Osteochondrosis is a common pathology of the spine, which is characterized by dystrophic changes in the structure of the vertebral cartilage disc and its bone base. To one degree or another, osteochondrosis manifests itself in most people after the age of 30. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are varied, which often complicates diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
General symptoms and signs of cervical osteochondrosis
The process of osteochondrosis affects any part of the spine or several at once. Lumbar and cervical vertebrae are most susceptible to pathology, because they are most susceptible to stress due to the anatomy of the human skeleton.
The consequences of osteochondrosis of the spine in the cervical region cause the most difficulties and potential complications, because the neck is an area rich in neurovascular highways, most of which directly feed the brain. For this reason, the clinical symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are largely associated with brain region ischemia. In addition, the nerve roots that provide sensitivity and motor activity of the arm and shoulder girdle, when compressed by a destroyed spinal disc, can present a varied picture of symptoms.
Signs of neck osteochondrosis depend on which body system is affected by the pathology: Below we will consider the general clinic of cervical spine osteochondrosis.
Pain in the back of the head, neck and collar area
This is the most common symptom. The localization of pain can be extended, affecting the shoulder, clavicular area, chest, turning into an intense migraine headache.
The nature of the pain depends on the location of the lesion and the severity of the pathology. In the first stage of disease development, the pain can be temporary, gradually becoming chronic and painful.
During an exacerbation, the pain becomes shooting, with increased neck muscle tone and limited head movement. Often, pain with cervical osteochondrosis can be localized behind the sternum, in this case many patients mistake this symptom for angina pectoris. The distinction can be made by taking nitroglycerin tablets - the pain caused by osteochondrosis is not relieved by it.
Noise, ringing, fullness in the ears
These symptoms are often accompanied by hearing loss. This phenomenon is associated with a decrease in blood flow from the vertebral artery to the vestibular apparatus. This symptom complex is called cochlear syndrome or cochlear, and it is not always possible to determine its relationship with osteochondrosis in the cervical region. A specific sign for differentiation is noise, congestion and ringing in the ears when changing position, after staying in one position for a long time.
Dizziness
Dizziness is also caused by disruption of blood flow to the inner ear organ, which ensures the body's balance. Dizziness is often accompanied by nystagmus - an involuntary side-to-side movement of the pupil.
Lack of air
This sensation appears due to irritation of the phrenic nerve endings. It is a component of the cervical nerve bundle and is involved in controlling breathing, its depth and frequency. The patient complains of the inability to breathe deeply. In some cases, symptoms worsen to severe shortness of breath and shortness of breath. For the same reason, breathing stops at night and snoring is observed. Lack of oxygen due to breathing problems eventually leads to increased fatigue, decreased concentration and memory problems.
Nausea
Accompanied by belching air. It is also caused by problems with blood circulation in certain areas of the brain and inner ear. Nausea is sometimes observed with uncontrollable vomiting, provoked by head and body movements. Frequent nausea and vomiting results in decreased appetite, weight loss, and nutritional deficiencies.
Sight problem
"Floaters" in the eyes, decreased visual acuity, fog in front of the eyes - these are all symptoms caused by ischemia of the part of the brain responsible for vision. Patients with osteochondrosis less often complain about vision, because insufficient blood supply from the vertebral canal is compensated by blood flow from the carotid artery system. Glasses and therapeutic exercises for eye muscles do not solve the problem; vision usually improves after treatment for osteochondrosis.
Blood pressure rises
Unstable pressure levels are caused by impaired blood flow in the medulla oblongata, which is responsible for the function of the vascular-motor center.
Fainting or passing out suddenly
Occurs when the cerebral arteries spasm due to short-term cessation of blood flow through the vertebral arteries. The patient can be quickly brought out of a state of unconsciousness by placing him so that his legs are slightly higher than his head - blood flow to the brain allows the person to regain consciousness. After a fainting attack, reversible problems with speech and movement may occur for some time because blood flow is temporarily stopped.
