Should the pillow be higher or lower? There is only one answer, and many people have slept wrong!

Cervical spondylosis!

Not just shoulder and neck pain

Severe times

Can lead to irreversible disability!

So everyone should pay attention

We’ve collected the 8 questions everyone wants to know the most

For example, is it cervical spondylosis if the neck is often stiff?

How to choose a pillow if the cervical spine is not good, etc.

Watch carefully, you will definitely gain something!

These symptoms occur frequently

Consider cervical spondylosis first

Neck pain, soreness and other symptoms of cervical spondylosis

Formerly common among middle-aged and older adults

It is also common among young people today

It’s about your work and lifestyle changes

For example, long-term use of computers, mobile phones, desk work, etc.

Sedentary, long-term bowing and other bad habits

is a high risk factor for neck, shoulder and back discomfort[1]

As many as half of people with cervical spondylosis

with symptoms of vertigo

Walking feels like stepping on cotton

is one of the common symptoms of cervical spondylotic myelopathy

About 10% to 15% of all cervical spondylosis[2,3]

Cervical degeneration, disc herniation

vertebral bone hyperplasia, etc.

both may cause spinal cord compression

Weak and unsteady walking

Easy to fall, etc.

Severely disabled

Of course, the eyes, ears, and nervous system

Some diseases can also cause dizziness

If these symptoms occur, you should go to the hospital in time

Because your disc is “haunted”!

Study finds that in degenerated discs

There are many structures called “Ruffini bodies”

Can cause vertigo

And transmit this feeling to the “vestibular nucleus” in the brain

Causes dizziness, tinnitus, palpitation, shortness of breath,

Balance disturbance, unsteady walking, etc.

Like a ghost possessed

Therefore, some scholars named it as

Ghost receptors (also known as “ghost receptors”) [2,3]

Orbital pain due to cervical spondylosis is less common

The nerves of the head and face are complex

Some nerves have broad jurisdiction

Can be managed from the cervical spine to around the orbit

For example, the greater occipital nerve, etc.

When degenerated discs, bone spurs press against them

will cause eye symptoms[4]

If only the eye socket hurts

Ophthalmology should be considered first

Ophthalmology can be visited

If you also have neck pain, shoulders

and back pain symptoms

May be related to cervical spondylosis

Ophthalmologist can be told

See if you want an orthopaedic consultation

There is a “click” sound when turning the head

Cannot be used as a diagnostic criterion for cervical spondylosis

Normal joints can also rattle during movement

This is because there is less air pressure in the joint cavity

When the position of the articular surface changes suddenly

Causing an air pressure imbalance in the cavity

The local gas diffuses rapidly, making a sound

The medical term is “joint snapping”

Most joint snaps are physiological

When cervical spondylosis is severe

Bone hyperplasia, ligament calcification, etc.

May be painful when twisting the head

If neck pain is accompanied by numbness, dizziness, etc.

It may indeed be cervical spondylosis, it is recommended to go to an orthopedic doctor

Pillow height

It is indeed one of the factors affecting the severity of cervical spondylosis[7]

For patients with cervical spondylosis

A pillow that is too low or too high is not good

Pillow too low or no pillow

When lying on your back

The cervical vertebra will be pushed back too much for a long time

Excessive forward bend occurs

Can increase airway resistance, resulting in poor breathing

Induces snoring and lowers blood oxygen levels during sleep

Over time can affect blood pressure, blood sugar

Wake up in the morning

The neck will also be significantly sore and heavy

Pillow is too high, it will bend the neck excessively

Alternatively, “in the nest”

It will also accelerate cervical spine degeneration

Also overstresses the muscles in the back of the neck

Causes muscle cramps

What is the proper height for a pillow? Don’t worry, I’ll tell you right away-

Length of pillow

It is advisable to exceed your shoulder width by 10~15 cm

Pillow height

after compression

It is better to be equal to or slightly lower than your own punch[8]

However, everyone’s cervical spine curvature is different

Different sleeping positions

Some like to lie on their back, some like to lie on their side

So can’t generalize

Best on the basis of one punch high

Try a few more pillows

As long as you sleep soundly

Won’t sleep because of the wrong pillow

No frequent stiff neck or neck discomfort

Just the right pillow for you

Don’t be overly superstitious

A functional pillow or mattress claiming to “protect the cervical spine”

Sleep comfortably is the best

If diagnosed with myelopathy, sympathetic cervical spondylosis

Or other types of cervical spondylosis with conservative treatment for 3 to 6 months without relief

Obviously affecting life and physical and mental state

Surgery is about to be considered

The effective rate of surgical treatment of cervical spondylosis is more than 90%[5,7]

Whether symptoms are completely relieved

Depends on the severity of the condition

Take cervical spondylosis as an example

If spinal cord compression is severe and prolonged

(How long, varies from person to person)

and surgery is not timely

Surgery can only relieve pressure

Avoid getting worse

But irreversible damage to the spinal cord is likely

This also reminds us that the neck is uncomfortable for a long time

Suspected cervical spondylosis

Be sure to go to the orthopedic doctor immediately

Don’t drag!

Remember to share it with friends who are often “stiff neck”

Then click to watch~

Reviewer: Tan Mingsheng |Chief Physician of Orthopedics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital

References

[1]. Cohen SP. Epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of neck pain. Mayo Clin Proc. 2015 Feb;90(2):284-99.

[2]. Iyer A, Azad TD, Tharin S. Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy. Clin Spine Surg. 2016 Dec;29(10):408-414.

[3]. Yang L, Yang C, Pang X, Li D, Yang H, Zhang X, Yang Y, Peng B. Mechanoreceptors in Diseased Cervical Intervertebral Disc and Vertigo. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2017 Apr 15;42(8):540-546.

[4]. Ji Hong, Li Yunlin, Cui Cuiying, et al. Cervical eye pain and its treatment [J]. International Journal of Ophthalmology, 2009, 09(004):800-801.

[5].Xu Shaoting, Ge Baofeng, Xu Yinkan. Practical Orthopedics[J]. 2012.

[6].Ren S, Wong DW, Yang H, Zhou Y, Lin J, Zhang M. Effect of pillow height on the biomechanics of the head-neck complex: investigation of the cranio -cervical pressure and cervical spine alignment. Peer J. 2016 Aug 31;4:e2397.

[7]. Ando T. Diagnosis and management of cervical spondylosis. Rinsho Shinkeigaku. 2012;52(7):469-79.

[8]. Sacco IC, Pereira IL, Dinato RC, Silva VC, Friso B, Viterbo SF. The effect of pillow height on muscle activity of the neck and mid-upper back and patient perception of comfort. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2015 Jul-Aug;38(6):375-81.

*The content of this article is for the popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment suggestion, nor can it replace the face-to-face consultation of a licensed physician, and is for reference only.

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