Risk factors for cervical spondylosis

Risk factors for cervical spondylosis:

1. Age: Cervical spondylosis is more common in middle-aged people, with 40-60 years old being the high-incidence age group, and the incidence rate can be as high as 90% after 70 years old.

2. Head and neck trauma: Head and neck trauma is common in traffic accidents and sports, and is directly related to the occurrence and development of cervical spondylosis, and may accelerate the deterioration of the disease. Studies have confirmed that neck trauma ranks third and is the main cause of cervical spondylosis in young patients. Foreign studies have also shown that athletes who participate in collision sports may suffer from premature degeneration of the cervical spine.

3. Bad working posture: Working with your head down and working at a desk for a long time are factors that affect cervical spondylosis. The longer you work with your head down, the higher the probability of suffering from cervical spondylosis. Studies have shown that the incidence of cervical spondylosis in people who work with their heads down is 4-6 times higher than that in people who do not work with their heads down. The main reason is that working with your head down can cause cervical muscle spasms. Over time, the weakening of the cervical muscles disrupts the balance of the dynamic and static forces of the cervical spine, leading to degenerative changes.

4. Bad sleeping posture: Bad sleeping posture mainly refers to improper use of pillows. Improper pillow position and height are one of the important factors affecting cervical spondylosis. Long-term high pillows can increase scoliosis and anterior curvature of the cervical spine, and the ligaments at the ends of the bones are overstretched. The longer the time, the more serious the bone spurs will be.

5. Acute and chronic throat infections: People with acute and chronic throat infections are prone to neck-shoulder syndrome or aggravation of symptoms. The main reason is that inflammatory changes can directly stimulate adjacent muscles and ligaments, or spread inflammation through the rich lymphatic system, resulting in decreased neck muscle tension and ligament relaxation, which in turn destroys the stability between vertebrae.

6. Environmental factors: Poor working environment, poor lighting, cold and damp are significant risk factors for cervical spondylosis. On the basis of degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc, cold and damp can significantly increase local muscle tension, leading to long-term contraction and spasm, destroying the stability of the intervertebral space, and thus causing cervical spondylosis.