Cervical osteochondrosis is a common disease of the spine that affects all ages. This is a degenerative lesion of the disc that develops against severe stress, wearing inappropriate shoes, strenuous physical exertion, and malnutrition.
It develops gradually, so the patient may not notice the first symptoms immediately.
Another name for this disease is a degenerative-destructive lesion of the spine that affects the vertebral body, the ligaments and joints, the intervertebral discs.
It is often diagnosed in both men and women and usually develops after 30 years. According to statistics, this disease affects 50-80% of the population.
The main signs of the disease
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the neck appear as the pathology progresses. They are more noticeable during aggravation. It is recommended to see a doctor after the first signs of the disease are noticed, as they are often disguised as other disorders, which makes timely diagnosis difficult. Patients usually have the following complaints:
- Severe pain in the collar area.
- Noise and swelling in the ears.
- Frequent dizziness.
- Shortness of breath, feeling short of breath.
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Blood pressure drops.
- Frequent fainting or fainting.
- Increased body temperature.
The signs of cervical osteochondrosis in men are not very different from those seen in women. Patients complain of discomfort in the neck, sternum and shoulder girdle. You should contact your local therapist or neurologist for a diagnosis.
Neck pain
One of the most common symptoms of chondrosis of the cervical spine is neck pain that affects the back of the head and shoulders. The nature of the pain (painful, sharp, mild tingling) depends directly on the location of the lesion and the severity of the pathological process. In the initial stage, this can cause mild discomfort, which does not allow you to turn your head freely in all directions. Gradually, the pain becomes chronic and limits the range of motion.
The pain is due to deformity of the vertebrae due to insufficient blood supply to the collar zone. Convulsions, anxiety and panic attacks can be observed in the background of this process. Feeling painful in the neck area may radiate to the shoulders or arms. Increased after falling asleep, sudden movements, laughter or sneezing. The discomfort is accompanied by a characteristic crackling when turning or muscle weakness.
Muscle spasm and poor circulation often lead not only to pain but also to temporary loss of neck movement. Permanent overload spreads in the head and the patient begins to complain of migraine attacks.
Noise and congestion in the ear
Cervical osteochondrosis is also manifested by a feeling of ear blockage, hearing loss, and the appearance of noise. This is due to insufficient intensity of blood flow to the vestibular device. This syndrome is called cochlear, but doctors rarely associate it with a disorder in the vertebral region. Pay attention to the nature of noise and tinnitus, it usually gets louder if a person is in a situation for a long time or tries to change it.
Patients with hearing problems see an otolaryngologist. Concomitant disorders of the condition, such as numbness of the face, restricted neck movement, require further consultation with a neurologist to clarify the diagnosis and determine the cause.
Headache and migraine
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in men are rarely accompanied by frequent headaches, and the female population is more sensitive to them. In this area, the vertebrae are constantly subjected to excessive stress, leading to their gradual deformation if the muscle tissue is not flexible enough to hold them in a natural position. The cause of the headache is more difficult to identify because the symptom is not specific. The following are the reasons for the attack:
- Cerebral vasospasm.
- Pinched nerve endings in the cervical spine.
- High blood pressure.
- Acute violation of venous outflow.
- Increased fatigue.
- Long stay in an unnatural situation.
The headache intensifies during the exacerbation period and in the patient, including the man. By its nature, it can be permanent, in the form of dull seizures, or pulsating. In the elderly, this symptom requires increased attention as it may speak of an onset of stroke, angina pectoris, heart attack, or arterial hypertension. Therefore, above all, these conditions are ruled out before starting treatment for osteochondrosis.
In the case of cardiac pathologies, patients also complain of compression in the chest area, an irregular heartbeat, which allows the doctor to differentiate the condition over time. A headache with nausea and shortness of breath necessarily requires an ECG.
