Osteochondrosis of the neck is a common disease of the spine that affects patients of all ages.
This represents degenerative changes in the vertebral disc, developing against a background of severe stress, wearing the wrong shoes, strenuous physical exercise, and malnutrition. It develops gradually, so that the patient may not immediately notice the first symptoms.
The main symptoms of this disease
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis appear as the pathology progresses. They are more pronounced during exacerbations. After seeing the first signs of the disease, it is advisable to see a doctor, as it is often disguised as another disorder, which makes it difficult to diagnose in a timely manner.
Patients typically contact with the following complaints:
- Severe pain in the collar area.
- Noise and satiety in the ears.
- Frequent dizziness.
- Shortness of breath, shortness of breath
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Blood pressure drops.
- Frequent fainting or sync.
- Increased body temperature.
The signs of cervical osteochondrosis in men are not much different from those that appear in women. Patients complain of discomfort in the occiput, sternum, and shoulder girdle. You should contact your local therapist or neurologist for a diagnosis.
Neck pain syndrome
One of the most common symptoms of cervical spine chondrosis is neck pain that affects the back of the head and shoulders. The nature of the pain (pain, sharpness, mild tingling) directly depends on the site of the lesion and the severity of the development of pathological processes. In the early stages, this may be a bit of a discomfort, which does not allow you to turn your head in all directions freely. Gradually, the pain becomes chronic and limits the distance of movement.
Pain manifests itself as a result of spinal deformity, due to insufficient blood supply to the collar zone. Against the background of this process, cramps, anxiety attacks and panic are observed. Painful sensations in the neck area can radiate to the shoulders or arms. Increased after sleep, sudden movements, laughter or sneezing. Discomfort is combined with special features when trying to spin or muscle weakness.
Muscle tissue spasms and poor circulation often cause not only pain, but also a temporary loss of ability to move the neck. Overtrain continues to spread throughout the head, and patients begin to complain of migraine attacks.
Tinnitus and clogged ears
Osteochondrosis in the neck area is also indicated by tightness in the ears, hearing loss, and noise. All this is due to the insufficient intensity of blood flow to the vestibular apparatus. The symptoms of this complex are called cochlea, but doctors rarely associate it with disorders of the vertebrae. Notice the nature of the noise and ringing in the ears, they are usually getting louder when a person is in one position for a long time or trying to change it.
Patients with hearing problems are referred to an otolaryngologist. If there is a disorder of the condition, such as numbness in the face, limited neck movement, additional consultation with a neurologist is required to clarify the diagnosis and determine its cause.
Headaches and migraines
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in men are rarely accompanied by frequent headaches, the female population is more susceptible to them. The vertebrae in this area are always exposed to excessive stress, which causes its gradual deformation, if the muscle tissue is not elastic enough to keep it in its natural state. It is more difficult to identify the cause of the pain in the head, as these symptoms are not specific.
The following reason triggers an attack:
- Brain spasm.
- The pinched nerve end in the cervical spine.
- Increased blood pressure.
- Acute violation of venous outflow.
- Increased fatigue.
- Remains prolonged in improper position.
Headaches worsen during exacerbations, and in patients, including men. Naturally, it can be persistent, dull in the form of cramps or throbbing. In the elderly, these symptoms require deep attention, as they can address early attacks, angina pectoris, heart attacks or arterial hypertension. Therefore, first of all, this condition is excluded before starting treatment for osteochondrosis.
With cardiac pathology, patients also complain of compression in the chest area, irregular heart rhythm, which allows the doctor to differentiate the situation in time. Headache is accompanied by nausea, shortness of breath, necessarily requires an ECG.
Dizziness
Disturbed coordination and frequent dizziness often occur when osteochondrosis develops to stage 2 or more. This is due to degenerative changes in the vertebrae, spasms, pinched nerve endings. The brain does not receive the required amount of oxygen, which negatively affects the function of the vestibular apparatus.
Due to an abnormal situation, the symptoms are:
- Systemic vertigo.They appear as sensations of the whole rotating body and the objects around it. Dysfunction arises due to impaired function of the vestibular apparatus, weakness of muscle tissue and receptors located in the joint.
- Vertigo is not systemic.In addition to instability, the patient experiences nausea, uncertainty in an upright position. Round rotation is usually absent.
Dizziness is a serious symptom that should be treated immediately by a doctor. If there is numbness in the shoulders, paralysis of facial muscle tissue, loss of consciousness, emergency treatment is required in the hospital.
Shortness of breath and shortness of breath
Another serious symptom of advanced osteochondrosis in the shoulder area is the feeling of persistent lack of air. Respiratory problems arise due to compression of nerve endings and receptors that do not send impulses from the pharynx to the esophagus. Shortness of breath appears as the vertebrae move, it increases in a depressed state, accompanied by a lump in the throat. After taking the sedative, the health condition returned to normal.
Lack of air causes radicular syndrome. Diaphragm spasm affects the depth and rhythm of breathing. Patients become clogged and have difficulty breathing, problems with memory and concentration appear. Symptoms such as osteochondrosis need immediate help, as it can cause a number of serious complications. Doctors choose medications individually, taking into account their condition.
Nausea
There is a large collection of nerve endings in the cervical region, where arteries run, which are responsible for transporting nutrients to the brain. With osteochondrosis, protrusion and intervertebral hernias gradually form, which affects blood pressure, and as a result, the patient feels an attack of nausea.
