Cervical Spondylosis 'Delayed' Symptoms. How C/S Symptoms manifest themselves.

[ginger]

Hello Gerry, glad you have been able to see the CM method. When applied to the cervical spine I find this is a means to reliably reduce protective tone and most often the means to restore normal pain free movements for long periods. There will always be a subset of neck pain sufferers that do so when SPB is driven by structural losses to normal integrity and/or trauma/disease processes. Many of those however who I have treated successfully are victims of the cyclical tightness , mentioned by you, that is more likely the "natural"product of internal drivers of protective behaviour , where the threshold of inflammatory irritants induce a repeat of and incremental additions of SPB.
Most of the longer posts I have written on this subject can be found on the Rehabedge.com website, further more recent posts on Somasimple.com.
Self treatment is possible with CM to the neck. Results depend to a large degree on the quality of and duration of these passive movements. Try sitting in the littlest room ( on the throne) where you can position your elbows at head level on the adjoining walls. This is of course possible where your throne is indeed in a little room, alternatively sit in the corner so that your elbows can be set and movements by the neck INTO the treating thumb can offer reasonable approximations of CM type movements.
What beneifits you may get however I warrant will be limited and short term this way. Best without doubt would be to offer the CM info to a friend with strong hands or enlist a willing physio who may already have skills of a similar kind. You appeal to me as a relentlessly curious kind of guy Gerry, I have little doubt you will find value. Good luck and keep posting.
Cheers

[gerry the neck]

Hi Geoff

Thanks for advice re CM. What I like about your methods is the non-aggravational aspect. Although you do manipulate the facet joint somewhat, it is relatively gentle, and it doesn’t involve traction, twisting exercises, collars, or even medications. All big plusses in my book….I’ve had all these to no avail. I think we both understand that the principal goal is relief rather than the prospect of even further aggro….a principle which all too often escapes the attention of the practitioner ! Probably best that your methods are applied by a willing helper, rather than self applied, and I will try it out in the fullness of time and report anon.

However, I don’t want to let you off the ‘sleeping postures’ so easily, without knowing that you’ve had a good think about it. There may be some misunderstanding in the way that I describe why the whole ‘sleep / C/S thing is so important, and seemingly always casually overlooked. Usual response ‘ Of course, a good sleep is important to general well-being’ . This misses the point that something strange happens when we sleep which instigates all sorts of protective reactions. This may well be only apparent to an actual C/S sufferer, who experiences these on/off unpredictable changes. The sleeping posture alterations I speculate upon, do actually have an effect on these processes, usually beneficial, and, as a means to lessening the intensity of symptoms and instilling a sense of self control and self management, they are a quick, home-based, and self applied method for achieving these ends…even if only temporarily.

In my particular case its about getting rid of cyclical headaches and muggy head sensations as quickly and as effectively as poss. No medications, except when absolutely needed, and no waiting for appointments either. The first goal is to restore clear headed thinking, thus allowing a better environment for considering further self management techniques. This might all sound a bit wishy washy to someone who constantly deals with the mechanics of the spinal structure, but, from my point of view, after years of these types of disorientating symptoms, and after years of distracting ineffective therapies, it looks like a very worthy goal to me.

I understand that sleeping postures are difficult to monitor, in a clinical sense, and as such may have been overlooked in favour of more clinic-based techniques. However, I would feel guilty about myself if I didn’t make a big noise about this, in the same way you might feel aggrieved if your CM methods were being overlooked by fellow P/Ts with their heads buried in the sands of textbooks !

Enough ‘soap-box’ for now, and thanks again.

Gerry