What is Disc Degeneration?

Cervical spondylosis, also known as cervical syndrome, is a general term for cervical osteoarthritis, proliferative cervical spondylitis, cervical nerve root syndrome, and cervical disc herniation. It is a disease based on degenerative pathological changes. Mainly due to long-term cervical strain, bone hyperplasia, or disc herniation, ligament thickening, resulting in cervical spinal cord, nerve root or vertebral artery compression, a series of clinical symptoms of dysfunction. It is manifested by cervical disc degeneration itself and its secondary series of pathological changes, such as vertebral instability and loosening; nucleus pulposus or prolapse; bone spur formation; ligament hypertrophy and secondary spinal stenosis, which stimulate or compress Nervous roots, spinal cords, vertebral arteries, and cervical sympathetic nerves cause various symptoms and signs of the syndrome. The disease belongs to the category of TCM syndromes. The clinical syndromes are mainly divided into liver and kidney deficiency and wind cold and dampness. The cervical spine is located between the head, chest and upper limbs, and is the smallest in the spine vertebra, but the segment with the greatest flexibility, the highest frequency of movement, and the heavy load is extremely prone to bear various loads, strains, and even trauma. Regression. After about 30 years of age, the cervical intervertebral disc begins to gradually degenerate, the water content decreases, and it becomes more pronounced with age, and induces or promotes tissue degeneration in other parts of the cervical spine. From the perspective of biomechanics, the 5th mdash; 6th and 6th mdash; 7 cervical vertebra is the most stressed, so the occurrence of cervical spondylosis is more common in these segments. Statistics show that about 25% of people around the age of 50 have had or are suffering from the disease, about 50% at the age of 60, and almost 100% at the age of 70. It can be seen that this disease is common in middle-aged and elderly people. Disease and frequently.

Cervical disc degeneration

Cervical spondylosis, also known as cervical syndrome, is a general term for cervical osteoarthritis, proliferative cervical spondylitis, cervical nerve root syndrome, and cervical disc herniation. It is a disease based on degenerative pathological changes. Mainly due to long-term cervical strain, bone hyperplasia, or disc herniation, ligament thickening, resulting in cervical spinal cord, nerve root or vertebral artery compression, a series of clinical symptoms of dysfunction. It is manifested by cervical disc degeneration itself and its secondary series of pathological changes, such as vertebral instability and loosening; nucleus pulposus or prolapse; bone spur formation; ligament hypertrophy and secondary spinal stenosis, which stimulate or compress Nervous roots, spinal cords, vertebral arteries, and cervical sympathetic nerves cause various symptoms and signs of the syndrome. The disease belongs to the category of TCM syndromes. The clinical syndromes are mainly divided into liver and kidney deficiency and wind cold and dampness. The cervical spine is located between the head, chest and upper limbs, and is the smallest in the spine vertebra, but the segment with the greatest flexibility, the highest frequency of movement, and the heavy load is extremely prone to bear various loads, strains, and even trauma. Regression. After about 30 years of age, the cervical intervertebral disc begins to gradually degenerate, the water content decreases, and it becomes more pronounced with age, and induces or promotes tissue degeneration in other parts of the cervical spine. From the perspective of biomechanics, the 5th mdash; 6th and 6th mdash; 7 cervical vertebra is the most stressed, so the occurrence of cervical spondylosis is more common in these segments. Statistics show that about 25% of people around the age of 50 have had or are suffering from the disease, about 50% at the age of 60, and almost 100% at the age of 70. It can be seen that this disease is common in middle-aged and elderly people. Disease and frequently.

Affected area

neck

Related diseases

Cervical Spondylosis Osteoproliferative Nerve Root Cervical Spondylosis Cervical Spondylosis Cervical Spondylosis Syndrome Cervical Spondylopathy Esophageal Compression Cervical Spondylosis Anterior Spinal Artery Syndrome Vertebral Artery Cervical Spondylosis Hypertrophy Swell

Related symptoms

Intestinal flatulence, sweating, abnormal nausea, earplugs, tinnitus, sensory disturbance, bone paralysis, spinous process tenderness, shoulders, back, heaviness, anxiety, cervical spine, cervical degeneration, cervical degeneration, cervical hyperplasia, upper limb weakness, neuralgia, insomnia, hand holding, paralysis, headache, dizziness, difficulty swallowing Lower limb weakness tachycardia palpitation psychological damage dizziness swelling, dry eyes can not open lumbar disc herniation melancholic disc prolapse

Affiliated Department

Department of Rehabilitation

Related inspections

Spinal MRI for neck stiffness

The basic pathological change of cervical spondylosis is degenerative change of the disc. The cervical spine is located between the skull and the thorax. The cervical intervertebral discs need frequent activities under load, and they are susceptible to excessive microtrauma and strain.

The main pathological changes are: early cervical disc degeneration, reduced water content in the nucleus pulposus, and swelling and thickening of the fibers of the fibrous ring, followed by hyaline degeneration and even rupture. After cervical disc degeneration, the pressure resistance and traction resistance decreased. When subjected to the gravity of the skull and the traction between the head and chest muscles, degenerative discs can be localized or extended to the surrounding process, narrowing the disc space, overlapping and dislocation of articular processes, and the longitudinal diameter of the foraminal Get smaller. Due to the weakening of the intervertebral disc's resistance to traction, when the cervical spine moves, the stability between adjacent vertebrae decreases and intervertebral instability occurs. The mobility between the vertebral bodies increases and the vertebral body has a slight slippage, which then occurs. Bone hyperplasia in the posterior facet joints, hook joints, and laminae, degeneration of the ligamentum flavum and the ligamentum flavum, changes in cartilage and ossification.

