What causes headaches?

Many people don't know much about the occipital area. The occipital area refers to the distribution area of ​​the greater occipital nerve and the lesser occipital nerve. This area is prone to pain, and there are many reasons for the pain. The most common one is cervical spondylosis. Because of degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc, it is easy to cause pain. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the prevention of cervical spondylosis in daily life.

What causes headaches?

The basic pathological change of cervical spondylosis is the degeneration of the intervertebral disc. The cervical vertebrae are located between the head and the thorax. The cervical intervertebral discs need to move frequently while bearing weight, and are prone to excessive minor trauma and strain, leading to illness.

The main pathological changes are: early degeneration of the cervical intervertebral disc, decreased water content of the nucleus pulposus and swelling and thickening of the fibers of the annulus fibrosus, followed by hyaline degeneration and even rupture. After the cervical intervertebral disc degenerates, its resistance to pressure and tension decreases. When affected by the gravity of the head and the pulling force of the head-thoracic muscles, the degenerated intervertebral disc may bulge outward locally or extensively, causing the intervertebral disc space to narrow, the articular processes to overlap and dislocate, and the longitudinal diameter of the intervertebral foramen to decrease. Due to the weakening of the traction resistance of the intervertebral disc, when the cervical spine moves, the stability between adjacent vertebrae decreases and intervertebral instability occurs, the range of motion between the vertebral bodies increases and the vertebral bodies have slight slippage, followed by bone hyperplasia of the posterior facet joints, uncovertebral joints and vertebral lamina, degeneration of the yellow ligament and nuchal ligament, and changes such as cartilage and ossification.

Prevention of cervical spondylosis

1. Read books about cervical spondylosis and learn how to prevent and treat the disease with scientific means. 2. Maintain an optimistic spirit, establish the idea of ​​fighting hard against the disease, cooperate with the doctor's treatment, and reduce recurrence. 3. Strengthen the training of the neck and shoulder muscles. Do flexion, extension and rotation exercises of the head and upper limbs during breaks or after work. This can not only relieve fatigue, but also develop muscles and increase toughness, which is beneficial to the stability of the cervical spine and enhance the ability of the neck and shoulders to adapt to sudden changes in the neck. 4. Avoid the bad habit of sleeping with a high pillow. A high pillow causes the head to flex forward, increasing the stress on the lower cervical spine and may accelerate cervical degeneration. 5. Keep your neck and shoulders warm, avoid putting heavy objects on your head and neck, avoid excessive fatigue, and don't doze off while riding in a car. 6. Treat soft tissue strain of the neck, shoulders and back as early as possible and thoroughly to prevent it from developing into cervical spondylosis. 7. Prevent sprains and bruises when working or walking. 8. People who work at a desk for a long time should change their head position regularly and exercise their neck and shoulder muscles on time. 9. Pay attention to the posture of your head, neck, shoulders and back. Do not tilt your head or shrug your shoulders. Look straight ahead when talking or reading. Keep your spine straight. 10 Traditional Chinese medicine believes that walnuts, cornus officinalis, raw earth, black sesame, etc. have the function of nourishing the kidney marrow. Taking them in a reasonable amount can strengthen the muscles and bones and delay the degeneration of the kidneys and joints.