Once, “sitting in the office” was considered a symbol of decent work. For the current office crowd, “sitting” is indeed the most frequent posture in daily life. In winter, the cold wind is raging, and people spend more time indoors unknowingly. Many people like to “lie down” on the sofa or leaning on the bed to play mobile phones or watch TV. It feels extremely comfortable. However, these seemingly relaxed and comfortable postures, in the opinion of orthopedic doctors, are potential risk factors for inducing spinal injuries, which can cause pain and discomfort in the cervical and lumbar spine. Why does sitting for a long time cause pain? What are the hidden dangers behind the “comfortable” posture? In this regard, our reporter interviewed Chief Physician Li Xiaolin, Deputy Chief Physician Feng Fabo, and Deputy Chief Physician Yang Di of the Department of Orthopedics of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital. Experts said: Raising awareness of prevention and changing the “habitual” is to stay away from neck pain and low back pain. The ultimate magic weapon.
Neck pain, low back pain and early inspection
Stiffness and soreness in the neck, shoulder and waist are experiences that many people have experienced, but as long as the degree is not serious, many people will not take it seriously. Chief Physician Li Xiaolin said, “Many people’s work and life are now inseparable from the long-term desk posture. Neck pain and low back pain are common in outpatient clinics. White-collar workers sitting in the office and students in school are all high-risk groups of pain. There is a trend of youthfulness. Avoiding wrong sitting postures and maintaining postures for a long time is the key to preventing problems. “The
human spine has a certain degree of physiological curvature, including cervical lordosis, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and sacral kyphosis. Four curvatures. The cervical spine and lumbar spine present a lordotic arc of 20-40 degrees. When the posture is unchanged for a long time, keeping the head tilted and incorrect sitting posture will reduce the physiological curvature, so the force of the intervertebral disc will be greatly increased. The intervertebral disc is the cartilage connection between the vertebrae. It consists of the outer fibrous ring and the soft, jelly-like nucleus. Deputy Chief Physician Feng Fabo explained: “For example, the force of an intervertebral disc may be 5 kilograms. If the physiological arc is reduced, straightened or even reversed, the force of the intervertebral disc will increase several times. During high-load use of time, the intervertebral disc will accelerate the aging. At the same time, the intervertebral disc will also transfer these heavy loads to the muscles and joints behind it, causing neck pain. If the wrong posture continues and is not corrected, it will accumulate over time. It will lead to the degeneration of the intervertebral disc, which is what we often say is strain, and the weight-bearing capacity of the intervertebral disc is reduced. As the saying goes, “water droplets through the stone”, the damage continues to accumulate, which may cause the fibrous ring to rupture, and the intervertebral disc will protrude into the spinal canal and compress the nerves. At this time, some patients will experience radiating pain in their hands, severe hand weakness, numbness, and other symptoms, requiring surgical treatment.”
Therefore, pain in the neck and waist may mean that there is a problem with your daily posture. Deputy Chief Physician Yang Di added: “When a person is in a sitting position, the pressure on the spine is inherently greater than when lying or standing. Therefore, sitting for a long time will inevitably lead to strain on the spine. Nowadays, most people are’head bowers’. Electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets can’t be stopped as soon as they are used. They have their heads down, probes, and breasts. Some patients come to the clinic and say that they feel stiff neck. In fact, in many cases it is a signal of cervical degeneration. Cervical spondylosis is’cervical cervical spondylosis’, which is also the earliest form of cervical spondylosis. The main symptoms are concentrated in the neck, shoulders, and arms. The symptoms are neck and shoulder pain, shoulder and back pain. Fortunately, no vertebrae have appeared at this time. The problem of gap stenosis is therefore the best time for intervention and treatment. If it is not paid attention to, if it continues to develop, it may enter the more serious stage of cervical spondylosis such as radiculopathy and cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Because of the wrong posture Many people with bad cervical spine also have lumbar spine problems. For example, many people like to lie on the head of the bed and watch TV. This is a typical posture that hurts the cervical and lumbar spine at the same time. It must be avoided.” The cervical spine and lumbar spine need to bear the weight of the entire upper body, and the lumbar spine is also required to carry heavy objects, so the load is heavier. Once lumbar intervertebral disc slippage occurs, it can also cause leg pain, leg numbness and other symptoms.
Feng Fabo said: “The development of cervical spondylosis is a chronic and insidious process. Some people don’t pay attention to symptoms when they develop symptoms. They often wait until the symptoms intensify or the pain is unbearable before they go to the hospital.” More than 30 The year-old Mr. Wang always has symptoms of neck pain and numbness in his hands, but he always feels that this is not a big deal, and he didn’t take it seriously. Not long ago, he carried a box of several tens of kilograms on his shoulder. He didn’t expect that his hands and feet on one side suddenly couldn’t move, as if he had suffered a stroke. “At that time, we urgently performed an MRI examination for him after receiving the emergency room. The examination results confirmed our preliminary judgment.” Feng Fabo said that Mr. Wang’s problem was clinically called hemisection of the spinal cord syndrome. It is an acute disc herniation. The intervertebral disc that is usually strained is stimulated by a heavy load, and the spinal cord is compressed and injured. Fortunately, because of his younger age, Mr. Wang basically recovered after receiving the treatment, but his hand grip was still affected to a certain extent. Follow-up treatments in the rehabilitation department will help restore motor function. Therefore, if you feel the symptoms of neck pain and low back pain have lasted for a long time, or you feel radiating pain or numbness in your hands, you should go to a regular hospital as soon as possible, and don’t wait until the “emergency” occurs and causes more serious problems. hurt. If it is just a simple neck and shoulder pain, the physiological curvature is usually checked by X-ray. If there is already a hand, leg or more serious walking problem, then further CT and MRI are needed.
