Are you often dizzy, heavy head, and headache because of cervical spondylosis? Do you sometimes vomit and can’t eat anything? Are your arms and fingers numb, or even blurred vision when you see things? These are common symptoms of cervical spondylosis, and patients must pay attention to this, because the above conditions are still mild. If not controlled, cervical spondylosis can also lead to cervical heart syndrome, high blood pressure, chest pain, lower limb paralysis and A series of more serious consequences such as cataplexy.
In daily life, in addition to medication and surgical treatment, some exercise methods can also be used to improve the stress on the neck and reduce pain. Which exercise methods are safe and effective?
Practicing “Rice” Exercises Carefully
When it comes to the exercises for maintaining the cervical spine, it is estimated that many people will blurt out the “rice” exercises, thinking that it can move more to the neck. In fact, for patients with insufficient cervical spine stability, especially for patients with cervical spondylosis who have symptoms of spinal cord and vascular compression, this exercise method is very dangerous. The neck rotation movement is likely to cause acute vertebral artery compression and spinal cord impact injury. This will have disastrous consequences. For patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy, if the hands are numb and painful, the symptoms of nerve compression will be aggravated when doing lateral flexion, resulting in more severe numbness.
However, the “meter” word exercise is not without value. For healthy people or people with simple cervical fatigue, it can indeed increase the mobility of the cervical spine.
Isometric resistance training is more reliable
Modern biomechanics believes that making the muscles behind the neck more powerful and elastic can effectively maintain the balance of cervical spine mechanics and achieve the purpose of effectively preventing cervical spondylosis. Isometric contraction exercises for the back of the neck muscles are based on this principle. There are two specific methods, one is self-resistance, and the other is resistance with the help of objects.
There are four ways to exercise self-resistance. 1. Rear: Take a sitting position, first cross the fingers of both hands and place them above the tuberosity of the occipital bone (back of the head), press the headrest forward with both hands, and use the headrest backward to resist the strength of both hands. 2. Left side: The left palm is placed on the top of the left temporal (temple), the left palm is forced to the right to press the top of the left temporal, the head is forced to the left against the force of the left palm. 3. Right side: Place the right palm on the top of the right temporalis (temple), press the top of the right temporalis strongly to the left, and force the head to the right against the right palm. 4. Front: Cross the fingers of both hands and place them on the forehead (forehead), press the forehead with both hands backward, and force the forehead forward to oppose the strength of both hands.
There are also two ways to exercise. 1. Take a standing position and place a basketball-sized inflatable ball between the forehead and the wall. The patient shrinks the chin, and the upper limbs gradually carry out weight-bearing activities. Pay attention to the head and neck to maintain the above posture. 2. Take the supine position, with the head on the edge of the cushion, so that the neck is unsupported, and the upper limbs perform weight-bearing activities within the tolerable range.
All exercises are suitable for the swelling of the neck muscles, and require the head and neck to be in the middle position during the whole exercise. The exercise time and frequency are not strict. We recommend that each exercise lasts 30 seconds, 2 minutes per group, and can be performed several times a day from time to time. In recent years, many large-scale studies at home and abroad have confirmed that isometric resistance training can enhance cervical muscle strength and maintain the stability of the cervical spine, which is effective in preventing and treating cervical spondylosis. But in order to achieve good results, you must persevere. It is impossible to think of it.
It is important to correct bad posture
Cervical spondylosis is caused by many factors, the most important of which is bad posture and habits. Therefore, in daily life, try to avoid lying down and playing with mobile phones and sleeping too high a pillow (the height of the pillow should be the height of one punch, slightly recessed in the center, do not hang in the air, keep the head slightly back and be used to lying on the side For people who have a problem, try to keep the pillows at shoulder height); avoid keeping a posture for a long time; choose ergonomically designed tables and chairs, the height of the tables and chairs is best to be adjusted, and the seat preferably has a supporting back and armrests; desk After working for a period of time, you can leave your seat temporarily, move your head and neck, and do cervical spine exercises to relax your shoulder and neck muscles. Also pay attention to the warmth of the neck and shoulders, avoid head and neck load, avoid excessive fatigue, and do not doze off when riding in the car; early and thorough treatment of neck and shoulder and back soft tissue strain to prevent it from developing into cervical spondylosis; avoid contusions when working or walking, and avoid sudden braking When the head and neck are injured, avoid falling. Irregular massage, beating, and traction may cause injury to the cervical spine. In severe cases, it may even lead to paralysis, so be sure not to massage blindly.