Clinical symptoms

Symptoms of cervical spondylosis are very rich, diverse and complex. Most patients have milder symptoms at first, which gradually worsen in the future, and some patients have more severe symptoms. This is related to the type of cervical spondylopathy, but often there are few simple types. One type is the main type and there are one or several types mixed together. It is called mixed cervical spondylosis, so the symptoms are very rich and diverse. complicated. Its main symptoms are sore head, neck, shoulders, back, arms, stiff neck and restricted movement. Neck and shoulder pain can be radiated to the headrest and upper limbs. Some are accompanied by dizziness, house rotation, severe cases with nausea and vomiting, bedridden, and a few may have dizziness and sudden collapse. On one side, the face becomes hot and sometimes sweats abnormally. Heaviness of shoulders and back, weakness of upper limbs, numbness of fingers, sensation of skin on limbs, weakness of hand grips, and sometimes unconscious holding of the ground. Other patients have weakness in the lower limbs, unstable walking, numb feet, and feel like walking on cotton when walking. When cervical spondylosis affects sympathetic nerves, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, swelling, dryness, occlusion of the eyes, tinnitus, ear blockage, imbalance, tachycardia, palpitation, tight chest, sensation, yes Even symptoms such as flatulence. A small number of people suffer from uncontrollable urination, sexual dysfunction, and even quadriplegia. Also have difficulty swallowing, dysphonia and other symptoms. These symptoms are related to the degree of onset, the length of the onset, and the individual's physical fitness. Most of them are mild and not taken seriously by people. Most of them can recover on their own, and sometimes light and severe. Only when symptoms continue to worsen and cannot be reversed, do they pay attention to work and life. If the disease is not cured for a long time, it will cause psychological damage and produce symptoms such as insomnia, irritability, anger, anxiety, and depression.

Cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis and other lumbar spondylosis are both degenerative changes in the spine, and both are likely to cause neuralgia. However, the two have more obvious differences. Generally speaking, the symptoms and signs of cervical spondylosis are more complex and changeable than lumbar spondylosis, and they are more easily ignored by patients and missed or misdiagnosed by doctors. The symptoms and signs caused by cervical spondylosis are wider and more severe than those of lumbar spondylosis.

Clinical examination

Including the following aspects.

(1) The tender point is tender near the vertebra or spinous process, and the tender position is generally consistent with the affected segment.

(2) The range of motion of the cervical spine is the examination of forward flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation. Patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy have more restricted neck movements, while those with vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis may experience dizziness when moving in one direction.

(3) Foraminal compression test: The patient's head is tilted toward the affected side. The examiner's left palm is flat on the top of the patient's head, and the right palm is held on the back of the left arm. In the case of severe nerve root symptoms, painful, numb, or exacerbated symptoms can occur if the head is gently pressed with both hands.

(4) Intervertebral foramen separation test: For patients with suspected root symptoms, the patient is seated, holding his head with both hands and pulling upwards, and it is positive if the pain and numbness of the upper limbs are reduced.

(5) Nerve root pull test. Also known as brachial plexus pull test, the patient sits with his head turned to the healthy side. The examiner holds one hand against the back of the ear and holds the wrist in the opposite direction to pull. Pain is positive

(6) Huffman's civil examination examines the patient's forearm with his right hand, holding the middle finger with the index finger in one hand, and hitting the middle finger nail with the thumb. If positive, that is, the flexion reflex of the four fingers, it indicates that the spinal cord and nerves have been injured.

(7) The neck rotation test is also called the vertebral artery twist test: the patient sits and does active neck rotation, repeated several times. If there is vomiting or a sudden fall, the test is positive, suggesting cervical spondylosis of the vertebral artery type.

(8) Sensory Disorders A skin sensory test for patients with cervical spine helps to understand the extent of the lesions. The sensory disturbances appearing in different parts can determine the segments of the diseased cervical spine; pain generally appears early, the numbness has entered the middle stage, and the sensation completely disappeared is in the late stage of the lesion.

(9) Examination of muscle strength In cases where cervical spondylosis damages the nerve root or spinal cord, the muscle strength decreases. If the innervation is lost, the muscle strength may be zero. According to the innervation of each muscle, the location and segment of nerve injury can be determined.

(1) Do not work, read a book, surf the Internet, etc. in a state of excessive neck strain. If you work in a state of neck strain for a long time, it will only cause severe neck strain.

(2) Adequate sleep must be provided to adequately eliminate neck fatigue.

(3) If your eyes are tired, it is recommended to do more eye massage, such as eye exercises, because tired eyes can also cause neck fatigue.

(4) If you have to work for a long time without extra time to do neck exercise, you can also use some online cervical spondylosis prevention and treatment functions to reduce the strain on your neck and avoid repetitive movements in the neck for a long time. .

(5) Prevent cervical spine injury Do labor, sports, preparation activities before performances, prevent cervical spine and other parts of the injury

(6) Ensure a good sitting position

(7) Correct the inappropriate sleeping posture, adjust the reasonable sleeping posture, and choose the proper pillow height.

(8) Preventing wind and cold in the neck Preventing wind and cold in the neck. Actively treating neck trauma, infection, tuberculosis, lymphadenitis, and discitis is also an important part of preventing cervical spondylosis.

(9) Strengthening exercise and physical fitness: In ancient China, there were idioms with flowing water and no decay, and the household hub was not stingy. The Nei Jing has guidance and jumping, and Hua Bo has five poultry shows, all of which show that whole-body exercise can strengthen your body and prevent disease.

(10) Reasonable meals