xiaoyanfei, etc., to enhance the strength of the lumbar muscles and prevent lumbar disc herniation." He Da stressed that young people should pay special attention to the intensity and manner of exercise, and not blindly "increase the intensity" to challenge themselves; patients who have suffered from lumbar disc herniation should do more according to their ability when exercising, and should adjust and rest in time when they have low back pain symptoms.

Occasionally, the waist hurts, and many people choose to bear it because they are busy with various things. Experts remind that if there is low back pain accompanied by lower limb radiation pain, you should seek medical examination as soon as possible. "Not all low back pain and lower limb radiation pain are lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, and some hip joint diseases may also cause lower limb radiation pain. At this time, the specific cause should be checked and treated in time." He Da said, "Of course, we don't need to be too nervous. Lumbar pain doesn't mean there is lumbar disease. Many young people only have muscle and ligament strain, and they can relieve symptoms through rest."

It is very important to get out of the misunderstanding

Wearing neck support, massage, massage, hot compress... On the social platform, many young people with uncomfortable cervical and lumbar vertebrae have published fancy "self-help guidelines" for cervical and lumbar spondylosis. Are these methods really useful for relieving cervical and lumbar spondylosis?

With the opening of major e-commerce platforms, a wide range of neck supports came into view, and many popular items had considerable sales data. "The neck bracket is a kind of protective device that is often used in clinic, mainly used for fixation of cervical fracture and dislocation reduction in acute stage, and it is not recommended to use it for a long time." He Da introduced that the neck bracket can make patients feel relaxed and comfortable in a short time, but it will also limit muscle movement. It is better for the doctor to give corresponding diagnosis and advice before deciding whether to wear it. It is suggested that the wearing time of the neck bracket should be controlled within half an hour to one hour each time. Long wearing is detrimental to the cervical spine. At the same time, it is necessary to gently move the neck, such as doing neck exercises.

"Lie flat on the bed, hang your head backward on the edge of the bed, and lie head down for 5 minutes every night..." This is the "head reversal method" spread on the Internet. Some netizens said that this method can not only alleviate cervical problems, but also "increase brain blood supply", "assist sleep" and other benefits. "This statement is very unscientific. This posture has no effect on the treatment of cervical spondylosis, and may also aggravate cervical spondylosis or lead to the occurrence of new diseases." He Da said that the so-called "decapitation" is not the same as the traction treatment used for normal treatment of cervical spondylosis. The former may lead to head ischemia and dizziness, which is more dangerous for patients with hypertension and vascular diseases. However, cervical traction should be carried out after the doctor evaluates the patient's condition. Appropriate cervical traction has a good effect on relieving the pain of patients with mild cervical spondylosis. However, the more times of cervical traction, the better, and the longer the time, the better. Excessive traction can lead to the relaxation of the ligaments attached to the cervical spine, accelerate the degenerative disease of the cervical spine, and reduce the stability of the cervical spine.

When the cervical vertebra and lumbar vertebra are sore, is massage, massage or hot compress useful? "Most of the time, the pain of cervical vertebra and lumbar vertebra is caused by muscle tension for a long time. In the chronic stage of soft tissue injury, massage and hot compress have the effect of alleviating pain, eliminating inflammation and promoting recovery. Therefore, some people think that massage, massage or hot compress have some effect." He Da stressed that for patients with severe symptoms of cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis, Massage and massage should not be carried out blindly, but should be properly rested; patients with serious illness need to go to a regular hospital, and ask orthopedic doctors for judgment and guidance.

"The cervical spine and lumbar spine should not be cold, and muscles and surrounding tissues will contract under the effect of cold stimulation, which will lead to discomfort, so everyone should pay attention to the cold prevention and warmth of the cervical spine and lumbar spine." He Da reminded that in daily life, we should develop good habits, pay attention to improving posture, hold our chest and head up, and avoid the bad posture of hunchback, head tilt forward and shoulder tilt forward; when working at a desk, The chair or computer should be adjusted to an appropriate height to keep the cervical spine in a natural stretching state and maintain the normal physiological curvature of the cervical spine; reduce the need to look down at mobile phones, computers, etc. for a long time, avoid sitting for a long time, get up and exercise every half an hour, do a cervical spine exercise exercise, and usually choose jogging, swimming and other sports to exercise the cervical spine and lumbar spine.

How to choose the right pillow?

There is no standard answer to the height of the pillow because everyone's height and body shape are quite different. What really affects the health of cervical vertebra is the height of extrusion behind the pillow. At present, it is generally believed that the compressed height of the pillow when lying flat is 6-7cm (about one punch high), and the compressed height of the pillow when lying on one side is the width of one shoulder, which is the ideal height of the pillow.

Functional exercise of low back muscles

The following actions should be carried out according to your ability. Patients with lumbar diseases should be evaluated by the doctor first.

Xiao Yanfei

Lie flat on the bed (the bed should not be too soft), extend the head and neck backward, straighten the upper limbs towards the back and lift them with a little force, leave the chest off the bed, straighten the lower limbs from the bed, and take the chest and abdomen as the support points.

Double leg bridging training

In the supine position, hold your chest with both hands, bend your hips and knees and put your feet flat on the bed, lift your hips off the bed, straighten your body as much as possible and keep balance. Hold for 10 seconds, 10-20/group, 3 groups/day.

Diagonal Support Exercise

Kneeling position, with hands and knees touching the ground, head naturally drooping, extend one upper limb forward, and extend the opposite lower limb backward for 5-10 seconds, and change the diagonal upper and lower limbs on the other side, 10-15 per group, 2-3 groups per day.

Lying position waist press exercise

In the supine position, bend the hips and knees, and lower the waist to the bed surface by contracting the abdominal muscles. Hold on for 10 seconds, repeat 20 times, 3 times/day.

(The above content is provided by Beijing Jishuitan Hospital)

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