<Interview>
My neck and shoulders are very stiff when I tilt my head backward, and when the pain gets bad, I have to sit straight and use a headrest, and lie flat on the bed.
Kim Dong-hwan (Chemical Engineering, 10)
If you feel the same symptoms as mentioned above, have a backache, or have the habit of cracking your neck and shoulders, you may acquire cervical disc, short for “herniated cervical disc.” Cervical disc is also called by its medical name “cervical herniated nucleus pulpusus disc,” and its attack rate is increasing among the teens and those in their twenties.
The backbone enables us to keep our balance. It has about 26 bones, which include the seven bones in the neck called cervical vertebra. There are cartilages called intervertebral discs in the intervals of the cervical vertebra. They soften the impact of a blow and allow us to hunch and twist our back. Our vertebral pulp can be found there. The intervertebral discs are fixed with muscles and ligaments. If your neck gets exposed to severe stress, the muscles and ligaments will loosen, and cervical disc may occur when certain cartilages escape from the intervertebral discs. The bulging cartilage is the cause of the ache.
The aching parts differ from one individual to another depending on what part of the cartilage is prominent. If the cartilage between the 3rd and 4th cervical vertebra juts out from its proper place, for example, you will feel shoulder and chest pain. Aching in the thumb or index finger points to the prolapse of the cartilage located between the 5th and 6th cervical vertebra.
Until only ten years ago, cervical disc was considered as a senile disorder. Why, then, is the attack rate of cervical disc increasing among young people? Experts say that young people’s living habits and the computer and smartphone are the main reasons for this. The normal structure of the neck bone looks like a letter “C,” but its shape becomes like the letter “I” when people use digital devices for a long time. That will increase the pressure applied to the neck, finally causing regression of the disc. Skinny jeans and high heels can also cause cervical disc because they restrict the wearer’s freedom of movement and stiffen up the whole body. Carrying a bag over only one shoulder and forcibly stretching the body may intensify the symptoms of cervical disc.
There are some symptoms that you would never imagine are related to cervical disc. One is snoring. Snoring can be found easily in people who have an I-shaped neck bone called forward head posture. These people have a narrower airway, thus creating more vibrations than in normal people. Another is the migraine. If your cervical vertebra is deformed, it will stop the flow of blood to your brain by applying pressure on your blood vessels. Cold hands and feet can also be a symptom of cervical disc.
Many people may be mixing up cervical disc with some other conditions, like muscle ache, because its symptoms do not occur in certain parts of the body. Surgery is inevitable for people who experience a sharp pain. Full recovery, however, is possible through medical treatment, physical therapy, and ample relaxation. Therefore, you should have a check-up if you have been experiencing body aches for more than two weeks now.
Isidahasime, the author of a book about cervical disc, said that our body’s pains are signs that we need to change our living habits. We are all exposed to the risk of cervical disc and should take care of our posture and habits. A new semester has started, and we are again bound to sit and study for long periods. Here are some helpful stretching exercises. Do them whenever you have time to spare.
Yang Jee-hye (Photo Editor)
