If you have cervical spondylosis, you can get better or recover as long as you do cervical exercise or massage in time, and you don't need surgery at all.

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Cervical spondylosis is actually a general term for a class of diseases, not just neck pain or arm numbness. There are many types of cervical spondylosis in medicine according to the lesion site, such as cervical spondylotic myelopathy or cervical radiculopathy. Symptoms include pain or discomfort in the head, neck, shoulders or arms. Some people will feel pain all the time, and some people will feel uncomfortable after working for a long time, which will take a long time to relieve. Often at this time, most people begin to consciously give some extra care to their necks in order to expect this discomfort or pain to be alleviated.

For some people, doctors have given a diagnosis of cervical spondylosis and suggested surgery. But doing surgery is a challenge for everyone. If patients with cervical spondylosis are treated with massage, is it unnecessary to have surgery?

Clinically, such cases are not uncommon: patients themselves have some cervical problems, some symptoms are not serious, and their daily life has not been greatly affected. Some patients accidentally did some large-scale exercise or received massage, and their limbs suddenly lost control and were directly taken to the hospital by ambulance. Isn't it said on the Internet that doing more cervical exercise and massage can treat cervical spondylosis? Why are you paralyzed instead?

Cervical vertebra is an important part of the spine. The neck protects the spinal cord, which is responsible for transmitting the instructions of the brain to all parts of the body and collecting information from all parts of the body back to the brain. If the neural network around the body is compared to the water pipe of every household in a building, the spinal cord is the main pipe that collects all the water pipes. If the main pipeline is cut off at a certain floor, the water supply will stop at the floor below the cut-off point. Similarly, if the spinal cord is stuck in a certain section, nerve impulses cannot be uploaded, physical feelings cannot be uploaded to the brain, instructions for activities cannot be given to hands and feet, and muscles cannot be contracted, then this person will experience sensory loss or paralysis in the corresponding part.

What causes the spinal cord to get stuck in a certain segment? The spine is made up of pieces of bones, and the middle of the bones is protected by intervertebral disc connection. When the head is in the middle position, the pressure on the cervical intervertebral disc is only the weight of one head. When the head is not in the middle position, the pressure on one side of the intervertebral disc will increase. After a long time, the ligament that fixes the intervertebral disc will age, and the intervertebral disc can no longer be fixed as well as before, resulting in a part of the intervertebral disc leaving its original position. It's called disc herniation. When the disc herniation is serious, it will inevitably squeeze the surrounding tissues. If the herniated intervertebral disc compresses nerves or large blood vessels, it will have serious consequences.

So when the doctor advises you to have an operation, don't be too scared or take chances, thinking that you can recover on your own. Because for cervical spondylosis, surgery is the best way to relieve disc herniation. The earlier the operation, the better the recovery. If you compress the nerve for a long time, it will be difficult to recover. Just like walking with a heavy plastic bag for four or five hours, it may take several hours for the ligature marks and pain on your hands to recover, and even leave permanent scars. But as long as you carry it and put down the plastic bag, your hand will soon feel no discomfort.

Nerve recovery itself is not so fast. Some people have delayed the operation for several years, and this kind of nerve compression may have existed for a long time before seeing a doctor. Therefore, relieving the compression as soon as possible can restore the nerve function to the maximum extent.

For patients with cervical vertebra, irregular bonesetting massage may be fatal. Because when suffering from cervical spondylosis, the spinal cord of some patients is in a state of mild compression. When the masseur presses the spine very hard, the spinal cord will be hit briefly and violently. At this time, the compression of the spinal cord will increase instantly, which may lead to the instantaneous deterioration of nerve function. So many people are taken to the hospital by ambulance directly from the massage bed. Worst of all, it may lead to permanent paraplegia.

Cervical aerobics is generally mild and suitable for some patients with mild cervical spondylosis. How to do cervical spine exercise? For patients with symptoms of cervical spondylosis, it is suggested to go to the hospital to improve the magnetic resonance imaging and other related examinations to rule out cervical spondylotic myelopathy, severe spinal cord compression, potential ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament or nerve injury, and then do some cervical exercises appropriately, but remember to treat them "gently" and don't overdo it.

In addition, there is still a misunderstanding that needs to be corrected: some people heard that long-term bowing is not good for cervical vertebrae, so they began to lie on the bed with their heads tilted, thinking that this could relieve the pressure on cervical vertebrae. In fact, the oppression of the cervical spine by raising the head for a long time is similar to that of lowering the head, but in different directions.

What can we do about cervical spondylosis? Please exercise your neck properly, exercise your neck muscle strength, try to maintain a good sitting posture at work, keep your cervical spine neutral, and don't overuse it. If you have symptoms of cervical spondylosis, you should seek medical advice promptly. If symptoms cannot be relieved by non-surgical treatment within three months, surgical treatment should be considered. Although there are some risks in surgery, cervical spondylosis surgery is a minimally invasive and mature technology, which can directly relieve nerve compression and fundamentally solve the problem. Early operation can ensure the best recovery effect.

Expert: Wu Hao, Director of Emergency Department of Neurosurgery, xuanwu hospital, Capital Medical University.

Evaluation expert: Dong Jian, professor, director of orthopedics and director of spinal surgery of Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University.