How a Neck Brace Works to Relieve Pain

What is the use of a neck brace when I have cervical spondylosis? What do I need to be aware of? The cervical and lumbar spine is the part of the spine most prone to degenerative changes and lesions. As a result, cervical spondylosis and lumbar disc herniation have become diseases that affect many people’s normal work and even life.

Cervical spondylosis is a disorder based on degenerative pathological changes, mainly due to long-term cervical spine strain, osteophytes, disc prolapse, ligamentous thickening, resulting in cervical spinal cord, nerve roots or vertebral artery compression, a series of the dysfunctional clinical syndrome.　

Wearing a neck brace is the conservative treatment of choice for many cervical spondylosis patients on their doctor’s advice. With the advancement of science and technology, a wide range of cervical braces have gradually emerged, but their function is the same!

The role of a cervical brace for patients with cervical spondylosis is to　

1. maintaining the physiological curvature of the cervical spine and preventing further aggravation of symptoms

2. limiting abnormal neck movement and reducing cervical instability　

3. reducing the pressure of the weight of the head on the cervical spine and providing appropriate relief

4. Traction on the cervical spine.　

5. Reducing local inflammation and nerve root oedema to relieve the patient’s symptoms.　

Patients with cervical spondylosis and those with cervical and skull base conditions, especially post-operatively, require a cervical brace, which serves one of these purposes.

Wearing a cervical brace may seem like the most convenient and easiest treatment option for cervical spondylosis. But in fact, wearing a neck brace is not as simple as many people think. As a form of treatment for cervical spondylosis, if care is not taken in wearing it, it may not only be difficult to be effective but may also cause other problems.

 

Patients with cervical spondylosis need to know the following when wearing a cervical brace

1.Choose the right neck brace. Neck braces should not be worn indiscriminately, and patients are advised to consult their doctor before wearing them.　

2. The neck brace should be worn continuously during treatment until it is removed at night for sleeping.　　

3. During conservative treatment, it needs to be worn continuously for the time set by the doctor.　

4. After surgery, the brace should be worn until the outpatient review, when the doctor will decide whether it can be removed.　

5. The neck brace should not be worn for too long as it may cause disuse and atrophy of the neck muscles.

6. If your symptoms worsen, you should visit the hospital as soon as possible.