To begin with – try to answer a simple (at first glance) question – which of the human organs is most exposed to stress? No, this is not the brain, as is often believed, and not the cardiovascular system. This is the musculoskeletal system, coupled with the skin. Why? Because this is our natural barrier between the body and the environment. This system is 80% of a person’s mass, 80% of his nerve endings and the volume of circulating blood.
Barriers, by definition, bear the greatest burden. Thanks to their well-functioning work, both the brain and the heart function normally. And vice versa – disturbances in the functioning of barrier systems always lead to impaired functions of internal organs. In this regard, our ancestors were sometimes wiser than us – remember such informative words as “spineless”, “soft-bodied”, “standing firmly on one’s feet”, “flexible” and others.
One of the main health problems of modern man is the chronic “underload” of the human musculoskeletal system due to the increasingly “technicalization” of work and life, inability or unwillingness to lead a healthy lifestyle – the basis of prevention. Reducing systematic and harmonious loads on the musculoskeletal system, and especially the spinal column (our main axis) leads to a number of negative consequences.
Firstly, it deprives the body of a powerful source of upward impulse, harmonizing the work of the central nervous system. This, in turn, leads to a deficiency of mediating substances balancing the central nervous system. Against this background, habitual negative stimuli can become super-strong, mental self-regulation becomes feasible only with the help of stupefying substances, extreme activities or psychopharmacological drugs, which closes the “vicious circle”. The state of “irritable weakness” is becoming common — alternating periods of recession and impulsive, exhausting activity.
Secondly, against the background of disturbances in water-salt metabolism that are common to all of us, spinal osteochondrosis develops. Experts define it as a degenerative-dystrophic disease with a decrease in the height of the intervertebral discs, their loss of elasticity, thinning of the bone substance structure, swelling (edema) in the places of the roots of the spinal nerves.
Of all parts of the spine, the cervical is the most vulnerable – its vertebrae are the most fragile, and the proximity to the brain, cranial nerves and sensory organs poses tasks for the cervical region that do not allow errors and malfunctions.
The initial manifestations of disorders of the cervical spine are probably known to most. This is a decrease in physical performance and mental productivity (fatigue, decreased concentration, lethargy and drowsiness), meteosensitivity to weather changes and, of course, headaches in the cervical spine. At an external examination, it is easy to notice curvature, improper head fit, neck muscle weakness, and range of motion.
For treatment and prevention, many remedies are offered. The effectiveness of some is very selective, since they work only in skilled hands (for example, massage and manual therapy). In addition, the aforementioned treatment requires not only a periodic repetition of courses, but also time, which is very expensive in our dynamic century, and the remuneration of specialists (which not everyone can regularly afford). Doing this in self-medication (self-massage and exercise) is not worth it because it is difficult to achieve uniform relaxation of muscle groups and the correct application of forces to different parts of the musculoskeletal system. After all, the self-massage procedure itself creates local muscle tension. Even more unreasonable is the appeal to all sorts of representatives of “alternative medicine” who promise a quick onset of fantastic results for a considerable amount, sometimes.
Great and, most importantly , safe results for the prevention and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and other diseases of this zone (for example, the effects of injuries) can be achieved by using orthopedic drugs, including those worn on the body. A classic example of such a tool is the neck collar. Its therapeutic effect is based on soft fixation and support of the cervical spine and is especially noticeable with systematic use. Muscle weakness and stiffness disappear, working capacity improves, pain subsides or disappears. As means that have already received a well-deserved mark, one can note the neck collars of the Panacea company. You can read more carefully and order your favorite model on the Internet. Having passed the necessary certification, varying in degree of rigidity, design and price range, they are able to answer the requests of most of our compatriots, for whom problems with the cervical spine are not an empty phrase, but an urgent problem.
Another common feature of the entire line of these products is wearing comfort. Finally, the use of a cervical collar does not exclude all other types of complex treatment and prevention of spinal diseases.
Health to you!