neck function:
supply blood to the brain and resist bacteria
The neck connects our brain and body, and it has “unique holes”, including cervical vertebrae, trachea, esophagus and dense nerves and blood vessels.
For the neck, most people just think it makes people look beautiful and elegant, and it is rarely linked to health. In fact, the “territory” of the neck includes the back of the head to the clavicle above the shoulders.
1 the neck is the support of the head.
The neck supports the head upward and connects the back, waist and abdomen downward. The main functions include three aspects:
First, the role of the support. Among them, the first cervical vertebra is connected to the occipital bone of the head, and supports the head and back together with the following sections. Second, protect spinal nerves and blood vessels. The cervical vertebrae are connected with each other, and they constitute the channels of nerves, vertebral artery vessels and spinal cord. The third is the movement lever function. The top two segments of the cervical spine are the hubs of neck activities, which help the neck bend, extend and rotate, and complete the movements of nodding, raising and turning left and right.
2 blood supply to the brain cannot be separated from the neck
It is distributed on both sides of the carotid artery, and together with the vertebral artery, it is responsible for the blood supply to the brain. Among them, the carotid artery provides more than 80% of the blood supply to the brain, and we can touch its beating at about 5cm on both sides of the protruding part of the throat.
3 the lymph on the neck is the immune defense line of the human body.
There are dense lymph nodes and nerve trunks in the neck. Viruses and bacteria are most likely to invade the respiratory tract and mouth. When the infected lymph flows back, the first stop is the neck. Therefore, the lymph nodes on the neck are also the first line of defense of the human body.
4 nerves in the neck regulate the whole body
The nerves from the brain all go down through the neck, and the nerves contained therein can be said to perform their respective functions: eight pairs of spinal nerves control the movement and sensation of the human body; 4 regulate blood pressure, respiration and gastrointestinal peristalsis to brain nerves; Sympathetic nerves can make people’s heart beat faster, blood vessels of limbs contract, and make people sweat; The excitement of parasympathetic nerve can make people’s heart slow down and weaken.
5 from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the neck is also the penetration of the meridians throughout the body
It contains five important meridians, including the Du meridian, the bladder meridian, the small intestine meridian, the gallbladder meridian and the Sanjiao meridian. The Fengchi, Fengfu, Dazhui and other acupoints behind the neck are the “key points” of health care.
alerts
I can’t walk straight, and my fists are weak.
In a sense, the neck is as important as breathing. But in life, we often regret when something goes wrong. The following situations are most likely to damage the vulnerable neck.
1Chronic infection
Inflammation in some seemingly unrelated parts of the cervical spine, especially chronic infection, may increase the incidence of cervical spondylosis. The most common is pharyngitis, followed by dental caries, periodontitis, otitis media, etc. the inflammation in these parts can directly stimulate the soft tissue of the neck, or cause soft tissue lesions in the neck and pillow through the lymphatic system. Therefore, once it is found that it is necessary to actively treat it, it should not be “soft”.
2 wrong exercises
Many people who work at their desks often “shake their heads” or learn some neck exercises to exercise their cervical vertebrae. The exercise should be different from person to person. Balancing on the head, turning the head frequently, and pecking rice by chickens are not suitable for people with chronic cervical strain, and may even aggravate the disease. You’d better take an X-ray of your cervical spine to find out your situation.
3 head and neck trauma
The etiology of 50% myeloid cervical spondylosis is related to cervical trauma. Some patients with cervical spondylosis are in a critical state of stenosis due to cervical bone hyperplasia, cervical disc bulging, and soft tissue lesions in the spinal canal. Once they are injured, they may become the “last straw to crush the camel” and induce symptoms.
4 often catch cold
Many young people wear more and more “cool” clothes, and they like to wear low necked and open back clothes all year round. However, cervical vertebrae are particularly afraid of freezing. The wind, cold and humidity factors of the external environment can reduce the body’s tolerance to pain, causing muscle spasm, small blood vessel contraction, slow lymphatic reflux, soft tissue blood circulation disorder, and then sterile inflammation, which can induce cervical spondylosis.
