Cervical spondylosis, also known as "cervical syndrome," is a group of symptoms caused by degenerative changes in the cervical spine, such as hypertrophic cervical spondylitis, cervical disc herniation, and degeneration of the intervertebral joints and ligaments. These changes can stimulate and compress the nerve roots, spinal cord, vertebral artery, and cervical sympathetic nerves. The disease progresses slowly, with pain in the occipital, cervical, shoulder, and upper limbs, as well as progressive sensory and motor dysfunction of the limbs as the main symptoms. Mild cases may present with dizziness, headache, nausea, neck and shoulder pain, and upper limb pain and numbness, while severe cases can lead to paralysis and even life-threatening conditions. Cervical spondylosis falls under the categories of "bi syndrome," "vertigo," and "neck pain" in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The neck is affected by wind, cold, and damp evils, with wind being the leader of all diseases, cold causing congealing, and dampness being heavy and turbid, thus causing poor blood circulation and muscle spasms. Chronic damage from prolonged sitting or pillow misplacement, or unresolved illnesses leading to poor circulation and deficiency of qi and blood, which fail to nourish the cervical spine and clear orifices, can also result in cervical spondylosis. Additionally, long-term neck bending due to specific occupations, excessive neck load, or displacement of bones, muscles, and vessels caused by falls, sprains, or collisions can lead to the disease. This condition is a mixture of deficiency and excess, with the root being deficiency of the liver and kidneys, and weakness of qi and blood, while the symptoms are invasion by wind, cold, and damp evils, as well as obstruction by phlegm and blood stasis. Emotional stress, overwork, and external injuries are also important factors in the development of the disease.
Wind-Cold Bi Syndrome Obstruction Type: Symptoms include a stiff and painful spine, soreness in the shoulders and arms, limited neck movement, and even numbness and coldness in the arms, which worsen in the cold. May be accompanied by aversion to cold, chills, and general body soreness; the tongue coating is thin and white or greasy white, and the pulse is taut and tight.
Injury and Overexertion Type: There may be a history of trauma or individuals with professions that involve prolonged sitting and looking down, experiencing pain in the neck, shoulders, and arms, which may radiate to the forearms, numbness in the fingers, and worsening of symptoms after fatigue. The neck may be stiff or swollen, with limited movement, and there may be tenderness in the supra- and infraspinous fossae and acromion; the tongue is dark purple with petechiae, and the pulse is unsmooth.
Liver and Kidney Deficiency Type: Symptoms include pain in the neck, shoulders, and arms, numbness and weakness in the limbs, accompanied by dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, sore and weak waist and knees, nocturnal emission, and irregular menstruation; the tongue is red with little coating, and the pulse is thin and weak.
It is recommended to perform moxibustion once a day, targeting 2 to 3 acupoints each time, with each acupoint being treated for 30 to 40 minutes. Rotate the points treated, with a 10-day period constituting one course of treatment, and then rest for 2 to 3 days before continuing with the next course. (If time permits and there is a need, more acupoints can be treated with moxibustion. The specific duration should be adjusted according to one's own physical needs.)
1. Patients with cervical spondylosis should choose a pillow that suits them, with a height slightly higher than their fist. The pillow should be placed behind the neck, not behind the head. 2. Maintain a good posture at all times, which means maintaining the normal physiological curvature of the neck, retracting the chin, and slightly moving the head back. Do not stay in the same position for too long while working, and strengthen functional exercises, slowly performing flexion, extension, left flexion, right flexion, and rotation movements of the neck. 3. Tea therapy recipe: Pueraria Tea. 25 grams of Pueraria, rinsed with water, used as a tea infusion, take for 10 to 15 days.