Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine accounts for about a quarter of all osteochondrosis cases. He is the "youngest" and often affects people under the age of 30. The disease develops gradually, but progresses slowly but surely. In the early stages of cervical osteochondrosis, it can generally be asymptomatic and become an incidental finding on x-ray.
Causes of Osteochondrosis
The disease manifests itself as dull pain in the chest, under the shoulder blades, in the shoulder area, numbness and the appearance of "goose bumps" in the chest, stiffness of movement. Often the pain is belt-shaped, accompanied by angina, unpleasant painful sensations in the stomach and shortness of breath. Short-term acute pain is sometimes observed.
The causes of the destruction of the intervertebral discs and the compression of the nerve endings of the spinal cord can be scoliosis acquired in adolescence, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, the same load on the spine and regular long years of sitting while sitting.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine: symptoms
The most important, first and most common symptom of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is pain. It increases when the head is bent or turned.
Depending on the localization of the pathological focus, pain in the back of the head, under the shoulder blade or in the arm can be given.
It can be constant and painful. It can appear from time to time, but as the disease progresses it becomes more and more troubling to a person. The pain is sharp too, shooting. This is a symptom of worsening cervical osteochondrosis, which can manifest itself after the body becomes hypothermic.
Head movements are usually difficult. This is due to the constant tension in the muscles in the collar area and neck. A crunch can often be heard when leaning forward or turning the head.
In the later stages of cervical osteochondrosis, a person cannot hold his head for a long time. Sometimes he cannot turn or tilt them without being in severe pain. The patient tries to support his head with his hands or to take a comfortable position to relieve his or her suffering.
Vertebral artery syndrome
This group of symptoms is caused by compression of the vertebral artery by a displaced intervertebral disc, overgrown cartilage tissue or tense muscles. The syndrome is a complex of symptoms, including cervical migraines, impaired consciousness, and increased blood pressure.
Cervical migraine is a headache that is caused by decreased blood flow and a lack of oxygen in the tissues. The pain is often one-sided. It hurts especially in the back of the head. Possible exposure to ear, eye or forehead.
Sometimes hearing impairment occurs and the ears start ringing. Possible visual impairment. In the eyes "flies" double before the eyes. The scalp can become so painful that it cannot be touched. Headaches with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
A common symptom of cervical osteochondrosis and compression of the vertebral artery is an increase in blood pressure. But osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and high blood pressure are not always linked. It should be noted that an increase in pressure can be observed in many people in old age.
Only after studying the anamnesis of cervical osteochondrosis, the doctor can determine whether high blood pressure is a complication of the disease. If a history of recurrent attacks of arterial hypertension accompanied by palpitations and fear of death, it is most likely one of the symptoms of compression of the vertebral artery. If the increase in pressure occurred gradually and frequent hypertensive crises were not observed, then most likely the patient has hypertension, which is not associated with osteochondrosis.
Disturbances in consciousness occur when the brain does not receive enough blood. There is drowsiness, dizziness, a decrease in the speed of reaction to external stimuli. There is a short-term loss of consciousness.
Stroke rehabilitation
What are the most dangerous symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis? This is, without a doubt, a stroke - the death of part of the spinal cord due to the complete lack of blood flow in the compressed vessels. It always leads to a disability that leads to paresis and paralysis. Fortunately, spinal cord strokes are rare.
Heart syndrome
Symptoms of an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis include heart pain. It occurs due to pinching of the posterior roots of the fourth spinal nerve. In fact, heart pain could be attributed to radicular syndrome. However, this symptom is specific, so it will be isolated as a separate syndrome.
Heart pain with osteochondrosis can mimic angina or myocardial infarction. But when a patient seeks medical help, a competent doctor can immediately rule out heart disease based only on the patient's symptoms and ailments.
- First, the presence of other symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae in the patient already leads specialists to the idea that the cause of heart pain could be problems with the spine;
- Second, the pain is not severe and sharp as in myocardial infarction and is not accompanied by fear of death. It is not associated with physical activity, unlike an angina attack;
- Third, such pains are quite long, and after taking nitroglycerin they do not go away and do not even subside;
- Fourth, the pain increases when turning or tilting the head, which is not observed in "real" heart disease.
Radicular Syndrome
Radicular syndrome combines the signs of cervical osteochondrosis, which develop as a result of compression of the roots of the spinal nerves. Depending on the level at which the pinching occurred, various symptoms of intervertebral osteochondrosis of the cervical spine may develop.
The compression of the roots at the level of the first or second segment leads to numbness of the occiput or pain in the back of the head.
Pinching the roots of the third spinal nerve causes numbness of the tongue and skin behind the ear. When the motor fibers become pinched, it becomes difficult for a person to chew food and the feeling of an enlarged tongue.
The compression of the roots at the level of the fourth segment of the spinal cord causes pain in the heart and collarbone, hiccups, and pharyngeal migraines. There is a sensation of a foreign body in the throat and the food is difficult to swallow. There may be a sore throat that mimics a sore throat. But the differential diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis and tonsillitis is not difficult at all. Inflammation of the pharynx is always accompanied by hyperthermia, while with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the body temperature does not rise.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The most common symptom of pinching the roots of the fifth spinal nerve is limited mobility of the shoulder muscles. It is difficult for the patient to raise his hand and move it to one side.
Pinching the roots of the sixth segment most commonly causes pain in the shoulder blade and forearm. It becomes difficult for the patient to bend and rotate the forearm.
The seventh pair of spinal nerves mainly innervates the hand, index and middle fingers. When pinching, the mobility of these parts of the body is disturbed, numbness or pain occurs.
Trapping at the level of the eighth segment makes it difficult to bend and stretch the ring finger and the little finger. Pain and sensitivity disorders can also occur. However, these manifestations can already be attributed to the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, since the roots of the eighth spinal nerve lie between the seventh cervical and first thoracic vertebrae.
What is the danger of cervical osteochondrosis? Mainly because of its complications. The appearance of intervertebral hernias can lead to compression of the spinal cord and subsequently to the development of paresis and paralysis. Treatment should begin when the first symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis appear. Properly selected therapy slows down the progression of the disease, improves the patient's quality of life and prevents the development of complications of cervical osteochondrosis.