Cervical spondylosis is a common degenerative disorder associated with neck pain, restricted mobility, sensorimotor dysfunction, and reduced quality of life. Although conservative treatment remains the first-line option for most patients, many physical therapy approaches continue to target isolated symptoms rather than the interacting muscular and biomechanical abnormalities that underlie disease progression. This review summarizes recent advances in non-surgical physical therapy for cervical spondylosis, with particular emphasis on the synergistic application of muscle relaxation and mechanical correction. Current evidence indicates that multimodal rehabilitation strategies are generally more effective than single-modality treatment. Cervical traction, exercise-based rehabilitation, manual therapy, and adjunctive physical modalities each contribute to symptom relief and functional improvement, but their clinical value appears greater when integrated within a coordinated rehabilitation framework. Muscle relaxation strategies may reduce hypertonicity, improve tissue extensibility, and enhance neuromuscular control, whereas mechanical correction may help restore cervical alignment, reduce abnormal loading, and relieve neural irritation. Their combination therefore offers a more comprehensive approach to both pain reduction and functional recovery. In addition, emerging intelligent rehabilitation technologies, including sensor-based traction systems, robotic devices, wearable assistive tools, computer vision, and artificial intelligence–assisted evaluation platforms, are expanding the possibilities for more standardized, measurable, and individualized rehabilitation. Overall, the integration of muscle relaxation with mechanical correction represents a promising direction in the conservative management of cervical spondylosis, while technology-enhanced rehabilitation may further support the transition from generalized intervention toward more precise and patient-specific care.
Zixuan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.