Cervical spondylosis
Cervical spondylosis, often called Arthritis of the Neck, is a degenerative condition related to aging, causing pain and stiffness in the cervical spine. It results from wear and tear on cartilage and bones. Ayurveda identifies a Vata disorder known as Greeva Stambha, resembling cervical spondylosis, characterized by neck stiffness. In its early stages, symptoms may be absent. As Vata imbalance progresses, pain and stiffness emerge.Symptoms of cervical spondylosis can be accompanied by radicular symptoms when there is compression of neural structures. Neck pain is a widespread condition and the second most common complaint after low back pain.
Symptoms of cervical spondylosis,
Neck pain or stiffness. Pain may get worse when you move your neck
Headache that may originate in the neck
Pain in the shoulder or arms
Inability to fully turn the head or bend the neck
A clicking, popping or grinding sound when you move your neck
In cervical spondylosis, degenerative changes start in the intervertebral discs with osteophyte formation and involvement of adjacent soft tissue structures. Many people over 30 show similar abnormalities on plain radiographs of the cervical spine, however, so the boundary between normal ageing and disease is difficult to define.Even severe degenerative changes are often asymptomatic, but can lead to neck pain, stiffness, or neurological complications. Find a pattern of increasing mobile phones or laptops use in daily lives resulting in wrong postures. The ease and convenience of content consumption on mobile phones over a sustained period of time has detrimental effects on the cervical region of spine. Wrong posture of the patients for longer period of time is the root cause of this condition and by modifying their lifestyle to support their spine can avoid any reoccurrence. If your daily routine involves a lot of reading, writing etc. then you should be very strict about correcting your postures. If you notice any symptoms of cervical spondylosis, you should consider consulting the doctor at the earliest. Starting the treatment for cervical spondylosis in the early stages will increase the chances of cure as well as reduce the damage from the degeneration of joints in the cervical region.In Ayurveda cervical spondylosis treatment is continued with internal and external medication with lifestyle changes such as:
Avoiding heavy weight lifting and straining the neck
Taking breaks in-between work to give rest to the neck
Exercising regularly starting from light exercises.
Sleeping in a correct posture
Yoga postures like Bhujangasana, Matsyasana, Dhanurasana are extremely beneficial for cervical spondylosis
