There are many diseases characterized by degenerative-dystrophic manifestations, one of which is osteochondrosis. In humans, signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifest themselves in different ways, and sometimes it is impossible to think about this pathology. The entire spine is gradually affected, especially in the thoracic region.
Very often, in addition to the fact that there is pain, other symptoms may also occur. Which, you need to understand in more detail, because numbness and violations of the tongue are a manifestation of this particular disease. Such psychosomatics can confuse anyone, there are reasons for such a disease. We will try to understand the variety of symptoms in more detail below.
Degrees of disease
Osteochondrosis is characterized by a chronic course with periods of remission and exacerbation, which can be very difficult to eliminate. Psychosomatics is able to take a person to extremes, because the pain is especially intense. Even if you act on the causes, the disease is constantly progressing, only a certain diet and timely treatment can help. Psychosomatics does not appear immediately, in the early stages a person feels completely normal, and after the second or third attack he simply becomes unbearable.
In total, there are four degrees of manifestation of the disease:
- At the initial stage, the changes are minimal, they occur inside the intervertebral disc. It gradually loses its moisture, which eventually leads to cracking of the fibrous capsule. At this stage, everything does not manifest itself in any way, the changes are visible only on an MRI. It is at this stage that the disease is best treated, while the causes of the onset can be reversed, and by starting treatment, the manifestations of the disease can be completely eliminated.
- In the second stage, disc damage occurs and pain may appear. The height of the disc decreases, which leads to sagging of the ligaments and muscles. Instability develops, the vertebrae begin to shift relative to each other. At this stage, a person feels pain, a specific lesion appears, characteristic of osteochondrosis.
- In the third stage of the disease, the pain may be more pronounced and is often accompanied by disc protrusion.
- The fourth stage is the last stage, during which osteophytes and spinal deformities are formed. Due to osteophytes, the body tries to reduce the signs of cervical osteochondrosis. After the ligaments begin to ossify and the vertebrae gradually move.
The reasons why everything happens
To better understand the symptoms of the disease, you need to understand what causes their appearance. All psychosomatics arise, first of all, due to compression of the spinal cord in the spinal canal. But such causes can be found very rarely and with a very advanced degenerative process. The cause of the event may be a large size of the intervertebral hernia, trauma or displacement.
Often, psychosomatics develops due to compression of the roots of the spine. The causes of pain are that they can be compressed by neighboring vertebrae, herniated disc and inflammation.
Often the problem can be with nearby vessels. Especially often, psychosomatics develops as a result of damage to the vertebral artery, which extends through the thickness of the spine and supplies blood to the posterior parts of the brain.
Based on the features of the lesion, one can understand the symptoms, which in both men and women have the same manifestations.
Symptoms Due to Spinal Cord Injury
Cervical osteochondrosis on the background of compression of the spinal cord develops very rarely. Such a condition can cost a person not only health, but also life. In this zone, the respiratory and vasomotor centers are located in close proximity. And if the compression occurs at the level of 3 or 4 segments, a person can be completely paralyzed. If the diaphragm is affected, then often everything ends with its paralysis and respiratory arrest.
Body temperature is normal, even if 4-5 segments are affected, paralysis is possible, but breathing will not suffer. If the 5th-8th segment is damaged, the muscles of the arms and legs may suffer, the temperature also does not change, and there may be a malfunction in the functioning of the pelvic organs.
When a nerve fiber is damaged
With damage to the nerve plexuses and fibers, the temperature also does not rise. In the cervical region, as well as in the chest region, pain occurs. It can be permanent and is called cervicalgia, and in the form of attacks - cervical. Attacks occur in the neck, neck or shoulder girdle, upper thoracic spine. Irritation occurs due to compression of the root, it becomes inflamed, although the temperature remains normal. As a result, the muscles that innervate the roots involved in the pathological process become very tense, numbness joins.
With neck pain in both men and women, the pain is constant and of varying intensity. Psychosomatics with it is very pronounced, seizures can be very difficult to eliminate. Very often, everything is considered a simple migraine. But you can bear the pain, even if it occurs as a result of a sudden movement, a turn, a tilt of the head. During movement, numbness and a characteristic crunch may appear.
