Night Listening | Should I go for massage and bone adjustment if I have cervical spondylosis?

Hello, this is Science Popularization China. I wonder if you usually have this feeling: after working with your head down or looking at your phone for a long time, your head, neck, shoulders and even arms feel a little uncomfortable, and it takes a while to recover. If this is true, it may be related to cervical spondylosis.

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So let's talk about how cervical spondylosis is caused. In fact, our cervical vertebrae are made up of pieces of bones, and there are intervertebral discs in the middle of the bones to connect and provide a certain degree of protection. When our head does not move left and right, the pressure on the cervical spine is just the weight of the head, but if the head is not in the middle, the pressure on one side of the intervertebral disc will increase. Over time, the ligaments that fix the intervertebral disc will age and can no longer fix it. In this way, part of the intervertebral disc will move out of its original position, and in severe cases it will squeeze the surrounding tissues. This is the so-called disc herniation.

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Many of my friends found out that they have cervical spondylosis. Their first thought is to get their bones straightened or massaged. Well, it sounds good. No surgery is needed. After the massage, you can go home comfortably and the disease is cured. But we must say that for patients with cervical spondylosis, informal bone straightening and massage may have serious consequences.

Such cases are not uncommon in hospitals. This is because when there is cervical spondylosis, the patient's spinal cord will be slightly compressed. At this time, the masseur will press the spine hard, and the spine will be subjected to a short and violent impact. At this time, the compression of the spinal cord will increase instantly, which may cause the nerve function to deteriorate instantly. In the most serious cases, it may cause permanent high-level paraplegia.

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So what is the correct method? There are many treatments for cervical spondylosis, but if the problem of cervical disc herniation is already very serious, surgery is the best method. And the earlier the surgery is done, the better the recovery will be. So if the doctor recommends surgery after diagnosis, don't be too afraid or have a fluke mentality, thinking that you can recover. Following the doctor's advice is the most important thing.

Review丨Zhang Qinghua, Chief Physician of Orthopedics, Shougang Hospital