What is Cervical Osteoarthritis or Neck Arthritis?

neck arthritis occurs due to wear and tear of protective cartilage causing friction between bones, in this case the cervical facet joints. This will cause swelling and inflammation resulting in neck arthritis. It usually occurs in middle-aged and elderly people.

How Can We Prevent Neck Arthritis?

1. Lifestyle Changes

One of the major causes of neck arthritis is leading a sedentary lifestyle. The surge of technology and gadgets has made things worse for this generation.

Making lifestyle changes and leading an active life with exercises such as swimming, aerobics etc. can help to prevent neck arthritis.

2. Hydration

Dehydration can cause stiffness and pain in muscles, joints, nerves, and spinal disks. If someone is already suffering from neck arthritis and not keeping themselves hydrated, it can increase the inflammation and swelling.

Having 3-4 liters of water everyday can reduce the inflammation and improve joint movements and flexibility.

3. Cervical Collar

Using hard cervical collar is one of the conservative yet effective ways to prevent cervical osteoarthritis. It will help to prevent the instability of the cervical spine. Cervical collar basically restricts the movement of the neck while acting as a support system at the same time.

4. Exercise

When you are in pain, you would want to keep the area still and inactive as much as you can. in fact the stiffness around the inflammation increases when you keep that area still for longer.

Stretching that flexing joints and muscles in moderation can help to reduce the pain and swelling, according to experts. The exercises should be easy and simple and should not include any weight.

Always move gently and smoothly and never do anything that puts a sudden pressure on the neck. 

5. Heat and Electro Therapy

Anything warm or hot when applied on pain areas is proven to reduce inflammation and swelling. Same is applicable to neck arthritis. Infra-red lamp application, hot wax application, or keeping hot bags on the affected area can help to reduce pain.

Conclusion

Cervical fffcan be life changing and considerably restrict one’s neck movement and flexibility. Understanding the causes and preventing it early on is the most effective way to deal with it.