Osteochondrosis in the cervical region is represented by degenerative dystrophic pathology of the intervertebral disc. This disease refers to progressive disc disease.
The cervical spine is represented by 7 intervertebral discs. The neck area is considered the most flexible. Due to this maneuverability, tilting and turning of the head is possible.
The reason this part of the spine is often injured is the weakness of its muscular corset. The neck area is under constant load, including holding the head, turning, and tilting. It is because of such a strong tension that dystrophic changes (osteochondrosis) occur.
stage of disease
In osteochondrosis, there are the following stages of development:
- Cervical vertebral osteochondrosis of degree 1 is characterized by instability as the main symptom. In the intervertebral disc, the initial disturbance is noted.
- 2nd degree cervical osteochondrosis with disc herniation as the main symptom. Destruction of the annulus fibrosus occurs due to the reduction of the space between the discs. The patient is disturbed by the pain, which is caused by pinched nerve endings.
- Third-degree cervical osteochondrosis manifests as eventual destruction of the annulus fibrosus. As a result of this destruction, an intervertebral hernia occurs. During this stage of disease progression, patients develop severe deformities in the spine.
- Level 4 is considered the most severe. Patients experience very intense, severe pain with the slightest movement. The patient's condition gets better on a regular basis and he no longer worries about very severe pain. But such liberation is very dangerous. It indicates the formation of bone growths that connect the vertebrae. The resulting growth restricts the movement of the spine and may lead to disability in the patient in the future.
Pathological cause
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine begins to appear not only in people over 40 years old, but also in younger people (18-30 years old).
The most common causes of cervical osteochondrosis:
- excess weight;
- trauma;
- violate posture;
- hypothermia, infectious diseases;
- metabolic diseases;
- nervous tension, stress;
- A sedentary lifestyle.
Osteochondrosis develops on the background of muscle clips. Under the influence of muscle spasms, the blood supply is disturbed, movement is restricted, and posture is impaired. Due to these changes, a dystrophic process occurs inside the discs and vertebrae. As a result of the dystrophic process, the intervertebral discs are narrowed and therefore the nerve roots emerging from them are compressed.
symptom
The peculiarity of the cervical spine is that it is full of blood vessels needed to nourish the brain. Therefore, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis depend on insufficient blood supply to the organs of the head. Lack of oxygen and nutrients can negatively affect the brain.
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are as follows:
- Frequent headaches.
- Hearing loss, tinnitus.
- Severe dizziness, possibly even loss of consciousness, occurs.
- Vision loss.
- Violation of motor coordination.
- Hoarseness occurs.
- Snoring occurs, indicating chronic muscle tension.
As the nerves in the neck area are pinched, the following symptoms can occur:
- skin, tooth pain;
- Weakness of the arm;
- Numbness of upper limbs, cold fingers;
- Neck, sore throat.
There are many clinical manifestations of pathological changes accompanying the disease. Most of them, in addition to neck pain, raise suspicions about the development of an entirely different disease. Turning to the clinic, complaining of elbow pain, decreased vision, manifestations of visual impairment, the patient was not even allowed to consider developing osteochondrosis in him.
Symptoms of cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis are generally divided into 3 groups:
- Neurological symptoms. This is a complication that occurs due to trauma to the discs, nerve roots, nerves and plexuses. These symptoms are pain. Neck osteochondrosis pain has a stabbing, shooting character. It can also be described as boring, dull. It can be constant or intermittent, but is always located deep in the neck. Neck pain is considered a major marker for the development of osteochondrosis. She is by her side from the moment she wakes up and reinforces during the day. Pain can affect the upper limbs, chest, and head.
- Symptoms associated with the disease's effect on the spinal cord. It manifests as the presence of movement disorders. The patient closed his eyes and felt uncoordinated. Insufficient blood supply to the spinal cord can lead to increased fatigue, development of myelopathy (disappearance of pain, temperature sensitivity). The patient is concerned about the weakness of the upper and lower extremities.
- Symptoms associated with damage to the brain, cranial nerves, and cerebrovascular vessels. It manifests as a pathological effect on blood vessels. Lack of blood flow in the system that regulates the blood supply to the brain stem can lead to disruption of its function. The patient had increased fatigue, irritability, and he was concerned about sleep disturbances. His cervical osteochondrosis had increased pressure, increased pulse, sweating and dizziness. Additionally, patients may experience noise in the ear due to osteochondrosis in the neck region. The patient is disturbed by a stuffy feeling in the ear, and the hearing itself is reduced. In the presence of these symptoms, along with vision loss, it is difficult to establish a relationship with progressive cervical osteochondrosis.
Most of the time, these symptoms do not appear individually, but together, but one group of symptoms predominates.
Syndrome classification
When cervical osteochondrosis occurs, the symptoms will depend on which object struck the disease:
- Vertebral artery syndrome.
- radiculopathy syndrome.
- heart syndrome.
- Stimulated reflex syndrome.
- Spinal cord compression.
heart syndrome
The symptoms of the disease are similar to those of angina. Myocardial spasms may be the result of compression of nerve roots in the lower cervical spine. Cardiac syndrome presents with irritation of the pectoralis major, the root of the phrenic nerve.
Paroxysmal pain can last for a long time, lasting several hours. They are exacerbated by sudden movements (sneezing, sharp head turn, coughing).
radiculopathy
They happen because of nerve compression. Patients experience these symptoms due to nerve root compression. The pain occurs directly in the neck, then descends, affecting the shoulder blade, shoulder, outer forearm, and down to the fingers. Patients may experience cramping, a "goosebump" effect, and tingling in the fingers, hands, and forearms.
Differences in disease symptoms also depend on the part that affects the disease:
- When the root of the central nervous system is injured, a mushy look on the index and middle fingers is noted.
- Spasticity of the ring and little fingers is characteristic of brachial nerve root damage.
vertebral artery syndrome
It is characterized by a throbbing headache. This constant pain can also affect the temples, crowns, occiput, and glabellar area. Sometimes the pain becomes paroxysmal. Pain worsens when moving, taking uncomfortable positions. The patient's hearing, vision, and vestibular functions are also impaired. The patient noticed decreased vision, decreased hearing, and he began to suffer from eye pain, a disorder of the vestibular organs. With general weakness of the body, nausea and loss of consciousness may occur.
stimulated reflex syndrome
The patient was disturbed by acute pain in the neck-occipital region. It happens when you start exercising after a state of rest, for example, after sleep. Additionally, the burning pain may accompany sneezing and a sharp turn of the head. She gave up shoulders, chest.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should contact the clinic for specialized treatment to avoid serious complications.