Cervical spondylosis exercises

What is cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is a condition related to the cervical spinal region, and can be the cause of serious pain in neck, as well as in shoulders and arms. Besides the pain, frequent headaches, stiffness and spasms in the muscles may also be present, while in more severe cases, problems with walking, abnormal reflexes, lack of coordination and loss of control over bladder or bowel might also occur.

Generally, this condition is a result of the process of aging and is mostly present in older people, but the fact is, that it can occur in younger people as well from having improper posture while sitting improperly or spending long hours working at the computer, or by increased stress. The reason why cervical spondylosis occurs is actually the damage of the bones and cartilage in the backbone and neck, which sometimes results in the formation of bone spurs. Besides this specific change, others that occur due to the aging process are the loss of elasticity in the spinal disk and stiffening of the ligaments that connect bones and muscles.

What exercises can help a person with cervical spondylosis?

The main goal of the treatment is to decrease the pain and prevent any permanent injury to the spinal cord or nerves, but besides the pain relievers and muscle relaxants, some exercises also provide significant help and relief. It is important to do them regularly and under the supervision of some professional physiotherapist, at least at the beginning.

Circles are the exercise that requires standing straight with the legs only slightly apart. The neck should be moved from left to right while doing half circles. It is important for the chin to be dropped to the chest after looking towards the left side, and this exercise should be repeated for five times. Shoulder hunches also require standing straight, with approximately shoulder width distance between the legs. Shoulders should be lifted up in a hunched position, and then relaxed. After this is done for five times, the shoulders should be rolled in a circular manner, while the hands remain straight. This should be done clockwise and counterclockwise. Neck flexion stretch is an exercise that is done in a sitting position, with the right arm lifted over the head and forearm and hand placed on the skull. The forehead should be pushed slowly towards the chest, until the stretching in the back of the neck is felt. This position should be held for a short period of time and then the person should return to the starting position.