The Harm of Cervical Spondylosis

Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
Updated on September 17, 2024
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The harm caused by cervical spondylosis is quite significant. Typically, patients with cervical spondylosis will experience pain, discomfort, or stiffness in their necks. When the vertebral artery is compressed, patients might exhibit a range of clinical symptoms, including dizziness, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. Furthermore, some patients may experience blurred vision, decreased hearing, numbness, weakness, and distension pain in either or both upper limbs. Some patients also suffer from symptoms like profuse sweating, loss of appetite, palpitations, instability while walking, and a sensation as if stepping on cotton, and in severe cases, they may experience abnormalities in urination and bowel movements.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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Symptoms of cervical spondylosis

The symptoms of cervical spondylosis in clinical practice are relatively complex. Patients with cervical spondylosis typically experience neck pain and discomfort, or stiffness. Furthermore, the patients may suffer from headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, reduced hearing, and numbness, weakness, or swelling pain in the bilateral or unilateral upper limbs. Some patients might also experience palpitations, loss of appetite, unsteady walking, and a sensation of walking on cotton. These are the common clinical symptoms of cervical spondylosis. Usually, the diagnosis of cervical spondylosis requires the support of auxiliary examinations, such as CT scans and MRI of the cervical spine.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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Do cervical spondylosis patients fear cold?

Patients with cervical spondylosis are sensitive to cold. Exposure to cold can cause vasoconstriction and muscle contraction, thus aggravating the clinical symptoms of cervical spondylosis. Therefore, it is said that cervical spondylosis is sensitive to cold. Patients with cervical spondylosis should avoid cold environments and actively keep warm. It is recommended to persistently apply heat using a hot water bottle or salt bag twice daily, for at least thirty minutes each time for more noticeable effects. For those experiencing severe pain, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be taken to alleviate pain. Additionally, topical plasters that activate blood circulation and disperse stasis can be used, along with therapies like acupuncture, electric heating, cupping, traction, and massage, which may progressively lead to recovery.

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Written by Qiu Xiang Zhong
Orthopedics
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Symptoms of cervical spondylosis

The cervical spine refers to the part of the spine located in the neck, consisting of seven vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and ligaments between the vertebrae. When cervical spondylosis occurs, it mainly causes pain in the head, neck, and shoulders, as well as numbness or pain in the arms and fingers. When the neck is stiff, the patient's movement is restricted, and neck and shoulder pain may also be accompanied by dizziness, nausea, vomiting, or even sudden collapse. Some patients may also experience a heavy feeling in the shoulders and back, weakness in the arms, numbness in the fingers, decreased skin sensation in the limbs, and weakness in gripping objects; other patients may also experience weakness in the lower limbs, a feeling of treading on cotton when walking, unsteady walking, or numbness in the feet.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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How to treat cervical spondylosis?

The treatment plan primarily depends on the severity of the patient's cervical spondylosis. If the cervical spondylosis is very severe and there is significant compression on the spinal nerve roots, resulting in symptoms such as pain, numbness, and weakness in the legs, numbness and swelling pain in the arms, abnormal bladder and bowel functions, and evident spinal stenosis, then it is necessary to aggressively pursue surgical treatment. This usually involves the removal of the intervertebral disc, decompression and expansion of the spinal canal, and surgical treatment with intervertebral bone grafting and internal fixation. For cases where the disc herniation is not very large and the neck pain is not very severe, conservative treatment may be chosen. This includes measures like rest and protection, local heat application, and combining therapies such as acupuncture, electrotherapy, cupping, and traction.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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What should I do about cervical spondylosis?

In clinical practice, the incidence of cervical spondylosis is relatively high, including vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis. Usually, for such patients, it is necessary to actively apply treatments such as cervical hot compresses, acupuncture, massage, traction, massages, and electrotherapy. Additionally, it is necessary to use vasodilator drugs to improve the blood supply to the vertebral artery. Furthermore, cervical spondylosis of the spinal nerve root type also has a high incidence. Patients often experience numbness in the limbs, making it necessary to actively apply nutritional neurotrophic drugs and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics for treatment. When cervical spondylosis is severe and cannot be improved through conservative treatment, it becomes necessary to proceed with surgical treatment actively.