Is cervical degeneration serious?

Degenerative changes in the cervical spine are a decline in the structure and function of the cervical spine, which is significantly related to aging. It is also related to some bad living habits that lead to cervical degeneration. When degenerative changes in the cervical spine occur, patients will show many symptoms, many of which are quite serious. Sometimes they cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, radiating pain, numbness in the upper limbs, and more severe cases may even lead to limb paralysis, endangering the patient's life.

Is cervical degeneration serious?

Mild symptoms include headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, neck and shoulder pain, upper limb numbness, weakness, tinnitus, blurred vision, chest tightness and palpitations. Severe cases can also lead to limb paralysis, urinary and bowel disorders, and even life-threatening.

Prevention Just as there is no effective way to stop human aging, cervical degeneration cannot be completely avoided. However, you can try to slow down the progression of cervical degeneration by changing bad lifestyle habits. Long-term overload of the cervical spine, inappropriate exercise methods, and incorrect neck posture are important causes of cervical degeneration. To avoid these factors, you should do the following: 1. Avoid bowing your head or working at a desk for long periods of time. Generally, you should stand up and move around for 10 minutes every 40 to 60 minutes to prevent neck muscle strain that may cause failure of the cervical spine's stability device and excessive load on the cervical intervertebral disc that may affect its metabolism and accelerate degeneration. 2. When using a computer or watching TV, the screen should be at eye level or slightly higher. 3. When standing or sitting, you should keep your chest up and head up, and do not hunch your head. When lying down, do not place the pillow too high to avoid flexion of the cervical spine; the cervical spine should be kept in a neutral or slightly extended position. 4. Avoid sleeping while sitting in a car or other means of transportation. The cervical spine often shakes involuntarily due to bumps and the lack of effective protection from the neck muscles can easily damage tissues such as the cervical disc, ligaments, and neck and back muscles.