Pharyngeal symptoms
Often they can be the only sign indicating cervical osteochondrosis. Expressed as soreness, dryness and feeling of a lump in the throat, difficulty swallowing. Symptoms are associated with compression of the nerve plexus responsible for the innervation of the pharynx. It is necessary to distinguish such manifestations from the same clinic with inflammation or neoplasm.
Increased body temperature
Increased body temperature for cervical osteochondrosis is not the most typical symptom; it is observed rarely and locally: in the cervical and collar areas, with slight redness of the skin. The clinic of osteochondrosis in the cervical spine can be, firstly, of varying degrees of severity, it depends on the level of development of the pathology, also during the period of aggravation they are brighter, and secondly, they develop into a specific syndrome.
Symptoms depend on the stage of cervical osteochondrosis
Stage I: Beginning of the degenerative process in the vertebral disc cartilage. Symptoms are mild and sometimes may not be noticed at all. Important: this symptom becomes more pronounced when the head is tilted.
As a rule, in the first stage of cervical osteochondrosis, the patient does not go to the doctor, believing that all the symptoms are associated with fatigue, stress, age, lack of sleep Stage II At this stage, the protrusion of the vertebral disc has begun, the intervertebral space is narrow, and the collagen fibers of the fibrous ringdisk is destroyed. Significant pain symptoms of a point nature appear due to the compression of the nerve trunk, which intensifies with the movement of the neck and turning the head. Here you can already suspect cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms of which in the second stage are as follows: 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Holding the head in one position for a long time leads to severe pain. At this stage of the disease, the patient has already come to the doctor for help. Stage III The fibrous ring in the disc is destroyed, a hernia is formed. In the third stage, deformation of the spine, displacement and dislocation of the vertebrae are observed due to their poor fixation.
This is a severe stage of the disease, in which the patient can no longer support his own head. Spinal cord ischemia and spinal artery compression lead to paralysis and paresis in other parts of the body and spinal stroke.
Syndrome caused by osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Nonspecificity and a large number of different symptoms that accompany cervical osteochondrosis make diagnosis and further treatment difficult, because some of them may be signs of completely different diseases. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis fall into a specific group called syndrome. Their presence and severity may indicate pathology in the cervical spine with specific localization.
A group of common syndromes:
Koreshkovy. Otherwise called cervical radiculitis. It combines symptoms related to pinched nerve roots in cervical vertebrae. Characterized by "goosebumps" in the affected area, tingling in the fingers and forearms, and greasy skin spreading to certain fingers.
Irritable-reflexive. Burning and acute pain in the back of the head and neck, sometimes radiating to the chest and shoulders, occurs when the position of the head and neck changes, when sneezing, coughing or turning the head suddenly.
Vertebral artery syndrome includes:
Heart. A picture very similar to angina pectoris often leads to wrong diagnosis and treatment. This syndrome appears as a result of phrenic nerve receptor irritation, partly involving the pericardium and pectoralis major muscles. Therefore, spasms in the heart area are more of a reflex, in response to irritation of the cervical nerves. symptoms:
Vegetative-dystonic syndrome. Subluxation of the first cervical vertebra with displacement can lead to the development of vegetative-vascular dystonia. VSD is not a definitive diagnosis, as it has no obvious symptoms.
There may be neurological signs, symptoms of impaired cerebral blood flow, increased intracranial pressure, and muscle spasms. As a result, patients complain of dizziness, decreased visual acuity, loss of consciousness, headache, and nausea.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis
The described spinal condition is a very serious pathology, which, if neglected, leads to disability, and as a result of profound disruption of brain circulation, to death. For this reason, you should not self-medicate if the symptoms appear.
In the initial stages, the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is conservative, including drugs: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anesthetics, hormonal agents, vitamin complexes, chondroprotectors - all this relieves inflammation, pain, improves trophism of soft tissues and cartilage. vertebrae.