Life Times interviewed experts to analyze the harm of "straight" neck in detail and teach you how to keep the normal curvature of cervical spine.
Interviewed experts
Zhang Zehua, Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Army Military Medical University.
Wang Guihuai, Director of Neurosurgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tsinghua, Beijing
The normal spine is not a straight line, but a perfect physiological curve, with cervical and lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis.
Viewed from the side, the radian of normal 2~7 cervical vertebrae protruding forward is called "physiological lordosis of cervical vertebrae".
When the long-term sitting posture is incorrect, the pillow is too high, and the cervical vertebra is always in a state of high fatigue, lack of activity or injury, it will cause neck pain and spasm, which will lead to the straightening of the physiological curvature of the cervical vertebra, which is one of the most common causes of neck and shoulder pain.
When the curvature changes, some people are asymptomatic, others show pain in the head, neck, shoulders and back, stiff neck and shoulders, and limited activities. In severe cases, dizziness, dizziness and vomiting occur, and some patients have symptoms such as anxiety, dry eyes and memory loss.
Yin Ganghui, deputy chief physician of the First Department of Spinal Surgery, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, said in an interview with Guangzhou Daily that the change of cervical curvature will first cause the muscle tension to increase and make the muscles stiff. If ligaments are strained for a long time, bone hyperplasia and accelerated aging of the spine will cause intervertebral disc damage, which is irreversible.
Use a piece of paper to measure the cervical curvature.
Keep your body upright and bow your head forward. Stick the paper on your chest with your chin. The normal action should be to hold the paper tightly and keep your shoulders from leaving the wall.
In the process of doing this action, if there is:
Doctors suggest that if you find that your cervical curvature is straight or your cervical motion is limited, you need to intervene as soon as possible to prevent the occurrence of cervical spondylosis.
Chronic strain is the main cause of cervical spondylosis. For example, working with your head down for a long time or using a computer, sleeping on a pillow and watching TV on the sofa will make the neck muscles in a state of fatigue for a long time. In other words, getting cervical spondylosis has a lot to do with your living habits.
Blame you for your bad posture
Crossing one's legs, hunching back, leaning on a chair, crooked neck, and taking a lunch break on the table will all hurt the cervical spine. A prominent cervical vertebra will react, and it needs strong resistance to maintain its physiological curvature, which will involve the ligaments and muscles around the cervical vertebra, cause soreness and limit the activity of the cervical vertebra.
If the posture is not corrected in time, it will further lead to cervical dislocation and hyperplasia, thus really suffering from cervical spondylosis.
Blame you for not having a good rest.
Modern people often sit for two or three hours at a time. As soon as the work is over, they turn their necks a little and click.
It's your manners, not the temperature.
In summer, some people are greedy for cold, set the air conditioning temperature very low and eat cold drinks. Chinese medicine believes that rheumatism can invade the bones and muscles along the meridians, leading to the onset of cervical and lumbar vertebrae.
Blame yourself for putting all the pressure on your back.
The "stress" here refers to something heavy. Many people hang their mobile phones around their necks and like to carry a shoulder bag, which is full. The neck and shoulders are not as strong as you think, which will put a lot of pressure on the cervical vertebrae and shoulders.
Sun, deputy chief physician of the Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University First Hospital, said that the straightening of cervical curvature is the earliest manifestation of cervical spondylosis, and it is also the earliest lesion of cervical vertebra most easily caused by long-term desk work, watching computers and playing mobile phones.
Improving cervical curvature is very important to prevent cervical spondylosis. A mineral water bottle and a towel can help you.
In addition, there are three lines of defense away from cervical spondylosis:
The first line of defense: pay attention to prevention
Maintain a normal sitting posture: keep your back straight, spread your shoulders back, land your feet naturally, and look straight at the computer screen.
Avoid fatigue: get up every 40~50 minutes to move your neck, look up and look far away, and move gently and slowly.
Choose a suitable pillow: moderate hardness, shoulder-high height, high neck, slightly leaning back, don't hang up, and advocate sleeping on your side.
Cold and moisture-proof: you can't be greedy and cool in summer, and you are too cold to wear.
Avoid injury: when lifting heavy objects, squat down, keep your back straight and your arms as close as possible to your body; When squatting and standing up, use thigh muscles instead of waist and back.
The second line of defense: warning signal
Cervical and lumbar muscle strain is sub-health, and there are usually several signals: always stiff neck, stiff and sore; The neck movement is limited, and the range of raising head, lowering head, turning left and right, and tilting head left and right becomes smaller; Dizziness, tinnitus, nausea and dry eyes; Insomnia, dreaminess and memory loss; The arm is weak and the neck is stiff repeatedly.
At this time, in addition to strengthening preventive health care, we should seek medical treatment in time and treat under the guidance of doctors.
The third line of defense: timely treatment
When the curvature of the cervical spine becomes morbidly straight or twisted, the intervertebral space becomes smaller due to extrusion, and the intervertebral disc is extruded and bulged. Vertebral hyperostosis will stimulate nerves, causing dizziness, headache, arm numbness and even paraplegia. Interventional, sealing and surgical treatment can solve the problem to some extent.