Yoga assisted treatment of cervical spondylosis

Yoga is not a substitute for formal medical treatment, but proper yoga practice can play a good role in preventive health care and functional recovery. Yoga's prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of diseases first focuses on overall coordination, and then solves local problems, because the human body itself is a whole. From the perspective of yoga, the emergence of any disease is caused by the loss of certain balance abilities of the body, leading to the destruction of the harmonious environment within the human body. There is a balance of structure and energy. Therefore, in yoga treatment ideas, we must first find the connection point between local problems and the whole, starting from rebuilding the connection point. And this connection point is yoga.

Learn about our cervical spine

The cervical vertebra is part of the top of the spine, connected to the skull and connected to the thoracic vertebra. It not only has to bear the weight of the head, but also is responsible for the movement of the head. It consists of seven vertebrae and intervertebral discs. In addition to the first and second cervical vertebrae, other vertebral bodies, vertebral arches, articular processes (two in upper and lower), transverse processes (one in left and right) and spinous processes. There is an intervertebral disc between the two vertebral bodies, and a facet joint between the articular processes, which is surrounded by ligaments and muscles. These ligaments and muscles also closely connect the cervical vertebra with the skull, thoracic vertebra, shoulders, shoulder blades, and clavicle. The strength and flexibility of the ligaments and muscles determine the flexibility and stability of the cervical spine. We usually look up and bow our heads to express our emotions, nod and shake our heads to express our attitude. The flexibility of the cervical spine is undoubtedly very important to us. However, in daily life and work, some of our unhealthy working methods, as well as excessive exercise in one direction and long-term maintenance of a certain posture, will cause the muscles around the cervical spine to lose their strength and balance, thus failing to play a good role. Protect the cervical spine. Generally, chronic cervical spondylosis is caused by stiff neck, trauma or sprain that causes dislocation of the cervical vertebrae and facet joints, resulting in imbalance in spinal mechanics. In order to maintain the balance of spinal mechanics, the vertebral body then produces osteophyte hyperplasia, which compresses the blood vessels, nerves and spinal cord in the neck, causing various uncomfortable symptoms.

Cervical spondylosis can generally be divided into many types, such as cervical type, vertebral artery type, nerve root type, as well as spinal type, sympathetic type, esophageal type, mixed type, etc. The incidence of the first few types is more common, while the incidence of the latter ones is relatively rare. The most common cervical spine disease generally expresses itself as soreness and swelling in the neck; the vertebral artery type can cause headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting; the nerve root type can spread to the shoulders, arms, and fingertips, causing pain and numbness. Mixed cervical spine disease will have many of the above-mentioned manifestations.

Cervical spondylosis belongs to "arthralgia" in traditional Chinese medicine. As early as the Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic, there is a record of "arthralgia". The name of cervical spondylosis probably appeared before and after the founding of New China. It is a very old and relatively young name for the disease, and it is often called "cervical syndrome." (Internship Editor: Wu Jinyu)