🌿 Folk Prescriptions

With modernization, people's work and lifestyle have undergone significant changes, leading to an increasing prevalence of new “modern diseases,” including cervical spondylosis. Once primarily a condition of the elderly, it now increasingly affects middle-aged and young adults, even some middle school students experience neck stiffness, discomfort, headache, and dizziness. If not addressed early, it can severely impact daily life, work, and health. In severe cases, spinal cord compression may lead to paralysis, and prolonged cerebral ischemia may cause neuronal malnutrition, memory decline, and even senile dementia.
Due to the rich network of blood vessels and nerves surrounding the cervical spine, and its influence on multiple bodily functions, clinical manifestations may include headaches, neck and shoulder pain, eye, ear, nose, throat disorders, visceral dysfunction, and autonomic nervous system imbalance. Thus, cervical spondylosis is clinically known as cervical syndrome, with neck-shoulder syndrome being the most common type.
Neck-shoulder syndrome (a common form of cervical spondylosis) presents as cold sensitivity in the shoulders and back, neck and shoulder pain radiating to the upper limbs or fingers, accompanied by numbness, tingling, and swelling. Currently, few effective treatments exist for this condition, leaving many patients suffering greatly, sometimes unable to sleep or eat peacefully, feeling restless.
The Acupuncture Department at Longhua Hospital’s Pudong Branch has developed a comprehensive treatment protocol for this condition, achieving highly satisfactory results. Based on TCM syndrome differentiation theory, we regard this condition as fundamentally due to liver and kidney deficiency, lack of nourishment to tendons and bones, and secondarily caused by wind-cold-damp obstruction blocking meridians, leading to pain—thus a case of fundamental deficiency with secondary excess. The main therapeutic approach is to reinforce the body’s vital energy while expelling pathogens, and to unblock meridians. According to meridian differentiation, based on the direction of symptom distribution, we classify it into four types:
1. Pain and distension along the lateral neck, extending to the outer upper shoulder joint, radiating to the outer upper elbow (Quchi point), and further down the outer forearm—indicative of Hand Yangming Meridian involvement. We select acupoints such as Jugu, Jianyu, Quchi, and Shanzhong. Additional points like Futan may be added if necessary.
2. Pain in the anterior inner shoulder joint, radiating to the inner elbow (Shaohai point), along the inner posterior border of the forearm to the palm and the little finger and ring finger, causing numbness, tingling, and swelling—indicative of Hand Shaoyin Meridian involvement. We select acupoints such as Jiquan, Qingling, Shaohai, and Shaofu. Additional points like Jingshi may be added if needed.
3. Pain in the upper trapezius and supraspinatus muscles, or deep pain in the scapula, radiating along the posterior axillary line (Yueyu and Jianzhen points), posterior outer upper arm, posterior elbow, posterior outer forearm, to the dorsum of the hand, ring finger, and little finger—indicative of Hand Taiyang Meridian involvement. We select acupoints such as Jianjing, Quyuan, Tianzong, Jianzhen, Tianjing, Yanglao, and Zhongzhu.
4. Stiffness and distension in the lower posterior neck (C6–7 level), accompanied by cold sensitivity in the upper back, pain between the thoracic spine and scapula—indicative of Foot Taiyang Meridian involvement. We select acupoints such as Dazhu, Juexin, Dushu, Fufen, Gao Huang, and Ge Guan.
These four types may occur independently or simultaneously. Treatment involves selecting appropriate acupoints individually or in combination. Each type is paired with corresponding interspinous points, and acupuncture injections using herbal preparations containing Angelica, Astragalus, and Wei Lingxian are administered. This method uses Angelica and Astragalus to nourish qi and blood, addressing the underlying deficiency, while targeting specific acupoints along the meridians to expel pathogens and unblock channels. For severe, long-standing blockages, small needle-knife therapy is added to eliminate stasis. With accurate syndrome differentiation, proper acupoint selection, and appropriate manipulation (especially cautious handling of lateral neck points and small needle-knife procedures), excellent results can be achieved. From our experience, patients suffering unbearable pain preventing sleep often fall asleep peacefully after just one or two treatments. Of course, residual mild pain requires time to fully resolve, as relieving compression from osteophytes and releasing soft tissue adhesions takes time.
It is crucial to emphasize that this condition should not be mistaken for early-stage frozen shoulder, as misdiagnosis leads to ineffective treatment. Although similar in appearance, cervical spondylosis differs from frozen shoulder. Frozen shoulder primarily involves soft tissue adhesions around the shoulder joint, characterized by joint pain and restricted movement. In contrast, this condition lacks joint adhesions and does not impair joint mobility—it is pain radiating from cervical compression.
Finally, patients must pay attention to neck hygiene and muscle care, which can play a decisive role in treatment outcomes. Specific practices include: avoiding prolonged forward head posture or keeping the neck in one position; regularly practicing cervical exercises to stretch neck muscles; choosing pillows of appropriate height, firmness, and softness—recommended options include buckwheat pillows or adjustable ones that conform to natural cervical curvature; ensure the neck is properly supported, avoiding only supporting the head while leaving the cervical spine unsupported, as this increases neck fatigue and may worsen or trigger the condition.
<Cervical Spondylosis>