REGIMENAL MODALITIES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS (WAJA UR RAQABA): AN EVIDENCE-BASED COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Musculoskeletal conditions are the leading contributors to disability worldwide, typically characterized by pain, decreased mobility, dexterity, and functional ability. After back pain, neck pain is the most frequent musculoskeletal cause of consultation in primary care worldwide. Cervical spondylosis is a chronic degenerative process of the cervical spine characterized by pain in the neck, degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc, and osteophyte formation. This condition is known as wajaʹur raqaba in the Unānī system of medicine. Its rate is 3.3 patients per 1000 people in the general population. Its increasing prevalence is drawing the attention of the medical fraternity. Due to the limited efficacy of conventional treatment and potential side effects of long-term use, patients seek alternative treatment options. Unānī physicians claimed the management of various joint disorders with the help of several tadābīr. The objective of this critical review is to address the claims of Unānī physicians and clinical studies conducted on the efficacy of various Regimenal modalities in the management of joint pain. Classical Unānī literature, peer-reviewed journal articles, and RCTs that predominantly focused on the use of Regimenal modalities in joint pain were included in this review. It was extracted that several Regimenal modalities are effective in the management of various joint disorders including cervical spondylosis. Despite the long history of the use of various Regimenal modalities in several painful conditions, more systematic, well designed, rigorous, randomized, controlled clinical trials are needed to determine which approaches have merit.