Those suffering from cervical spondylitis are well aware of how painful this degenerative disease is. This osteoarthritis disease occurs specifically in the vertebrae of the neck, which results as a severe suffering from pain. There are lots of sensory and motor disturbances on the occasion of this disease, since the lack of fluid in between the joints of the bones cause friction on the bones and exert pressure on the nerve roots. This is the reason you feel severe pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, back, legs, etc., along with muscular weakness when cervical spondylitis gets unmanageable. But, what is more alarming is that if the symptoms of this disease are not checked in its initial stages, then it can lead to dire health consequences, like stiffening of the joints, vertebrobasilar insufficiency and stroke in extreme cases. So, you must be extremely cautious and adhere strictly to the do’s and the don’ts if you wish to keep the disease within your grip.
Do’s
1. Regular exercise is a must if you are really serious about keeping the disease within bounds. Exercise in moderation which includes cardiovascular workouts only, such as yoga, aerobics, light stretching exercises, etc. There exercises help the body to absorb oxygen. Consequently, the circulation of blood within the body becomes normal. This increases the mobility in between the bones. Hence, you feel less pain due to cervical spondylitis when you exercise in a regimented manner.
2. While you sleep, you must ensure that the pillows, mattresses and the bedding are hard. Avoid soft bedding as when you sleep in the same, your spinal cord tends to get curved. Hence, if this goes on for a prolonged period of time, then your pains due to the disease will aggravate and your spinal cord might get deformed permanently. Sleeping in hard bedding might make you feel uncomfortable. But, you will be happy to know that hard bed will keep your spinal cord firm and erect and ensure that blood flow is regular.
3. You must be aware to get out of the bed gently when you wake up in the morning. Springing up from bed suddenly can cause sudden shock on the joints of the vertebral column. This can make your pain increase manifold. So, it is always advised that you should turn in one position when you get up from lying position. This practice will prevent your body from experiencing unexpected jerks.
4. If you are recommended to wear a cervical collar by your doctor, you must always adhere to his instruction and wear the collar throughout the day. Cervical collars are generally prescribed to patients who experience extreme pain due to increased friction in between their vertebral columns Thus, if you do not wear the collar, the rate of friction will increase manifold and your pain will also spur equally. So, is here any intelligence in suffering unnecessarily when you have something really nice to prevent it?
Don’ts
1. Never ever hold your head in the same position for a longer time. This increases the pressure on the already ruptured nerve endings of the subsequent area in patients already suffering from cervical spondylitis. Thus, you will feel pain as a consequence. Taking short breaks in between monotonous works that demand sitting in the same posture throughout a longer duration, such as office work desk, driving, watching television, etc. It will be helpful for you.
2. While planning to exercise regularly, never start to follow rigorous weight trainings or strenuous exercises. This will have a negative impact on your body. You must realize in this regard that a patient suffering from cervical spondylitis already has weak bones and muscles. So, adhering to such types of physical exercises might be detrimental to your bones and muscles, which can become brittle and torn. So, you will aggravate your disease further by this.
3. Never think of taking up the role of a driver when the route you are supposed to cover is long. This will set your body to remain in a typical position for a longer time. So, you will face dire situations as a consequence. There might even be situations when you can hardly manage to get a break at all in between covering the long route. So, at the end of the journey you will be left with a painful spondylitis attack. Therefore, always drive the car when you need to cover short distances. Pass the buck to someone healthy when the route is long.