With the cervix, the temperature also does not rise, but the pain has its own characteristics. It occurs for no apparent reason in the form of "lumbago" or electric shock. The intensity is so strong that it can give way in one of the hands, a person is simply forced to wear a Shants necklace. Duration from a few seconds to a few minutes, then neck pain replaces it. This occurs as a result of a sudden movement or compression of the nerve in the neck or upper thoracic spinal cord, which can cause numbness and slight tremor.
Root damage
The main nerves of the upper limb are formed from the roots of the cervical spinal cord, there are three nerves in total: ulnar, radial and median. If osteochondrosis of the cervical spine develops, these structures can be affected, causing not only pain and tremors, but also numbness. All of these nerves have mixed fibers that are responsible for sensitivity and motor ability. Symptoms can be so severe that a Shants collar must be worn, and depend on the type of root that is affected. There may be numbness or loss of sensation in the 2nd or 3rd finger of the hand, or even paralysis of certain muscles. A neurologist is able to determine exactly where the violation occurred.
Nervous neuralgia of the occiput
This rather unpleasant condition develops as a result of damage to the occipital nerves. These structures are formed by 2, 3, 4 pairs of spinal nerves. With damage to the nerves as a result of the development of osteochondrosis, the temperature remains normal, severe pains in the head cause concern, especially in the back of the head. Very often, in this context, patients, and often they are women, are simply forced to wear a Shants collar.
Symptoms are very typical for the disease, correctly asking the patient, you can make a diagnosis without special examination methods. Everything happens suddenly and is localized on one side, less often it has a bilateral character. For a person, "lumbago" resembles an electric shock, which forces him to wear a Shants necklace. The duration of the attack is only a few minutes, but it can be repeated throughout the day. It all starts in the region of the posterolateral aspect of the neck and extends to the region of the occipital protuberance. The sensitivity of the skin is disturbed, numbness occurs, a feeling of creeping "goosebumps", tremor, which forces a person to put on a Shants collar. The temperature does not rise.
From the side of the heart
Very often, violations of the neck lead to the pathology of the organs of the chest region. Angina pectoris and other heart problems can be directly linked to osteochondrosis. Sometimes first aid for heart disease does not bring the expected relief. The reason for this is that it is on the neck that the nerves involved in the innervation of the thoracic trunk are formed, the fibers of the phrenic nerve partially pass to the pericardium. That's why help makes no sense.
Damaged nerve fibers send signals to muscles in the chest, resulting in heart-like pain. Pain in osteochondrosis has a long duration, reaching hours or days, it is not affected by drugs for angina. The temperature is not changed, and the pain itself is not associated with physical activity, but decreases with a change in body position and disappears if you wear a Shants collar. Reinforcement occurs with movements and head turns, during coughing or sneezing. What are the symptoms of angina pectoris? Therefore, nitroglycerin preparations cannot relieve pain.
But do not relax, because there are atypical variants of angina, which the doctor knows. If there is pain in the region of the heart or the thoracic spine, it is better to repeat an ECG, it is completely safe and painless. If there is osteochondrosis, then with the next attack of pain there may be more numbness than changes on the film.
Vertebral artery damage
If there are symptoms of vertebral artery damage, then along with the rest of the treatment, a Shants collar will be required. The brain experiences a lack of oxygen, which leads to pain in the head, numbness. It manifests as a throbbing headache in the back of the head, temples and crown of the head. In some cases, there are tremors, dizziness, nausea, followed by vomiting.
The temperature is normal, but there are visual disturbances, ringing in the ears and hearing loss. Along with the fact that there is a tremor, the coordination of movements and balance are disturbed. The Shants treatment and collar help eliminate these symptoms.
In severe cases, falling attacks develop, a state without loss of consciousness with a sharp turn of the head. Memory suffers, working capacity decreases, concentration of attention is disturbed.
If the above symptoms and hand tremors appear, you need to go to an appointment with a neurologist and undergo an additional examination. You do not need to choose the Shants collar yourself, it is also better to do this with the help of a specialist.