How to diagnose cervical spondylosis?

Written by Li Jie
Orthopedics
Updated on June 06, 2025
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Cervical spondylosis is a very common clinical disease. The pathological changes mainly include local muscle tension, spasm, and adhesion in the cervical spine, accompanied by disturbances in the cervical facet joints, straightening or kyphosis of the cervical curvature, as well as herniated cervical discs, or local osteophyte formation in the cervical area. To diagnose, a comprehensive examination is generally required. Common tests include the following: firstly, taking anteroposterior and lateral X-rays of the cervical spine in both flexed and extended positions. These tests can clarify the curvature of the cervical spine, check for osteophyte formation, and assess any disturbances in the small joints of the cervical spine. If there is a need to examine the cervical spinal cord or nerve roots, a CT scan or MRI of the cervical spine is necessary. This examination can determine whether the nerves or spinal cord are compressed, and whether there are any disc herniations.

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Written by Guan Yu Hua
Orthopedic Surgery
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How to do cervical traction for cervical spondylosis?

Cervical traction therapy can restore the physiological curvature of the cervical spine to relieve the compression of nerves and blood vessels caused by cervical spondylosis. You can purchase a cervical traction device from a pharmaceutical company or pharmacy, as it is a ready-made product. Additionally, there is an integrated traction belt made from canvas, which grips the forehead, lower jaw, and the back of the head. The belt then folds into a triangle shape upwards, with a loop in the middle through which a rope is threaded. This rope can be hung from a beam or a traction frame. By holding the rope, you perform a neck traction exercise by pulling upwards. This vertical traction can alleviate the symptoms of cervical spondylosis. It is recommended to perform traction once or twice daily, ideally morning and evening, with each session lasting about 20 minutes. Typically, symptoms can be relieved in about seven to ten days, and this is quite beneficial for cervical spondylosis. Additionally, when sleeping, try to use a low pillow, and avoid prolonged periods of bending your head down or engaging in activities such as working at a desk, playing mahjong, reading, or using a computer. Generally, following these guidelines can help prevent the recurrence of cervical spondylosis.

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Written by Li Jie
Orthopedics
1min 4sec home-news-image

How to diagnose cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is a very common clinical disease. The pathological changes mainly include local muscle tension, spasm, and adhesion in the cervical spine, accompanied by disturbances in the cervical facet joints, straightening or kyphosis of the cervical curvature, as well as herniated cervical discs, or local osteophyte formation in the cervical area. To diagnose, a comprehensive examination is generally required. Common tests include the following: firstly, taking anteroposterior and lateral X-rays of the cervical spine in both flexed and extended positions. These tests can clarify the curvature of the cervical spine, check for osteophyte formation, and assess any disturbances in the small joints of the cervical spine. If there is a need to examine the cervical spinal cord or nerve roots, a CT scan or MRI of the cervical spine is necessary. This examination can determine whether the nerves or spinal cord are compressed, and whether there are any disc herniations.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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How to determine cervical spondylosis

The diagnosis is mainly based on the patient's clinical symptoms, physical signs, and auxiliary examinations. If the patient presents with neck pain, discomfort, or a stiff sensation, along with dizziness, headache, blurred vision, decreased hearing, numbness in the arms, weakness, swelling pain, unsteady walking, a feeling of stepping on cotton, and even symptoms like palpitations, chest tightness, loss of appetite, and profuse sweating, cervical spondylosis is highly suspected. To confirm whether it is cervical spondylosis, further auxiliary examinations are needed, such as CT scans and MRI of the cervical spine.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Can cervical spondylosis be cured?

Can cervical spondylosis be cured? First, it is necessary to understand what cervical spondylosis is. Cervical spondylosis refers to a series of diseases characterized by clinical symptoms due to degenerative changes in the cervical intervertebral disc and its secondary pathological changes that involve surrounding tissues, including the spinal cord, nerve roots, blood vessels, and sympathetic nerves. Therefore, the main causes of cervical spondylosis are: First, the degenerative changes of the cervical intervertebral disc, which is the degeneration of the cervical disc, begin to degenerate from the age of twenty, mainly showing a decrease in the elasticity and toughness of the annulus fibrosus and dehydration of the nucleus pulposus. This is a normal aging process of the human body and cannot be changed. Second, the degeneration of the cervical intervertebral disc causes secondary pathological changes, mainly referring to the formation of peripheral osteophytes, relaxation of the intervertebral joints, leading to joint instability, and ossification of the posterior ligament causing spinal canal stenosis. Therefore, analyzing from the cause, cervical spondylosis is a necessary process as the body ages from youth to old age, so it cannot be cured. It is only possible to slow down the aging process or, through other means, prevent the degenerative changes from causing too much compression on the surrounding tissues, leading to too many symptoms. In summary, cervical spondylosis cannot be cured.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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How to relieve cervical spondylosis?

For the issue of alleviating cervical spondylosis, usually, patients need to pay attention to rest and protection, apply local heat, avoid looking down for long periods or keeping the neck in one position. Routine activities such as swimming, flying kites, or playing badminton can help strengthen the neck muscles and thereby better protect the cervical spine. Additionally, patients should use medications that expand blood vessels, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers, and drugs that nourish the nerves, and combine these with acupuncture, massage, traction, massage, electrotherapy, and cupping therapy. These physiotherapeutic methods are more beneficial for the clinical symptoms improvement of patients with cervical spondylosis. (Please use medication under the guidance of a doctor.)