Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease of the intervertebral disc of the cervical spine. Therefore, they will undergo degenerative dystrophy. The main reason for its development is a violation of the normal metabolic process, which results in the distortion of the structure of the vertebral body and cartilage disc. As far as the neck is concerned, the pathological symptoms depend to a large extent on the compression of the large blood vessels. Choose the treatment method according to the stage, the specificity of the course of treatment, the severity, and the main symptoms.
Disease characteristics
Cervical spondylosis is the most dangerous type of osteochondrosis: it causes deterioration of cerebral circulation because the vertebral artery passes through this area-one of the largest blood vessels that provide necessary substances and oxygen to the brain.
Displacement of vertebrae, abnormal changes in bone and fibrous tissue, and excessive growth can disrupt the normal function of blood vessels.
The specificity of the symptoms of osteochondrosis, among other factors, also depends on a structural feature of the cervical spine, that is, their closeness to each other. As a result, any change in one department will cause the failure of the whole department.
Clinic depending on the stage
In its development process, cervical osteochondrosis has gone through four stages. How does it manifest in everyone?
- Phase 1. It is characterized by the appearance of initial disc stability disorders. The symptoms are mild or not. Less noticeable pain and local muscle tension are possible.
- Stage 2. Intervertebral disc herniation begins, the space between the vertebrae decreases, and the fibrous annulus collapses. In many cases, the pain is mainly punctate due to compression of the nerve endings. They become stronger when turning, causing the neck to tilt. Decrease the tone, and often appear weak.
- Stage 3. The final destruction of the annulus fibrosus leads to the formation of a hernia. The characteristic of this stage is the obvious deformation of the spine. Pain and fatigue increase against the background of sensory disturbances and limited mobility in the affected area.
- Stage 4 is the most difficult. Any attempted movement of severe pain syndrome will manifest itself, which severely limits the mobility of the department. Sometimes, the pain will be reduced, but this does not show that the condition has improved, but only that the size of the bone growth has increased, which greatly restricts exercise. They often cause disability in patients.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
When located in the cervical spine, the main symptoms of osteochondrosis are:
- Pain in the neck, head, shoulders, arms;
- Restricted movement, various sit-ups when turning, neck tilt
- Weakness in the hands;
- Strain the left side of the chest and radiate to the corresponding arm;
- Burn in the inter-shoulder cap area;
- Recurrent headaches;
- Weaknesses;
- Dizziness (severe course of cervical chondropathy, which may cause loss of consciousness);
- The coordination of movement is impaired, which is mainly reflected in the gait;
- Hearing impairment, tinnitus;
- Decreased eyesight;
- Sore throat;
- Poor dental health;
- The voice is weakened or hoarse; Hit z is the result of neck muscle tension.
In the cervical thoracic cavity, the symptoms are almost similar to cervical osteochondrosis. This:
- Frailty Syndrome;
- Dizziness and headache;
- Periodic pressure fluctuations;
- A light flashed before my eyes;
- Shoulder strap and arm pain;
- Muscle weakness;
- Numbness, tingling, and chills in the fingers;
- Pain in the chest and heart area;
- Disgusting; Numbness of tongue and face;
- dental problems; When you try to bend your neck, current will flow through your arms.
Syndrome
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are not considered typical. Which of these is the most obvious depends largely on the specific goal. Many manifestations may be incorrectly associated with other pathological conditions. Therefore, in many cases, the wrong treatment is prescribed.
The complex symptoms are divided into the following categories:
- radial;
- Vertebral artery syndrome;
- Stimulus reflex syndrome.
Apical syndrome
Its second name is sciatica. The syndrome develops by pinching the nerve endings in the neck. The pain is transmitted from the neck to the shoulder blade, along the shoulder and along the outside of the forearm to the fingers. In this case, it often appears:
- The creepy feeling;
- Hands, forearms, and fingers are numb;
- Pasty.
The performance also depends on the lesion area. If the end of the central nervous system is affected, the mushy feeling will extend to the thumb, middle finger and index finger. Clamping the brachial nerve endings will affect the little finger and ring finger.
Stimulating reflex syndrome
Cervix and occipital cusp burning pain during exercise in a static state: When sneezing after falling asleep, a sharp head turn is a sign. Usually, the pain radiates to the shoulders and chest.
Vertebral artery syndrome
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are:
- Headache or burning pain (paroxysmal or persistent), spreading to the temporal area, top of the head, back of the head and forehead ridge;
- In certain sports or staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time will increase discomfort;
- General weakness;
- Disgusting;
- Loss of consciousness;
- Hearing problems; Disease of the vestibular device;
- Eye pain;
- Blurred vision.
Heart syndrome
When the complex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis develop, images almost similar to angina pectoris appear, which often leads to incorrect treatment.
Muscle contractions and spasms in the heart area are most likely a reflection of the compression of nerve endings in the lower cervical spine. Heart syndrome is the result of stimulation of the nerve (whose fibers lead to the pericardium) or the pectoralis major muscle:
- The pain appears suddenly and lasts a long time;
- Exacerbated by strenuous neck exercise, coughing and sneezing;
- There may be tachycardia and pre-systole;
- The pain will not stop after taking coronary dilation drugs;
- There are no signs of circulatory disturbances on the ECG.
Exacerbation of disease
In the worsening stage, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are:
- Shoulder, trunk, arm movement is difficult, sometimes breathing is difficult (inhalation and exhalation);
- Pain syndrome usually resembles a heart attack or intercostal neuralgia;
- When there is pain in the right subchondral or or bone area, the clinical manifestations are similar to gastritis or cholecystitis.
- Headache is long-term, imbalance, visual and auditory functions are disturbed;
- The tone of the cervical muscles increases;
- Possible sleep disorders, memory disorders and inattention problems.
Osteochondrosis and vegetative dystonia
Cervical osteochondrosis can cause the first cervical spine to be subluxed and shifted to the right or left, causing the development of VSD (vegetative vascular dystonia). Since there are usually no or mild symptoms, it is difficult to recognize it. In this case, it might be:
- Arterial compression and cerebral circulation disorders;
- The vein is compressed, causing blood outflow and invasion, and then the intracranial pressure increases sharply;
- Compression of the spinal cord causes deterioration of cerebrospinal fluid movement, which also leads to high pressure inside the skull;
- Muscle spasms that exacerbate symptoms due to severe compression of blood vessels and nerves.
The result process is:
- headache;
- Eyes turn black;
- dizziness;
- Impaired vision;
- Double vision (double vision);
- flashes before the eyes of "fly";
- High pressure or low pressure;
- Nausea, sometimes vomiting;
- Lose consciousness.
The subluxation of the vertebrae was detected by X-ray. Its reduction is a rather complicated process, usually performed under general anesthesia.
How to diagnose diseases
The main methods for diagnosing cervical osteochondrosis are:
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- Computer tomography;
- Doppler ultrasound;
- Double-sided scanning.
The latter two methods are used to check the condition of the blood vessels in the neck.