The main signs and symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Cervical chondropathy is a very common disease that affects both men and women equally. Moreover, age has no special effect here. The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are not only found in the elderly, but the pathology is the result of the natural aging process. This disease is increasingly found in young people, and in most cases, they themselves should be blamed.

Causes of pathological development

This disease of the spine is characterized by degenerative dystrophy. In other words, pathological changes occur in the vertebrae and all their structural elements, and it is no longer possible to reverse this change in later stages. This type of osteochondrosis is considered to be the most dangerous because its consequence is the violation of the main nerve roots and blood vessels of the brain. That is, over time, the spine will stop functioning normally over its entire length.

The following reasons for the development of the disease can be distinguished:

1. Lift and move heavy objects.
2. A lot of exercise load.
3. Improper weight carrying.
4. Persisting in a static posture for a long time: working on a computer, writing notes, reading a book, working in an office. This is the main reason for young people.
5. genetic factors.

Naturally, inflammatory processes that occur in the spine or other parts of the body can also cause osteochondrosis in the neck. Other reasons are not ruled out: hypothermia, trauma, surgery.

Symptom classification

Therefore, the spine should be treated only after the patient has been accurately diagnosed. To this end, doctors need to understand the patient's clinical situation and apply all instrumental inspection methods. The symptoms of the patient depend on the degree of damage to the body system:

1. Most symptoms from one side of the brain are caused by impaired blood circulation due to compression of blood vessels.
2. The image of peripheral nerve injury is caused by compression of the nerve root leaving the vertebral foramen.
3. Due to the spinal cord injury, severe neurological diseases appear in the later stages of disease development.

Now, you can consider the main signs of cervical osteochondrosis in more detail.

The most common symptoms of pathology

Despite the reasons for the problem, the clinical situation of all patients is almost always the same. Cervical osteochondrosis has the following symptoms:

• Painful feeling. They are located on the neck, back of the head and collar area. The pain can also spread to the shoulders, chest, and clavicle of the bones. Frequent migraines are characteristic of osteochondrosis. Gradually, the discomfort becomes painful and chronic. Increased pathology can cause shooting pain during sports. At the same time, the muscles are very tight. Sometimes only injections-anesthesia blockers-can eliminate this symptom.
• Tinnitus, stuffy. This is the result of a drop in the blood supply of the vestibular device.
• dizziness. This is caused by hypoxia, because the blood supply to the inner ear is insufficient. This condition is also accompanied by uncontrolled irregular movements of the pupils.
• If the blood circulation in the affected area is improved, the patient will faint and the patient can quickly come out of the fainted area.
• The feeling of lack of air. The symptoms that appear are due to the stimulation of the nerve. In other words, the patient cannot breathe deeply at all. He also sniffs, and may suddenly stop breathing. Over time, patients will experience shortness of breath and choking episodes. Further hypoxia will damage the brain tissue, resulting in decreased concentration and memory.
• nausea. Sometimes, any movement of the body or head is accompanied by vomiting, which is difficult to control. The patient's appetite was disturbed and weight lost.

• Vision problems. Cervical osteochondrosis can cause symptoms such as "flies" to appear in front of the eyes or in the fog, reduce the severity, and violate the focus of vision. In addition, exercise therapy or wearing glasses will not solve the problem.
• Pressure changes. This condition occurs due to arterial spasm. The patient may even lose consciousness.
• The throat is dry and lumpy. Sometimes this is the only symptom, indicating that the neck is affected. Therefore, osteochondrosis in this case can easily be confused with other pathologies.
• The temperature rises. This symptom is not common. Moreover, it is not the base temperature that changes, but the local temperature. The skin around the neck becomes hot and red.
• Can not move. The neck seems to be wedge. When you turn your head, you will also hear unpleasant crackling and crunching sounds.
• The arm is weak, and there is a burning sensation between the shoulder blades.
• Impaired motor coordination affects the patient's gait.

Some of the signs of cervical osteochondrosis listed above are not clear. It is difficult to diagnose this disease because a person does not turn to an expert on time.

