How to treat cervical spondylosis?

Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
Updated on October 27, 2024
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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 Li Jin
Orthopedics
1min 2sec home-news-image

How to treat cervical spondylosis?

For the treatment of cervical spondylosis, it is necessary to consider various factors such as the patient's symptoms, the stage of disease progression, and imaging examinations comprehensively. Treatment for cervical spondylosis is mainly divided into non-surgical and surgical treatments. Non-surgical treatment includes cultivating good neck usage habits, avoiding prolonged sitting with the head down, and not sleeping on pillows that are too high. Performing neck exercises can also be beneficial in alleviating symptoms of cervical spondylosis. Additionally, when symptoms occur, symptomatic treatment can include the use of anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medications, nerve-nourishing drugs, and cartilage nutrition drugs, combined with hot compresses, physical therapy, and cervical traction, which can positively improve symptoms. In cases of severe nerve or vascular compression symptoms, surgical treatment may be necessary.

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Written by Su Zhen Bo
Orthopedics
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How to determine if it is cervical spondylosis

In clinical settings, cervical spondylosis can be diagnosed by evaluating the patient's subjective symptoms, medical history, and physical examination, combined with corresponding auxiliary examinations. Patients with cervical spondylosis often have a history of long-term chronic strain or injury in the neck. Patients may experience increased muscle tone in the limbs, muscle weakness, and sensations of tingling and numbness in the upper limbs. There may also be difficulties in walking involving the lower limbs, with sensations like walking on cotton; accompanying symptoms can include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, unstable blood pressure, and blurred vision. Electromyography, cervical spine X-rays, CT scans, and MRI can be taken to confirm the diagnosis. In terms of treatment, conservative treatments are primarily used in the early stages of the disease. Patients are advised to rest in bed, wear cervical collars for stabilization, and use a chin strap for traction. Acupuncture and moxibustion are used on the neck, along with enhanced functional training and the administration of neurotrophic medications.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Causes of cervical spondylosis

The causes of cervical spondylosis are actually of two types. The first type is intrinsic causes, which refer to the degeneration of the cervical intervertebral disc, a physiological process. Starting from the age of 20, the cervical intervertebral disc begins to degenerate, varying from person to person; some degenerate faster, others slower. However, as one ages, the cervical discs also gradually deteriorate. The second cause is the pathological changes secondary to the degeneration of the cervical intervertebral discs. For instance, after the discs degenerate, it can lead to instability of the cervical spine, formation of osteophytes around it, calcification of ligaments, and instability of small joints, among others. Due to these reasons, it results in a series of pathological changes affecting nearby soft tissues, such as blood vessels, nerves, spinal cord, and sympathetic nerves. This is the definition of cervical spondylosis. Thus, the causes of cervical spondylosis boil down to two main points: first, the degeneration of the cervical intervertebral discs; second, due to this degeneration, it induces other pathological changes such as the formation of peripheral osteophytes, ligament calcification, joint instability, etc., ultimately compressing the surrounding soft tissues, leading to cervical spondylosis.

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Written by Li Jie
Orthopedics
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Does cervical spondylosis hurt?

Cervical spondylosis is a very common disease in clinical practice, and it has many pathological types. Generally, we divide it into nerve root type cervical spondylosis, spinal cord type cervical spondylosis, local type cervical spondylosis, vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis, sympathetic nerve type cervical spondylosis, and mixed type cervical spondylosis. Pain is a major symptom in these types of cervical spondylosis, but some cervical spondylosis do not primarily present with pain, and the pain experienced can vary widely. For example, the pain in local type cervical spondylosis primarily manifests as localized pain in the cervical region; in nerve root type cervical spondylosis, the pain is typically a shooting pain in the extremities, particularly radiating pain in the upper limbs; in spinal cord type cervical spondylosis, the pain is not very typical and mainly presents as weakness in the limbs; in vertebral artery type and sympathetic nerve type cervical spondylosis, the primary manifestation is pain in the head, with less noticeable pain in the limbs. Thus, while pain is a common symptom in patients with cervical spondylosis, the characteristics of the pain vary.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Treatment of Cervical Spondylosis

The treatment of cervical spondylosis includes two aspects. The first is non-surgical treatment, which mainly involves immobilization of the neck, followed by physical therapy for the neck, including massage, acupuncture, and treatments with microwaves or shock waves, as well as cervical traction. Prevention is also important, which includes correcting poor work postures and sleeping positions. If the pain is very severe, one might consider taking some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers, etc. Secondly, if there is severe pain due to nerve root type or spinal cord type cervical spondylosis, and there is evident neurological dysfunction, or if the symptoms of cervical spondylosis usually do not alleviate or even worsen after systematic and conservative treatment, surgery is often required. Therefore, the treatment of cervical spondylosis generally includes both non-surgical and surgical treatments, and the specific method used depends on the condition of the disease.