Cervical spine syndrome: what helps against neck problems?
Damn, now she almost missed the two cyclists when turning. Just in time Marion B., 42, can brake. But the dicey situation makes the tax clerk drastically aware: she urgently needs an appointment with the doctor. She can barely turn her head. If "shoulder view" covers only a limited field of vision while driving, this is a clear indication that the mobility of the cervical spine is limited. Not a rarity today? and in our modern way of life and work clearly a new civilization suffering. Doctors and physiotherapists are increasingly seeing patients in whom the cervical spine has even undergone unphysiological changes due to continuous stress. "It has lost its natural curve, has become steeper and more rigid," says Jürgen Förster of the Center for Chiropractic and Osteopathy Dresden. Above all, an hour-long one-sided attitude in front of the computer, at the laboratory table or in the hairdressing salon is to blame for such changes. Do digitization and monotony increasingly take their toll on job and leisure?
Our cervical spine (Cervical Spine) is a genius constructed masterpiece of nature
Seven of our 24 movable vortices are included. The uppermost, C1 (C = cervical or cervical vertebra), also called "Atlas", carries our head, just as the eponymous titan from Greek mythology balanced the sky on his shoulders. Thanks to an egg-shaped joint between him and the skull, we can raise and lower our heads. We can twist it because the atlas has a ring into which protrudes a bone cervix of the second cervical vertebra (C2 or "Axis") and thus forms a rotation axis. Both vertebrae together are our head joint, a well-rehearsed team that is quite susceptible to interference. Because at this point nerve leads run towards the spinal cord and brain. The remaining five cervical vertebrae (C3 to C7), which complete the slight curvature of the cervical spine inward, are less mobile. You urgently need strong muscles in the neck to stabilize the neck. But it often fails. The result: a so-called cervical or cervical syndrome, which is almost always accompanied by pain and tension in the muscles.
Cervical spine syndrome: more than limited flexibility
"If your muscles are strained too much, the superficial muscles will initially tense up, and if the depths are too weak, the head will malfunction," explains Professor HansRaimund Casser, Medical Director of the DRC. Pain Center Mainz. The specialist in orthopedic rheumatology and pain therapy knows from his practice: With such a muscular dysbalance and simultaneous continuous stress, the cervical spine is overstretched, it is steeper. "Those affected can not bring or lift their chin to the chest, and their ability to rotate is limited." When taking x-rays, Hans Raimund Casser deliberately lets his head move forward and far back. He sees that the lower three vertebrae are often so stiff that the upper ones have to move even more. The result: Vertebrae move out of their position ("vertebral gliding") and the spine becomes more unstable. In addition, at least from the age of 40, the mobility of our spine diminishes anyway, because the small vertebral joints change degeneratively. "It's as normal as wrinkles in the skin," says Casser. With a dysbalance of the musculature, however, the risk increases that these small joints tilt and completely block movements. Then nothing works.
Is excessive smartphone use triggering the cervical spondylosis?
The excessive use of smartphones and tablets also causes a muscular imbalance. "Mobile neck" is already striking. Our head weighs about five kilograms. If we look at a display, we tilt it down by 30 to 40 degrees. "Due to the leverage, forces of about 20 kilograms pull on our neck and neck muscles, which is equivalent to the weight of a water box," says Professor Bernd Kladny, Head of Orthopedics and Traumatology at the specialist clinic in Herzogenaurach. In addition to typing SMS and Whats app messages with both thumbs, the muscles in the neck and shoulder area are also required. Anyone who does this for two to four hours a day need not be surprised by unpleasant tensions, says the Secretary General of the German Society for Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery (DGOOC). "The self-imposed fore-bent posture causes the spine to collapse and the chest muscles contract, while other muscles, such as the trapezius, contract." This muscle, which runs on both sides of the spine like a triangle from the back of the head to the lower thoracic vertebra, is often involved in tension-type headaches.
To what extent do emotional stress and the cervical spine syndrome correlate?
Stress, negative feelings and mental stress favor tension in addition knows Professor Monika Hasenbring, head of the department of medical psychology and medical sociology of the Ruhr University Bochum. "The biomechanical load on our necks is enormous in our modern working world, and the psyche often reinforces them," says the psychologist. So "fear can sit on our backs", about not being able to do our job, and if we are overcharged, have too much responsibility, we collapse under the "burden on our shoulders". Quickly we pull our heads in, duck us away, or make our way straight to arm ourselves against possible attacks of everyday life. Our neck reacts very sensitively immediately. And if we then fail due to a false sense of duty necessary breaks, we often make sure that complaints become chronic.
Important: do something about it as soon as possible!
Especially if other symptoms elsewhere in the body suggest that nerves that are close to the cervical spine are irritated: tingling and numbness in the arms, feelings of fuzziness in the hands, dizziness, tinnitus and facial pain can be a sign of this. Tension in the neck can even affect the nerves that affect our heartbeat. "If a cardiologist does not find any organic cause, the cervical spine should also be checked if the heart racing continues," advises Hans-Raimund Casser. "Many do not realize how tense they are." A good orthopedist will discover the muscular dysbalances already during a thorough examination, X-rays and magnetic resonance tomography are usually not necessary.
If it turns out that vertebral joints have tilted ...
...Eliminating this blockage is the first step of the therapy. Important: Only a qualified specialist should lend a hand; The danger of injury is very high especially in the area of the cervical spine, warns orthopedist Casser. "Subsequently, the muscles must urgently be relaxed with the help of energy techniques to prevent new blockages," said the expert. For this, the shortened strands are carefully stretched, first by the millimeter, by a doctor or a specially trained manual therapist. No pleasant procedure. "The body defends itself against stretching," says Bernd Kladny. It is necessary anyway. Only then can the weakened opponents be strengthened. For this it means practice regularly, even at home, the therapist puts together an individual program for it. Gentle massages and warm packs can support the effect of active exercise. If necessary, medication and injections initially relieve the pain. Gentleness is taboo if there are no serious neurological problems. Nevertheless, it often takes weeks or even months until the imbalances are balanced. Helpful may be a biofeedback therapy. Here, sensors on the body measure the tension of the muscles and make them visible on a computer screen. Many sufferers are able to feel their body and their reaction to stress better again and specifically learn relaxation techniques to influence them.
An improvement in the long run!
In order for it to get better in the long term, however, the workplace must also be individually and ergonomically set up correctly. Often it makes sense to replace a progressive lens with a special glasses for VDU work. Also important: to exercise regularly all around 150 muscles that keep our spine stable but also flexible. And, of course, to deal with the "vulnerability neck" especially careful. "Many unconsciously shrug their shoulders off stress," says Monika Hasenbring. "You have to be aware of and consciously change such ritualized actions." However, it would be indispensable to bring more exercise into everyday life, to compensate for rigid postures by means of fitness training, to interrupt the monotonous sitting for hours as often as possible and to put mobile phones or tablets aside. "We should finally take breaks seriously and appreciate them," says the psychologist. "Because a break gives us fresh energy, and with it we can work better immediately." And our neck brings a valuable relief.
More information, tips and exercises in:
"Frisk Nakke - strong, relaxed and painless neck" Anders Aasen Berget and? Lennart Krohn-Hansen (190 p., 39.90 euros, German edition in Mentor Verlag)
"Weakness of the neck, targeted and effective: exercises to relieve tension and pain" by Kay Bartrow (144 p., 19.99 euros, Trias)
