Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is represented by a degenerative-dystrophic pathology of the intervertebral discs. This disease refers to progressive disc disorders.
The cervical spine is represented by 7 discs. The cervical region is considered the most mobile. Thanks to this mobility, inclinations and rotations of the head become possible.
The cause of frequent injuries of this part of the spine is the weakness of its muscular corset. The cervical region supports constant loads, which consist in holding the head, performing its turns, inclinations. It is because of such a strong tension that dystrophic changes (osteochondrosis) occur in it.
Disease stages
In osteochondrosis, the following stages of development are distinguished:
- Osteochondrosis of the 1st degree of the cervical region has instability as the main symptom. In the vertebral discs, initial disturbances are noted.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical region of the 2nd degree has disc protrusion as the main symptom. The destruction of the fibrous ring occurs due to a decrease in the gap between the discs. The patient is disturbed by painful sensations, the cause of which is the pinching of the nerve endings.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical region of the 3rd degree is manifested by the permanent destruction of the fibrous ring. As a result of such destruction, an intervertebral hernia occurs. At this stage of disease progression, the patient's spine experiences severe deformities.
- The fourth degree is considered the most severe. The patient is disturbed by very strong sharp pains at the slightest movements. Periodically, the patient's condition improves, he is no longer worried about very severe pain. But such relief is very dangerous. It indicates the formation of bony growths connecting the vertebrae. The growths formed limit the movement of the spine and in the future can lead to disability of the patient.
Causes of pathology
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine began to appear not only in people over 40, but also in young people (18-30 years old).
The most common causes of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- overweight;
- trauma;
- violation of posture;
- hypothermia, infectious diseases;
- metabolic disease;
- the presence of nervous tension, stress;
- sedentary lifestyle.
Osteochondrosis develops against the background of muscle clamps. Under the influence of muscle spasms, blood supply is disturbed, mobility is limited, and posture is impaired. As a result of these changes, dystrophic processes develop inside the intervertebral discs and vertebrae. As a result of dystrophic processes, there is a narrowing of the intervertebral discs, due to which the nerve roots emerging from them are compressed.
Symptoms
The peculiarity of the cervical spine lies in its saturation with blood vessels necessary to supply the brain. Therefore, signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine depend on insufficient blood supply to the organs of the head. The lack of oxygen and nutrients negatively affects the brain.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are:
- Frequent headaches.
- Hearing loss, ringing in the ears.
- The appearance of severe dizziness, which may even be accompanied by loss of consciousness.
- Reduced vision.
- Violation of coordination of movements.
- Appearance of hoarseness.
- Snoring occurs, indicating the presence of chronic muscle tension.
As a result of pinched nerves in the cervical region, the following symptoms appear:
- pain in the skin, teeth;
- weakness in the arms;
- numbness, cold fingers on the upper limbs;
- pain in the neck, throat.
Pathological changes accompanying the disease have a lot of clinical manifestations. Most of them, in addition to pain in the neck, can cause suspicion of the development of completely different diseases. Turning to the clinic with complaints of elbow pain, decreased vision, manifestation of visual disturbances, the patient does not even allow the thought of developing osteochondrosis in him.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine are conventionally divided into 3 groups:
- neurological symptoms. It is a complication that occurs as a result of trauma to the discs, nerve roots, nerves and nerve plexuses. These symptoms are pain. Pain in osteochondrosis of the cervical region is of a piercing, throbbing character. It can also be characterized as boring, dull. It can be constant or intermittent, but always localized in the depths of the neck. It is pain in the neck that is considered the main sign of the development of osteochondrosis. It accompanies the patient as soon as he wakes up, intensifying during the day. Pain can affect the upper limbs, chest, head.
- Symptoms associated with the effect of the disease on the spinal cord. It is manifested by the presence of movement disorders. The patient, closing his eyes, feels a lack of coordination. Insufficient blood supply to the spinal cord causes increased fatigue, the development of myelopathy (disappearance of pain, temperature sensitivity). The patient is worried about weakness in the upper and lower limbs.
- Symptoms associated with damage to the brain, cranial nerves, cerebral vessels. It is manifested by a pathological effect on the vessels. Lack of blood circulation in the system that regulates blood supply to the brain stem causes a violation of its functions. The patient has increased fatigue, irritability, he is worried about a sleep disorder. He has an increase in pressure with osteochondrosis of the cervical region, the pulse also increases, sweating and dizziness appear. Also, the patient may experience noise in the ear with osteochondrosis of the cervical region. The patient is disturbed by the feeling of stuffiness in the ear, the hearing itself is reduced. In the presence of these symptoms, as well as a decrease in visual acuity, it is very difficult to determine the relationship with progressive cervical osteochondrosis.
Most often, these symptoms do not appear separately, but together, but with a predominance of one of the groups.
Classification of syndromes
In case of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the symptoms depend on what object struck the disease:
- Vertebral artery syndrome.
- radicular syndromes.
- cardiac syndrome.
- Irritant reflex syndrome.
- Spinal cord compression.
Heart syndrome
Symptoms of the disease are similar to those of angina pectoris. Spasms of the heart muscle can be the result of compression of the nerve roots in the lower part of the cervical region. Cardiac syndrome appears with irritation of the pectoralis major muscle, the roots of the phrenic nerve.
Paroxysmal pains are felt for quite a long time, for several hours. They intensify when performing sudden movements (sneezing, sharp rotation of the head, coughing).
Root syndromes
The cause of their appearance is a pinched nerve. Such symptoms appear in the patient due to compression of the nerve roots. The pain arises directly in the neck, then descends, affects the scapula, shoulder, outer part of the forearm, reaching the fingers. The patient may feel pastosity, the effect of "flowing goosebumps", tingling on the fingers, hands, forearm.
The difference in the symptoms of the disease also depends on the segment that affected the disease:
- Pastosity of the index, middle finger is noted when the roots of the central nerve are injured.
- Pastosity of the ring finger, the little finger is characteristic of the defeat of the roots of the brachial nerve.
vertebral artery syndrome
It is characterized by the onset of a throbbing headache. This constant pain also affects the temples, crown, occipital and eyebrow regions. Sometimes the pain becomes paroxysmal. Increased pain is noted when moving, taking an uncomfortable position. The patient also has impaired functioning of the auditory, visual and vestibular apparatus. The patient notices a decrease in visual acuity, hearing, he begins to be disturbed by pain in the eyes, a disorder of the vestibular apparatus. With a general weakening of the body, there is a possibility of attacks of nausea, loss of consciousness.
Irritant reflex syndrome
The patient is disturbed by sharp pain in the cervical-occipital region. It occurs at the onset of movement after a state of rest, for example after sleep. In addition, burning pain may accompany sneezing, making sharp turns of the head. It yields to the shoulder, to the chest.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should contact the clinic for specialist treatment to avoid serious complications.