Signs of cervical osteochondrosis

23 November 2020

In my opinion, the diagnosis of osteochondrosis is not as good as circulatory encephalopathy and vegetative dystonia. Yes, in "osteochondrosis", what we are referring to is a completely different pathology from abroad. Abroad-these are serious bone lesions, mainly in children. In our country, to complain of neck pain, an X-ray or MRI (degeneration will definitely be found) is enough-this is the diagnosis of osteochondrosis.

The main cause of back pain

In most cases, patients are diagnosed with low back pain osteochondrosis. But in fact, the reason is different:

Non-specific back pain
Caused by muscles, ligaments, and tendons. No MRI is required. This is the most common cause of back pain and the most advantageous option, because doctors usually prescribe very appropriate treatments-non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, exercise therapy. It should be noted that for chronic pain that lasts longer than 3 months, completely different drugs are required.
A fairly rare cause of back pain. Are you surprised? Moreover, if a hernia is found on the MRI and the back is painful, isn't it the cause of the pain? In most cases, no. In addition to pain, hernia should also have other symptoms: some muscle weakness, weakened tendon reflexes, and reduced sensitivity of the root nerve innervation area. Without these symptoms-you can forget that a hernia is the cause of the pain.

MRI ruled out serious causes other than pain and other symptoms.

If the diagnosis of osteochondrosis is completely different, it is: increased stress, dizziness, weakness, anxiety, headache. In this case, what should we exclude?

Tension headache and migraine.
has nothing to do with your neck. Healing the neck means going the wrong way, making the chronicity of pain more compact. Tension headache may be accompanied by muscle tension, but it is still tension headache, not osteochondrosis.
Dizziness
is not due to intense depression. The real causes of dizziness: benign paroxysmal dizziness, vestibular data impairment, vestibular migraine, Meniere's disease, vestibular paroxysmal, cerebellar and trunk pathology, psychogenic dizziness, iron and vitamin B 12 deficiency, heart disease, Lung disease and so on.
Arterial hypertension.
Sometimes I come across the view that if a patient’s blood pressure rises, his neck should be checked, and of course the blood vessels in the neck should be checked. Do you find cervical vertebral artery hypoplasia, tortuous, degenerative changes? Let us blame them for the rising pressure. This is ridiculous. In fact, there is no connection between the increase in pressure and the neck.
Anxiety and depression.
Do you have anxiety, dizziness, weakness and fatigue, sleep disorders? Let's be Benim neck again. The poor patient did not receive counseling on antidepressants and tranquilizers, but received physical therapy, massage, and some kind of homeopathy.
Iron deficiency, thyroid dysfunction.

When you complain of fatigue, weakness, inattention, dizziness, headache, please remember.

Over the years, our bodies have changed. The baby's skin is soft and elastic. At the age of 30, no matter how we did cosmetic surgery, she was no longer like that. Imagine a sailor who has been sailing his entire life: his skin is rough and wrinkled. The same thing happens to our spine. In most cases, protrusions and hernias are natural age-related changes. If there are many provocative factors in life, such as carrying heavy objects, the possibility of a hernia will increase.

A large number of studies have shown that healthy people will find herniated discs: at the age of 20-up to 40% of the examinees (remember, these patients have no back pain), at the age of 70-up to 90%. In addition, the severity of the MRI changes has nothing to do with the degree of pain syndrome: when the hernia is large, there may be no pain at all, the protrusion is small, and the patient may feel severe pain (because the cause is not in the protrusion, but elsewhere).

Will a hernia never hurt?

Of course! About 1-4% of all back pain cases. How did you recognize it? Hernias not only cause pain, but also other diseases: impaired sensitivity, altered reflexes and sometimes decreased muscle strength. All these are determined by a qualified doctor in a neurological examination.

If the muscle strength is sufficient, the reflex when hit with a hammer is symmetrical, there is no weakening, and there is no sensory disturbance, then it is extremely unlikely that the back pain is caused by a hernia.

In addition, squeezing the root of the spine at a certain level (if you read the results of MRI, you will see that protrusions and hernias are described at that level, such as C3-C5 or L5-S1), the hernia will not only cause anyThe sensitivity of the place is reduced, and it will also cause some parts, as well as strictly defined reflection changes. The neurologist correlates the level of the lesion with the MRI data.

Symptom classification of cervical osteochondrosis

The development of this disease sometimes occurs before the age of 30-35, so signs of the disease may appear even in adolescence. The signs of cervical osteochondrosis will be discussed in detail below; the disease has become a real problem in the modern world. Sedentary work and staying in front of the computer for a long time will adversely affect people's health. All symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are related to the malfunction of several systems:

In advanced cases, there are signs of compression and the integrity of the spinal cord in the spinal canal is impaired.
Pathological neural processes can affect the surrounding system. The spinal cord roots located near the bone and cartilage tissue deformities are negatively affected.
In some cases, the vertebral artery will be clamped. These blood vessels transport nutrients and oxygen to brain cells. Violating these processes can lead to a sharp deterioration of human well-being.