Dizziness
Disorder of coordination and frequent dizziness often occur when osteochondrosis becomes grade 2 or higher. This is due to degenerative changes in the vertebrae, cramps, pinching of nerve endings. The brain does not receive the required amount of oxygen, which negatively affects the functioning of the vestibular device. Due to the difference in condition, the symptom is as follows:
- Systemic dizziness. They appear as a feeling of rotation of the whole body and the objects around it. Dysfunction occurs due to malfunction of the vestibular device, weakening of muscle tissue, and receptors in the joints.
- Non-systemic dizziness. In addition to instability, patients experience nausea and insecurity in a vertical position. Circular rotation is usually absent.
Dizziness is a severe symptom and you should see a doctor immediately. Numbness of the shoulders, paralysis of the muscular tissue of the face, loss of consciousness, emergency hospital treatment are required.
Shortness of breath and shortness of breath
Another severe symptom in advanced osteochondrosis is a feeling of constant shortness of breath in the shoulder area. Breathing problems result from the compression of nerve endings and receptors that do not transmit impulses from the pharynx to the esophagus. Shortness of breath occurs when the vertebrae move, increasing in a state of stress, accompanied by a lump in the throat. After taking the sedative, your health will return to normal.
Lack of air causes radical syndrome. Spasm of the diaphragm, affects the depth and rhythm of breathing. The patient becomes stuffy, has difficulty breathing, and has memory and concentration problems. This symptom of osteochondrosis needs immediate help as it can cause a number of serious complications. The medicine is selected individually by the doctor, taking into account the condition.
Nausea
There is a large accumulation of nerve endings in the cervical region, an artery passing through it that is responsible for transporting nutrients to the brain. During osteochondrosis, protrusions and intervertebral hernias gradually develop, which affects blood pressure and, as a result, the patient feels nauseous.
Permanent disruption of normal blood circulation leads to vomiting, loss of consciousness, stroke, and disability. Therefore, the appearance of such a symptom, which is not associated with nutritional defects, requires immediate medical advice.
High blood pressure
A characteristic symptom of cervical osteochondrosis is a pressure jump during the day. For a long time, increased or decreased blood pressure does not persist, which is a hallmark of degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. The daily dynamics of blood pressure are sudden, as irritation of nerve endings is reflex-like and causes short-term vasospasm. Distinctive feature of increased pressure in cervical osteochondrosis:
- headache;
- chest discomfort;
- decreased sensitivity in the collar area;
- muscle tension lasting for a long time in one position.
All of this is taken into account when making a diagnosis. Rapid deterioration of the condition and sudden changes in pressure are the basis for the patient’s hospitalization and hospital care.
Vision 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 a doctor should be consulted. The following diseases may develop in the background of the destruction of the connective tissue of the vertebrae:
- Glaucoma. The patient is diagnosed with increased intraocular pressure, damage to the optic nerve. Complete removal of pathologists is impossible, and stable remission can only be achieved with complex treatment.
- Gray cataract. This pathological process leads to the destruction of the lens. The changes are related to metabolic processes and acute impairment of the oxygen supply to the brain. The first sign of the disease is the appearance of "flies" in the eye. Starting treatment early will help maintain the patient's vision.
- Claude Bernard-Horner's disease. One of the causes of the lesion is hypoxia in the occipital region. The main signs of the condition are a decrease in the response of the pupil or a difference in the size of the pupil in different eyes. Some patients complain that they cannot completely close their eyes for a night’s rest, and twilight vision also suffers.
Treatment is prescribed by an ophthalmologist after a thorough examination. But the therapy is performed only in a complex that aims to eliminate the cause of the violation. This is the only way to deal with the problem effectively.
Throat problems
Degenerative lesions of the cervical vertebrae cause swallowing problems. The patient complains that there is a lump in the throat, sweats, a foreign body in the throat, itching. Signs indicate dysfunction of neurovascular strains exiting the spinal cord. But the symptoms are not considered typical and can be observed with abnormal disorders such as inflammation, swelling.