Don’t forget to give the spine “holidays” often
Affected by the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, during the 2020 Spring Festival, the public will spend more time at home than ever before. The changes in work and lifestyle not only make many people uncomfortable, but also increase the risk of sedentary sitting. Many people’s existing cervical and lumbar spine problems have worsened, and the number of people visiting the orthopedics clinic of the hospital has increased. “The acute onset of cervical spondylosis is often a critical stage from quantitative change to qualitative change. Long-term desk work and study maintain the wrong sitting posture, resulting in increased stress on the intervertebral disc, and the development of intervertebral disc degeneration is hidden and irreversible. Some see the disease Of patients, the curvature of the cervical spine has changed a lot, which is also a hidden danger in the future, which may cause scoliosis and deformity of the spine.” Although we feel that sitting is relaxed and comfortable, our spine is actually “happy or not Quiet”, therefore, for whatever reason, try to avoid maintaining a posture for a long time.
”Everyone is the first person responsible for their own health.” We have the ability and obligation to take active actions to promote our own health. Experts said that in the face of sedentary work styles that cannot be changed, the office crowd should turn passive to active. Set an alarm clock for yourself, get up and stretch out every hour, it is not difficult to achieve. The key is to improve the awareness of sitting shortly and develop good habits. On November 25, 2020, the World Health Organization released a new version of the “Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors” (hereinafter referred to as “Guidelines”). Statistics show that one-quarter of adults and four-fifths of adolescents are not doing enough physical activity. And everyone, regardless of age and ability, can perform physical activities, and as long as they move, they are good for health. “Do a Pozi exercise between work, do some exercises of the back and neck muscles during rest, mainly exercise the core muscles near the cervical and lumbar spine, strengthen the muscles of these parts, and help reduce the load on the intervertebral discs and joints. Delay the strain of the intervertebral disc. There are many exercise methods, including Xiaoyanfei, five-point support, hip bridge, plank support, etc., pay attention to step by step when exercising. In case of acute attacks of pain, pay attention to rest and do not exercise blindly.” Feng Fabo Said.
In addition, Yang Di said that with the continuous improvement of living standards, everyone is eating well and overweight has become a common phenomenon. It is recommended that everyone actively participate in sports, such as swimming and playing badminton, to increase calorie consumption, control weight, and reduce lumbar spine Load the pressure and relax the cervical spine and lumbar spine that are used in daily stress. The “Guide” recommends that for children and adolescents aged 5-17, an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity should be performed every day for a week, including at least 3 days of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise and muscle and bone strengthening exercises . For adults between 18 and 64 years of age: At least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activities or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities per week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity exercises.
Be cautious when doing massage
Orthopedics experts said that every year, they encounter such cases: patients with acute onset of cervical pain and more serious symptoms such as hand numbness. The patients go to some irregular massage parlors to massage on their own, and they are paralyzed due to improper operation. After treatment, the effect is often not satisfactory. Chief Physician Li Xiaolin said that before acupuncture and massage doctors in many hospitals treat patients, they will recommend that patients undergo an MRI before treatment to confirm the condition of the spine before receiving various treatments.
”If the physiological curvature of the cervical spine and lumbar spine does not change, then using some massage equipment, massage chairs, or coming to the hospital for massage massage can indeed promote blood circulation around the fascia and relieve pain. But if The curvature of the spine has changed, and intervertebral disc degeneration and herniation have appeared. These measures are not very effective, and they will delay the disease and even cause more serious injuries.” Feng Fabo said.
Experts also said that cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis are chronic diseases. Even after surgery, they are not once and for all, and the probability of recurrence is still high. Therefore, maintaining the correct posture, avoiding standing or sitting for a long time, and strengthening the exercise of the back muscles around the spine are indispensable for preventing the occurrence and recurrence of the disease. When choosing a seat, choose a seat with a moderate height and a little harder. Maintain a sitting posture in a physiological position. On the contrary, avoid long-term maintenance of some postures that do not conform to the physiological position, such as sitting on a short stool, prolonged kneeling and squatting, etc. At this time, the spine cannot maintain the normal physiological curvature, which greatly increases the load on the intervertebral disc and small joints. In addition, everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health, and many people don’t know that smoking can also aggravate intervertebral disc degeneration and aggravate the degree of neck pain and low back pain. Therefore, smoking cessation is also a necessary measure for patients with cervical and lumbar disease.
Many people have seen such a cartoon: contemporary people who have evolved to walk upright have reverted to “ancient people” sitting on chairs with hunchbacks and leaning necks because of their daily use of mobile phones and computers, and wrong sitting postures. Sitting for a long time not only leads to unsightly appearances, but also damages our cervical and lumbar spine. In the new year and new weather, office people can start by changing their sedentary life and take their health in their own hands.