As we all know, one of the first signs of the development of this disease is cervical pain. At first, it passed quickly, cyclically, but later became chronic. The main places of pain localization are:

Occipital muscles (reinforced by rotating the neck and tilting the head);

Shoulder area;

The neck.

Depending on the location of the lesion, it may be injured in different ways. The unpleasant sensation will become sharp, sprout, fade periodically and continue to pain. Over time, the head movement becomes more difficult due to the tension of the neck muscles. If the artery is clamped, neck migraines (weak blood supply, hypoxia, headache) are sometimes observed.

Disgusting

In some cases, blood vessels in the circulatory system are compressed to provide oxygen and nutrients to the human brain and inner ear. Therefore, nausea occurs with osteochondrosis. This symptom is usually accompanied by loss of appetite, which leads to weight loss and lack of necessary nutrients. In the later stages, the disease may cause vomiting when turning heads, walking, or bending over. This is due to insufficient blood supply to the middle ear where the balance center is located.

Nervous system symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Certain manifestations of the disease cannot be immediately attributed to characteristic signs. You should know which symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis should not be ignored, such as insufficient air. If this part is damaged, nerve stimulation syndrome may develop. The patient has difficulty breathing and lack of oxygen, resulting in shortness of breath and even severe asphyxia.

This pathological manifestation is usually accompanied by snoring. If your posture in sleep is uncomfortable, snoring will be aggravated. This leads to the fact that a person does not rest at night and wakes up feeling unwell, weak, tired and overwhelmed. If left untreated, it may lead to memory loss, decreased concentration and irreversible changes in brain tissue.

Vestibular signs

Another direction of how cervical osteochondrosis manifests-vestibular signs. All the necessary nutrients for the brain are supplied through the vertebral artery. If cervical chondropathy develops (disturbance of the inner ear), the patient will experience tinnitus and ringing. In some cases, hearing impairment or hearing loss can aggravate these symptoms.

Lumps in the throat

In some cases, the disease only manifests in one symptom-the pharynx. I felt cervical osteochondrosis forming a lump in my throat, sweating, itching, dryness, and difficulty swallowing. These manifestations are related to the impaired conductivity of the neurovascular trunk derived from the spinal cord. A lump in the throat is not a specific symptom of rickets; it may indicate a tumor or an inflammatory process. When this sign appears, you should definitely consult a doctor.

Visual signs of cervical osteochondrosis

Symptoms of cervical chondrosis may vary, but the most common is visual impairment. The supply of the visual analyzer comes from the carotid artery and vertebral artery. If the blood circulation is reduced due to the squeezing of the latter, the vision begins to decline, and the vision decline will not improve when wearing glasses. Cervical Chondrosis-Symptoms:

Low blood pressure;
Floating point blinking;
Cerebral atherosclerosis;
Violated the focus on the subject;
shrouded, mist in front of his eyes.

Wearing glasses and performing special exercises, the lack of improvement is characterized by the loss of vision due to vertebrae squeezing blood vessels and impaired circulation. Only timely treatment of the underlying disease (before irreversible tissue damage occurs) can help change the condition.

Arterial sign

The spine plays an important role in the human body, so any disease will affect many systems. Certain arterial signs of cervical osteochondrosis indicate the disease. These include sudden loss of consciousness. This is the most unpleasant and dangerous symptom inherent in the disease. When blood temporarily stops flowing through the cerebral arteries, this occurs due to blood circulation disorders.

Severe arterial spasm is caused by the stimulation of nerve endings by the deformed bone process. If your friend suffers from cervical osteochondrosis and loses consciousness, he must lie down and raise his legs to a smaller height to increase blood flow from the limbs and increase blood flow to the brain. After that, people tend to recover quickly.

Instability of blood pressure is another symptom of the disease. If the blood supply is interrupted, the doctor can diagnose signs of spasticity. This is not a specific symptom of rickets, but it fits the general condition of the disease. Blood pressure will drop or rise sharply. A person’s condition has deteriorated, so peace needs to be ensured.

Dizziness

It was previously described that this disease sometimes causes loss of consciousness. This applies to situations where it is difficult for blood to flow into the brain. More commonly, patients feel dizzy due to cervical osteochondrosis. This is a common symptom in all patients with this disease. This phenomenon has spontaneous manifestations. This condition is due to a decrease in the amount of oxygen supplied to the inner ear. It is located in the human brain and is responsible for the sense of balance. What happens when dizziness occurs:

Turn your head and neck;
If you suddenly get up.

The temperature of osteochondrosis

In some cases, the pathological process is distributed in the various structures of the cervical spinal cord. This happens when the intervertebral disc is herniated and the lumen is narrowed. The temperature of osteochondrosis is the body's response to these pathologies. The same reaction may occur in vertebral artery syndrome. In the final stage of disease development, this is a common phenomenon of osteochondrosis. Therefore, temperature rise refers to non-specific symptoms of the disease.