The symptoms of the disease depend on its degree of development

According to the symptoms, prevalence and intensity observed by patients, we can talk about the development stage of cervical osteochondrosis. Each degree has its own characteristics:

1. The first stage. Accompanied by periodic headaches, discomfort in the neck, shoulders, and arms. Liquidity is slightly restricted. In the collar area, skin sensitivity may decrease slightly. At this stage, since the patient does not seek medical help, no treatment is actually given. Some patients try to use folk remedies to treat osteochondrosis at home.
2. second stage. In the cervical spine, the pain worsens and an uncomfortable crunch is heard. In the shoulder area as well as in the hands, there is a severe decrease in sensitivity. The headache at this stage has hardly disappeared, the patient's vision has decreased, the head and ears have noise, and the sharpness of tendon reflexes has decreased. During the exacerbation of osteochondrosis, shooting pain occurred and radiated under the cap bone. Here, it is no longer possible not to notice the symptoms of the disease, and the patient will try to see a doctor. However, it is no longer possible to completely get rid of failure. It will only slow down its further development.
3. The third phase. Here, the collagen fibers of the intervertebral disc have been destroyed, and a herniated disc appears. The fixation of the vertebrae is broken and begins to fall off. Dislocation may even occur. The patient's neck and heart are very painful, the upper limbs are paralyzed and paralyzed, and the spine is curved. At this stage of the development of osteochondrosis, there is almost no tendon reflex. A complication of this degree of cervical osteochondrosis is spinal stroke.

If a person "rescues" the disease at home without consulting a doctor, then this behavior may lead to disability.

Cervical osteochondrosis cannot be completely cured, but timely and correct treatment can slow its development.

What syndrome causes osteochondrosis?

Therefore, there are certain symptoms that indicate that a person has a certain syndrome. If there is no at least one sign, there is no need to talk about this pathological condition.

Cervical osteochondrosis can cause a variety of syndromes:

• root. In other words, it can be called "cervical radiculitis". It seems to be caused by nerve compression. It is characterized by the following symptoms: pain spreads to the shoulder blades, along the shoulders and extends to the forearms and fingers; the appearance of "flies" in front of you; fingers, forearms, and hands are tingling. The location of symptoms may vary depending on the damaged root pair.
• Irritating reflex. It is characterized by acute burning pain in the neck and occiput due to exercise after sleep when sneezing. May make the chest uncomfortable.
• Vertebral artery syndrome. Here, the following symptoms are very obvious: loss of consciousness, nausea, severe burning headache in nature, extending to the parietal, temporal and occipital lobes of the skull. This patient is characterized by weakness, hearing impairment, eye pain, and blurred vision.
• heart. It is peculiar-it is easy to confuse it with an angina pectoris attack, so the prescribed treatment may prove to be wrong. If the patient is diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms of the heart syndrome are as follows: sudden pain and increase with minimal movement; tachycardia cannot be prevented by special heart medicine that promotes coronary vasodilation. At the same time, there are no signs of circulatory disturbances on the ECG.

Since osteochondrosis has a chronic form, its attacks occur regularly. The intensity of symptoms increases. The sensation can last for a long time, and only anesthetics can remove it. The tablet may not work.

How is pathology diagnosed?

In order to accurately determine the severity of osteochondrosis and determine the degree of destruction of the vertebrae, the patient needs to undergo a thorough examination. It includes the following processes:

• External examination of the patient.
• Neurological examination.
• Double scan of blood vessels or Doppler ultrasound.
• MRI.
• CT.
• The X-ray of the cervical spine is divided into two projections.
• Electrocardiogram.

Laboratory analysis in this case cannot provide any information. Although they are sometimes prescribed to determine the cause of the development of osteochondrosis.

Characteristics of pathological treatment

Therefore, the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis must be carried out in the first stage. Moreover, people who are ill can take the necessary drugs and treat them at home, but they must undergo thorough examination and consultation by experts.

Treatment must be comprehensive. Merely eliminating pathological symptoms is not enough. It is necessary to try to restore the function of the cervical spine. For this, a person needs drugs (pain relievers, hormones, vitamin complexes, chondroprotective drugs) and therapeutic exercises.

In order to eliminate the severe pain that the pills cannot stop, a special injection method is used, which is performed in the area between the joints. However, this blocking method can only be used a few times a year.

In addition to medication, physical therapy procedures are also provided for patients: massage, ultrasound and UV therapy. If conservative treatment is ineffective, a surgical prescription should be prescribed for the patient. However, this is an extreme measure, and it is best not to let the disease reach this state.