Prolonged normal circulatory damage leads to vomiting, loss of consciousness, and resulting in stroke and disability. Therefore, the appearance of such symptoms, which are not related to eating disorders, requires immediate medical advice.
Increased blood pressure
For cervical osteochondrosis, a special symptom is a surge in pressure during the day. For a long time, increased or decreased blood pressure is not maintained, which is a hallmark of degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. The dynamics of daily blood pressure are sudden, as irritation of the nerve endings is reflex and causes short-term spasms of blood vessels.
Typical features of increased pressure on cervical osteochondrosis are:
- headache;
- chest discomfort;
- decreased sensitivity in the collar zone;
- Muscle tension after being in one position for a long time.
All of these are taken into account when making a diagnosis. The rapid deterioration of the condition and the sudden change in stress are the basis for treating the patient and providing assistance in the hospital environment.
Visual impairment
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine often causes unpleasant symptoms such as double vision, flickering, the appearance of "flies". This indicates the severity of the process, and requires a visit to the doctor.
Against the background of destruction of connective tissue in the spine, the following diseases can develop:
- Glaucoma.Patients are diagnosed with increased intraocular pressure, damage to the optic nerve. It is impossible to completely remove the pathologist, only to achieve a stable remission with complex treatment.
- Cataracts.This pathological process leads to lens damage. These changes are related to metabolic processes and acute disruption of oxygen supply to the brain. The first sign of the disease is the appearance of "flies" in front of the eyes. Timely start of treatment helps maintain patient vision.
- Claude Bernard-Horner's disease.Hypoxia in the occipital area is considered one of the causes of lesions. The main signs of a pathological condition are a decrease in pupil reactions or differences in pupil measurements at different points. Some patients complain that they are unable to close their eyes completely to rest at night, and twilight vision also suffers.
Ophthalmologists prescribe treatment after a thorough examination. But therapy is carried out only in complexes aimed at eliminating the cause of the violation. Only then can the problem be solved effectively.
Pharyngeal problems
Degenerative changes in the cervical vertebrae cause swallowing problems. Patients complain of lumps in the throat, sweating, sensation of foreign objects in the throat, itching. Signs indicate damage to the neurovascular trunk coming out of the spinal cord. But symptomatology is not considered characteristic, and can be seen with pathological disorders such as inflammation, swelling.
Changes in body temperature
Osteochondrosis, as it develops, causes an increase in body temperature. This symptomatology occurs when the vertebral arteries are damaged, spinal canal stenosis or disc protrusion. This provokes changes in neurosis and concomitant neurological disorders.
Against the background of increased temperature, numbness of the tongue or hands, inflammation of the lymph nodes, burning of the tongue is observed.
Characteristic cramps when twisting the neck allow osteochondrosis to be suspected.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis, depending on the degree
Signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are highly dependent on the degree of pathological development, the compressive strength of the nerve endings and the process of disc deformation. This provokes the appearance of symptoms of compression of the vertebral arteries and violation of blood flow to the brain. The pinched nerve endings lead to severe neurological pathology.
The severity of the symptoms directly depends on the stage of disease development:
- Startup.The degenerative process of the vertebral disc goes unnoticed by the patient. It is quite difficult to see the first change, as this can be a mild headache (more noticeable in women), discomfort in the neck, a slight decrease in vision or loss of sensitivity in the collar zone. At this stage, patients rarely go to the doctor, associating the symptoms with fatigue, lack of sleep or stress.
- The second stage.As pathology develops and disc protrusion appears, more pronounced symptoms appear. Destruction of the annulus fibrosus affects the movement of the head, they become more limited. Also, patients begin to complain of persistent ringing in the ears, impaired visual function, neck pain with special features, swallowing problems, sleep disturbances, and decreased reflex clarity. Keeping the head in one position causes severe discomfort, which requires the advice of a doctor.
- Third level.Gradually, an intervertebral hernia is formed, the fibrous ring is completely destroyed, there is a deformity of the vertebrae, displacement of bone segments, dislocation, instability. Patients complain of acute pain in the neck, pronounced shoulder syndrome, paralysis of the upper limbs, unexplained tendon reflexes, impaired sensitivity of the scalp. This is a severe stage of the disease that requires complex treatment.
Osteochondrosis is a chronic systemic disease that manifests itself in a variety of symptoms. The cause is always hidden at the compressed nerve endings, circulatory disorders and intervertebral disc deformities. Gradual protrusion, hernia and displacement cause loss of vertebral mobility.
Age directly affects the severity of symptoms. The older the patient, the stronger the changes in connective tissue and bone. This is due to muscle fiber weakness, malnutrition, and chronic inflammatory diseases in the body.
Patient Reviews
Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae is a common disease, as nerve roots are always prone to stress due to excessive segmental movement. Timely pathology detection avoids serious complications, so many people read patient reviews and compare them to their symptoms.
It is forbidden to diagnose yourself without laboratory tests and apparatus. All information can only be taken as a note.
Cervical osteochondrosis is indicated by a large number of symptoms, but most are easily confused with similar pathologies. It is therefore advisable to consider patient complaints at the complex and conduct differential diagnostics, which makes it possible to identify the disease in a timely manner and prescribe proper treatment, which includes physiotherapy, gymnastics and drug treatment.