Changes in body temperature
As osteochondrosis progresses, it will cause a rise in body temperature. Such symptoms occur when the vertebrae of the artery are damaged, with narrowing of the spinal canal or protrusion of the disc. It induces changes in neurosis and concomitant neurological disorders. In the background of the rise in temperature, numbness of the tongue or hands, an inflammatory process in the lymph nodes, a burning sensation in the tongue.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis depending on the stage
The signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are highly dependent on the stage of development of the pathology, the strength of the compression of the nerve endings, and the process of deformation of the plates. It causes symptoms of constriction of the vertebral artery and violation of blood flow to the brain. Pinched nerve endings lead to severe neurological pathologies. The severity of the symptoms depends directly on the stage of development of the disease:
- The initial. Degenerative processes in the cartilage discs take place unnoticed by the patient. The first changes are quite difficult to notice, as they may be a mild headache (more severe in women), a discomfort in the neck, a slight loss of vision, or a decrease in sensitivity in the collar zone. At this stage, patients rarely see a doctor, attributing symptoms to fatigue, lack of sleep, or stress.
- Second stage. As the pathology progresses and the disc becomes more prominent, more pronounced symptoms appear. The destruction of the annulus fibrosus affects the movements of the head, they become more limited. In addition, patients continue to complain of tinnitus, visual impairment, neck pain and characteristic cracking, swallowing problems, sleep disturbances, and decreased reflex purity. Keeping the head in one position causes severe discomfort that requires medical consultation.
- Third stage. Intervertebral hernias develop gradually, the annulus fibrosus is completely destroyed, deformities of the vertebrae, displacement of bone segments, dislocations, instability occur. The patient complains of acute pain in the neck, pronounced shoulder syndrome, paralysis of the upper extremities, tendon reflexes are not observed, sensitivity of the scalp is impaired. 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 in the compressed nerve endings, circulatory disorders, and deformity of the intervertebral discs. Protrusion, hernia, and displacement gradually lead to loss of vertebral mobility.
Age directly affects the severity of symptoms. The older the patient, the stronger the changes in the connective and bone tissues. This is due to weakness in muscle fibers, nutritional deficiencies and chronic inflammatory diseases of the body.
Patient reports
Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae is a common disease because the nerve roots are constantly stressed due to excessive mobility of the segment. Timely recognition of the pathology avoids serious complications, so many read the opinions of patients and compare them with their symptoms.
Female, 35 years old
"We suspected osteochondrosis almost immediately because I was constantly torturing my head and having trouble turning my neck. But the diagnosis was made only after the x-ray. Because the treatment does not give normal results and the pain continues to occur intermittently, computed tomography is still behind, confirming or refuting the progression.
Female, 42 years old
"Doctors could not diagnose osteochondrosis for a long time because the symptoms were also associated with gastritis. At times, I felt bad, but I attributed this to eating errors. It wasn’t until I fainted that I went to the doctor and started looking for the problem. Cervical discomfort was not very painful in the initial stages, and the pain was felt only as the pathology progressed. Treatment was prescribed only after a CT scan. The treatment gradually produces results. "
Male, 36 years old
"Cervical osteochondrosis was due to the specifics of the profession but could not be diagnosed immediately. At first I lost my sight, which I immediately attributed to the strain of the night eye, and then I began to suffer from dizziness and neck pain, but as I was constantly driving and it didn’t bother me. The diagnosis was made in almost 3 stages when the pressure started to jump and the problems usually started with health. The treatment has not yet produced tangible results "
It is strictly forbidden to diagnose yourself without laboratory and instrumental research. All information is for comment only.
Cervical osteochondrosis manifests itself in a number of symptoms, but most of them are easily confused with similar pathologies. Therefore, it is recommended that the patient's complaints be considered in a complex manner and that a differential diagnosis be made that allows the disease to be identified in a timely manner and appropriate treatment to be prescribed, which includes physiotherapy, gymnastics, and medication.