This symptom does not necessarily occur, and body temperature regulation may be normal. If you feel constant pain in your head, shoulders, neck, or back, and the pain is aggravated when you turn or tilt your head, you should consult a specialist and perform an examination. Lack of treatment will inevitably lead to a worsening of the condition and a decline in life comfort.

Learn more about what to do when you are diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

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 leads to the distortion of the structure of the vertebral body and cartilage disc. As far as the neck is concerned, the pathological symptoms depend largely 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

The cervical spine form 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 essential 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 particularity of the symptoms of osteochondrosis, among other factors, also depends on a structural feature of the cervical spine, that is, their close contact with each other. As a result, any change in one department will cause the failure of the whole department.

Clinic depending on the stage

During its development, cervical osteochondrosis has gone through four stages. How does it manifest in everyone?

Phase 1. It is characterized by the initial disturbance in the stability of the intervertebral disc. Symptoms are mild or absent. Less obvious pain and local muscle tension are possible.
Stage 2. Intervertebral disc herniation begins, the gap between the vertebrae shrinks, 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 attempt to move with severe pain syndrome is manifested, 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 obviously limits exercise. They often cause disability in patients.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

When located in the cervical spine, the main symptoms of osteochondrosis are:

Pain is the main symptom

neck, pillow, shoulder, arm pain;
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;
Repeated 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;

In the cervical thoracic cavity, the symptoms are almost similar to cervical osteochondrosis. It:

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;
Dental problems;

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. 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;
Hand, forearm, finger tingling;
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. When clamping the brachial nerve endings, it will affect the little finger and ring finger.

Stimulus 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 convulsion (essentially paroxysmal or persistent), extending to the temporal area, darkness, occipital bone, super ciliary arch;
In certain sports or staying in uncomfortable positions for a long time will increase discomfort;
General weakness;
Disgusting;
Loss of consciousness;
Hearing problems;
Eye pain;
Blurred vision.

Heart syndrome

When this complicated neck osteochondrosis symptoms develop, an image almost similar to angina pectoris appears, 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. Cardiac syndrome is the result of stimulation of the nerve (whose fibers lead to the pericardium) or 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 artery dilator;
There are no signs of circulatory disturbances on the ECG.

The deterioration of this disease

In the worsening stage, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are:

Increase the pain, and radiate to the shoulder blade, the area between the shoulders, arms, and shoulders;
Shoulder, trunk, arm movement is difficult, sometimes breathing (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, with imbalance, visual and auditory functions;

In the innervated area, skin nutrition is disrupted, numbness, numbness, dryness, paleness, burning, chills;

The tone of the cervical muscles increases;

Weakness, lethargy, nervousness, anxiety, emotional instability;

Possible sleep disorders, memory disorders and inattention problems.

How to diagnose this disease

The main methods for diagnosing cervical osteochondrosis are:

Radiography;
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.

Signs of cervical osteochondrosis

The cervical spine contains a large number of blood vessels that provide nutrients to the brain. Therefore, any problems in the neck, including cervical osteochondrosis, may cause deterioration of the blood supply to the brain. Therefore-and the most common signs of cervical osteochondrosis:

I often have headaches and dizziness,
Occasionally-faint suddenly,
Impaired motor coordination, "relaxed" gait,
Hearing impairment, tinnitus,
Visual impairment
The emergence of dental disease,
The appearance of hoarseness in the voice changes the tone of the voice and weakens the voice,
hit s,
Continuous pain in the throat.

Other symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include cold fingers, numbness, arm weakness, neck and shoulder pain, usually accompanied by dizziness and nausea.

How to treat this disease

Cervical osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatmentdepends on the patient’s condition, the severity of the disease and the nature of the cervical spine lesions.

In the acute phase, hospitalization and medication may be required.

Commonly used analgesics, norvocaine muscle blockers, muscle relaxants, drugs to relieve muscle spasm; cartilage protectors, used for cartilage tissue nutrition; tranquilizers can calm the nervous system, and B vitamins can strengthen nervesMuscle conductivity.

The treatment of cervical osteochondrosis has been long-term and should be comprehensive.

During remission, when there are no acute symptoms, physical therapy (electrophoresis, ultrasound, etc. ) is widely used. Non-traditional therapies such as physical therapy, massage and acupuncture are all necessary.

There are many conservative treatments for osteochondrosis that can prevent the development of the disease. However, considering the stage of the disease, the characteristics of the organism, gender and age, each patient needs to be treated individually.

The treatment goals of cervical osteochondrosis are:

Eliminate pain and swelling at the site of inflammation.
Relax the tense neck muscles.
Release nerve roots.
Enhance blood circulation.
Metabolism is activated.
Improve the nutrition of the intervertebral disc.

Targeted comprehensive treatment can prevent protrusions and intervertebral hernias.

In order not to cause cervical osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment, and to avoid serious disease complications, prompt treatment should be started.