Don’t just curl, do some stretching exercises

In the pain clinic, we found that more and more teenagers came for treatment. According to data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of cervical spondylosis among adolescents in my country has exceeded 30%, among which the incidence rate of girls is relatively high. This is mainly because girls generally prefer to play with mobile phones, use computers and tablets and other electronic products. Whether studying or using electronic products, you will bow your head for a long time, so let's take a look at the impact of bowing your head for a long time on the cervical spine. 1. Changes in the curvature of the cervical spine: Under normal circumstances, the cervical spine should present a physiological "C" shape, which helps to support the weight of the head and maintain the stability of the neck. However, bowing your head will put the cervical spine in a state of excessive flexion, causing the cervical curvature to flatten or reverse, increasing the force and pressure on the cervical spine, making it more susceptible to cervical spondylosis.

2. Muscle tension and fatigue: When you lower your head, the muscles in your neck and shoulders need to be in a tense state for a long time to support the weight of your head and respond to the pull generated by gravity. This will cause the muscles to be in a tense state for a long time, gradually fatigue and ischemia, and reduce muscle strength and flexibility.

3. Increased pressure on the cervical disc: Lowering your head puts the weight of your head directly on the cervical spine, causing uneven pressure on the cervical disc. The cervical disc is a cartilage structure located between the cervical bones. Its function is to reduce the force on the cervical spine and promote the flexibility of the cervical spine. Lowering your head for a long time will cause the cervical disc to bear too much pressure, leading to problems such as injury, degeneration and cervical disc herniation.

4. Nerve compression: Abnormal cervical spine posture and disc damage may cause nerve compression. Cervical spine compression will affect the spinal cord and peripheral nerves, and may cause symptoms such as cervical nerve root pain, shoulder and neck pain, headache, and arm numbness.

5. In addition, there are even problems that parents do not want to see, such as emotional instability, decreased learning ability, and memory loss. Therefore, bowing your head for a long time will cause discomfort and damage to the cervical spine and muscles. In order to reduce this impact, it is recommended to: 1. Maintain a correct sitting, standing and sleeping posture, use eye learning methods, regular rest and moderate exercise to relieve cervical fatigue, and moderately reduce the time of using electronic devices, maintain a natural posture of the head and neck, and avoid bowing your head for a long time.

2. Encourage adolescents to participate in physical exercise to strengthen the cervical spine and spine, improve posture and increase range of motion.

3. Parents and schools should strengthen their own understanding of cervical spondylosis in adolescents, and then they can do a good job of publicity and education, and remind children to develop good living habits.

Source: Department of Pain, Xuanwu Hospital

Author: Du Juan and He Liangliang