Soreness in the Neck and Shoulders? Possibly Cervical Degeneration

Modern people are under stress and their muscles are often tense. If you are constantly using electronic devices with your head down, you may feel soreness and pain in your neck and shoulders, with stiff muscles and even swelling at the back of your neck. All this may be due to the degeneration of the discs in the cervical spine as a result of years of chronic injury! Don't think that cervical spine degeneration only occurs in the elderly, but in recent years there has been a young shift in cervical spine degeneration among young or middle-aged people.

What is cervical degeneration?

Cervical degeneration is the long-term wear and tear on the joints and cartilage of the cervical spine, resulting in reduced mobility and varying degrees of pain, which can be severe enough to affect other bodily functions. Cervical degenerative disease is common in people with improper posture and sedentary workers. There are 7 cervical vertebrae, with the exception of the 1st and 2nd cervical vertebrae, which have a special anatomical structure, and 4 discs in the 3rd to 7th cervical vertebrae. The discs in the 5th and 6th cervical vertebrae are most likely to degenerate and compress nerves due to their high mobility, leading to various painful conditions.

According to research and journal papers, the weight of the cervical spine on the head in natural posture is about 5 kg for the average person. Due to the principle of leverage, when the head is lowered to 60 degrees, the weight is even up to 27 kg, which is more than 5 times the natural posture. As you can imagine, the cervical vertebrae of young people who spend plenty of time with their heads down on their mobile phones and electronic devices are under a very heavy burden every day.

Cervical degeneration symptoms

The sympathetic nerves in the neck are linked to many of the body's vital organs and if degeneration occurs, it can affect many parts of the body in addition to muscle aches and pains:

-Shoulder pain

-Tension in the neck and shoulder

-Numbness in the hands and feet

-Weakness in the limbs

-Unstable walking

- Hunchback shoulder

- Headache

- Dizziness

- Ringing in the ears

- Nasal congestion

- Foreign body feeling in the throat (dry cough)

- Blurred vision

- Heart palpitations and chest tightness

- Gastrointestinal discomfort

- Difficulty in urination

If the cervical spine has deteriorated to a certain extent: the tubular space between the vertebrae is reduced, causing compression of the blood vessels and nerves. When pressure is exerted on the central nervous system, it can affect the whole body, such as incontinence, incoordination of the arms and legs, or even paralysis. Therefore, if you find yourself suffering from cervical degeneration, you should consult a specialist as soon as possible to receive proper treatment.