Wang Kuaisheng, director of orthopedics at Hainan Chengmei Hospital, said that maintaining poor posture for a long time is one of the important causes of cervical spondylosis. To stay away from cervical spondylosis, it is crucial to develop the correct posture.
01 How do bad postures "crush" the cervical vertebrae?
According to Director Wang Kuaisheng, modern people often look down at their mobile phones or computers for long periods of time due to work and living habits, or maintain a hunched posture, which puts a heavy burden on the cervical vertebrae.
When the head is lowered, the pressure on the cervical vertebrae increases significantly with the increase of the Angle of the head. Research shows that when the head is lowered at 60 degrees, the pressure on the cervical vertebrae is equivalent to the weight of a 7-year-old child. Under such pressure for a long time, the normal physiological curvature of the cervical vertebrae will gradually straighten or even reverse, and the intervertebral discs will degenerate and protrude due to uneven force, thereby compressing the surrounding nerves and blood vessels, causing a series of symptoms of cervical spondylosis such as neck pain, stiffness, dizziness, and numbness in the arms.
02 Three key postures to protect your cervical health
So, what kind of posture is correct and can effectively prevent cervical spondylosis? Director Wang Kuaisheng gave detailed advice:
Correct sitting posture: Sit with a sense of "uprightness"
Choose a seat of appropriate height with good lumbar support. When sitting down, try to fill the entire seat with your hips so that your waist can rest against the back of the chair. Keep your back straight and your shoulders naturally hanging down, without hunching your chest. At the same time, keep your eyes level with or slightly looking down at the computer screen, avoid looking up or down for long periods of time, and the center of the computer screen should be about 10-15 degrees below your eye level and about 50-70 centimeters away from your eyes.
Standard standing posture: Stand with "spirit"
The correct stance requires your feet to be slightly apart, shoulder-width apart, and your body weight to be evenly distributed on your feet. Tuck your abdomen in and your chest out, relax and lower your shoulders, keep your head straight without leaning forward or backward, and align your ears, shoulders, hip joints, knees and ankles in a straight line. A good standing posture not only shows a persons mental outlook, but also maintains the normal physiological curvature of the cervical vertebrae and spine and reduces muscle strain.
Scientific sleeping position: Sleep for comfort
The right pillow plays a crucial role in protecting your neck. Mr. Wang cautioned that the height of the pillow should be moderate. Generally speaking, when lying on the back, the height of the pillow should be about the height of a fist, and when lying on the side, the height of the pillow should ensure that the head and spine are in a straight line. At the same time, choose a pillow that is soft, breathable and provides good support, and avoid using pillows that are too high, too hard or too soft. When sleeping, try to sleep on your back or side and avoid lying prone for long periods of time, as lying prone causes excessive twisting of the neck and increases pressure on the cervical vertebrae.
03 To prevent cervical spondylosis, these details should not be overlooked
In addition to maintaining the correct posture, Director Wang reminds everyone to balance work and rest and avoid staying in the same position for a long time. After working or studying for a while, it is advisable to get up and move around appropriately and perform neck relaxation exercises such as forward flexion, backward extension, left and right lateral flexion, and rotation of the neck. Each movement should be done slowly and repeated 5 to 10 times to relieve tension in the neck muscles and promote blood circulation. In addition, strengthening the neck muscles also helps to enhance the stability of the cervical vertebrae and prevent cervical spondylosis. Exercises such as swimming and playing badminton are good for exercising the muscles of the neck and shoulders.
Mr. Wang said that preventing cervical spondylosis is not something that can be achieved overnight. It requires maintaining the correct posture at all times in daily life and developing good living habits. If symptoms such as neck discomfort occur, one should promptly visit the orthopedics department of a regular hospital to achieve early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment, so as to avoid aggravation of the condition and affect the quality of life.
The Orthopedics department of Hainan Chengmei Hospital focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of trauma and orthopedic diseases. It mainly covers micro-repair of bone and joint injuries and fractures in the limbs, neurovascular and tendon injuries, hand trauma, treatment of congenital deformities in the limbs, skin defect flap repair, scar plastic surgery repair, as well as osteoporosis, spinal degenerative diseases, osteoarthritis, and lumbar spine diseases. Diagnosis and treatment of common diseases such as peripheral nerve entrapment syndrome and pediatric fractures.
Expert Introduction
Wang Kuaisheng
Chief of Orthopedics
Chief Physician Professor
High-level talent in Hainan Province
Medical expertise: Skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic related diseases such as hand trauma, congenital hand deformity, nerve injury, vascular injury, tendon injury, wrist disease, peripheral nerve disease, osteoarthritis, lumbar spine disease, etc. Extensive clinical experience in treating trauma diseases such as limb trauma and limb fractures. With microsurgical skills, I am proficient in performing orthopedic microrepair surgeries related to microsurgery, including nerve, vascular, tendon injury repair, flap repair, and scar plastic surgery.
Outpatient hours: Tuesday all day to Friday afternoon
Article | Huang Fei