5 aging and degeneration
With the growth of age, the injury of various parts of the human body is also increasing. Cervical vertebrae will also produce various degenerative changes, which will compress and stimulate nerve roots and vertebral arteries, leading to cervical spondylosis.
Therefore, we should pay attention to a balanced diet from an early age, and take appropriate outdoor sports to promote bone development; In adulthood, pay attention to the correct sitting posture, don’t sleep on high pillows, and run and swim more, which can slow down the “aging” of the cervical spine.
To judge whether you have cervical spondylosis or not, you may as well do a simple self-test:
self test of cervical spondylosis
1. Radiation pain like electric shock occurs at a certain part of the limb, which is a typical manifestation of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy. If accompanied by dizziness, nausea and visual rotation, it is often accompanied by vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis.
2. Numbness of fingers, especially on both sides, may be due to cervical spondylosis, resulting in compression of important structures of the spinal cord.
3. Finger flexion and extension experiment: hold the fist, and then fully extend it. It is normal to do it more than 20 times in 10 seconds.
4. Try to walk with both feet on the same line. Patients with cervical spondylosis can’t walk in a straight line.
consequences
cervical injury, involving the whole body
The neck is so important, but it is very “delicate”. It is the “hardest hit area” of various diseases. The first one to be affected is the cervical spine.
The cervical vertebra is composed of seven bones, which form a heavy cross with the shoulders, supporting a heavy head. Cervical injuries will trigger a series of “chain reactions” and affect the health of the whole body.
1 70% of headaches are related to the neck
Takaka Matsui pointed out that 70% of headache is related to the neck, which is called cervical headache. It is manifested as stuffy swelling or soreness in one or both occipital parts and behind the ears. It can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, tinnitus, eye distension, and changes in smell and taste. It is easy to be ignored or misdiagnosed.
2 insufficient blood supply to the neck is easy to cause dizziness
Cervical spondylosis causes insufficient blood supply to vertebral artery, which can lead to cervical vertigo, especially after neck movement.
3 cervical dislocation leads to cervical thoracic syndrome
Cervical spine hyperosteogeny, dislocation instability and intervertebral disc herniation can lead to cervical thoracic syndrome, which can cause paroxysmal chest tightness, precordial pain and asphyxia.
4 cervical spondylosis can cause poor swallowing
This is because the upper end of the esophagus is adjacent to the sixth cervical vertebra, and the hyperplasia of the latter will compress the esophagus. If cervical hyperplasia compresses the cervical sympathetic nerve, it will also slow down the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract and induce constipation and abdominal distension.
5 neck is also a “signal light” for other diseases
A study by the American Sleep Association found that people with thick necks are prone to sleep apnea. In addition, some scholars pointed out that the thicker the neck, the higher the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes.
curing
To ensure that the “lifeline” of the neck is unimpeded, we should start from the details of life.
1 sit and walk, and keep correct posture
When standing or walking, raise your head and chest, look straight ahead with your eyes, and avoid bowing your head and back; Wear neck pillow when sitting for a long time.
2 lift your head and back properly, and press the acupoints
Workers who need to bow their heads for a long time should develop the habit of looking up and backward every 15 minutes, and appropriately expand their chests and shrug their shoulders. You can also moderately press Fengchi point (the outer side of the two relatively thick muscles of the back neck) and Tianzhu point (about one finger on the left side of Fengchi point).
3 prevent trauma
Don’t turn your neck too fast or too hard; Fasten the safety belt when driving or riding to prevent neck dislocation injury due to inertia during sudden braking or bumping; Don’t hold the phone around your neck.
neck exercises
1. Support the head: lean forward, put your elbows on the table, hold your forehead with your palms, and keep it for 3-5 minutes.
2. Lifting movement: put your hands on the edge of the chair, support your body, and lift your legs upward for 5 seconds.
3. Shrink shoulders: sit straight, straighten your spine, put your hands on your legs, and keep your shoulders back for 15 seconds.
4. “Turtle probe”: imitate the turtle to probe forward and keep the chin level.
5. Turn the neck: every 1 hour, lower your head so that your chin is as close to your chest as possible, and then slowly rotate your neck.
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