Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis of the neck is a common disease of the spine that affects patients of all ages.

Represents degenerative changes in the vertebral disc, which develop against the background of severe stress, wearing the wrong shoes, heavy physical exertion and malnutrition. It develops gradually, so the patient may not immediately notice the first symptoms.

The main signs of the disease

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis appear as the disease progresses. They are most noticeable during an exacerbation. Having noticed the first signs of the disease, it is recommended to consult a doctor, as it is often disguised as other ailments, which complicates the timely diagnosis.

Patients usually contact with the following complaints:

• Severe pain in the collar area.
• Noise and discomfort in the ears.
• Frequent dizziness.
• Shortness of breath, feeling short of breath.
• Nausea, vomiting.
• Your blood pressure drops.
• Frequent fainting or syncope.
• Increased body temperature.

The signs of cervical osteochondrosis in men do not differ much from those that appear in women. Patients complain of discomfort in the occiput, sternum and shoulder girdle. You should contact your local therapist or neurologist for diagnosis.

Neck pain syndrome

One of the most common symptoms of chondrosis of the cervical spine is neck pain affecting the back of the head and shoulders. The nature of the pain (aching, sharp, slight tingling) directly depends on the location of the lesion and the severity of the development of the pathological process. At the initial stage, this can be mild discomfort, which does not allow you to freely turn your head in all directions. Gradually the pain becomes chronic and limits the range of motion.

Pain occurs due to deformation of the vertebrae, due to insufficient blood supply to the collar area. Against the background of this process, spasms, anxiety attacks and panic are observed. A painful sensation in the neck area may radiate to the shoulders or arms. It increases after sleep, sudden movements, laughter or sneezing. The discomfort is combined with a characteristic crunch when trying to spin or muscle weakness.

Spasm of muscle tissue and poor circulation often lead not only to pain, but also to a temporary loss of the ability to move the neck. Constant overload spreads throughout the head and the patient begins to complain of migraine attacks.

Tinnitus and stuffy ears

Osteochondrosis of the neck also manifests itself with a feeling of discomfort in the ears, hearing loss and noise. All this is due to insufficient intensity of blood flow to the vestibular apparatus. This symptom complex is called cochlear, but doctors rarely associate it with a disorder of the vertebrae. Pay attention to the nature of the noise and ringing in the ears, they usually intensify when a person is in one position for a long time or tries to change it.

Patients with hearing problems are referred to an otolaryngologist. In the presence of concomitant disorders of the condition, such as numbness of the face, limited mobility of the neck, an additional consultation with a neurologist is required 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, the female population is more susceptible to them. The vertebrae in this area are constantly exposed to excessive stress, which leads to their gradual deformation, if the muscle tissue is not elastic enough to keep them in a natural position. It is more difficult to identify the cause of head pain, as the symptom is not specific.

The following reasons cause an attack:

• Spasm of the cerebral vessels.
• Pinched nerve endings in the cervico-thoracic spine.
• Increased blood pressure.
• Acute violation of venous outflow.
• Increased fatigue.
• Prolonged stay in an unnatural position.

The headache is aggravated during an exacerbation and in one patient, including a male. By nature, it can be constant, dull in the form of seizures or throbbing. In older people, this symptom requires a lot of attention, as it can speak of an incipient stroke, angina pectoris, heart attack or arterial hypertension. Therefore, first of all, these conditions are ruled out before starting treatment for osteochondrosis.

With heart disease, patients also complain of compression in the chest area, an irregular heart rhythm, which allows the doctor to differentiate the condition over time. Headache accompanied by nausea, shortness of breath, necessarily requires an ECG.

Vertigo

When osteochondrosis develops to grade 2 or higher, coordination disturbances and frequent dizziness often occur. This is due to degenerative changes in the vertebrae, spasms, pinched nerve endings. The brain does not receive the required amount of oxygen, which adversely affects the functioning of the vestibular apparatus.

As a result of the state deviation, the symptom is:

• Systemic vertigo.They appear as a sensation of the whole body and surrounding objects rotating. Dysfunction appears due to the malfunction of the vestibular apparatus, the weakening of muscle tissue and receptors located in the joints.
• Non-systemic vertigo.In addition to instability, patients experience bouts of nausea, an uncertain state when standing. Circular rotation is usually absent.

Dizziness is a serious symptom that must be treated immediately by a doctor. In the presence of numbness in the shoulders, paralysis of the facial muscle tissue, loss of consciousness, emergency hospitalization is required.

Shortness of breath and shortness of air

Another serious symptom of advanced osteochondrosis in the shoulder area is a constant feeling of lack of air. Breathing problems result from compression of nerve endings and receptors that do not transmit impulses from the pharynx to the esophagus. Shortness of breath appears when the vertebrae are moved, increases in a state of stress, accompanied by a lump in the throat. After taking a sedative, the state of health returns to normal.

Lack of air causes root syndrome. Spasm of the diaphragm affects the depth and rhythm of breathing. The patient becomes suffocating and has difficulty breathing air, memory and concentration problems appear. Such a symptom in osteochondrosis requires immediate assistance, as it can cause a number of serious complications. The doctor selects the medicine individually, taking into account the condition.

Nausea

There is a large collection of nerve endings in the cervical region and crossed by an artery that carries nutrients to the brain. With osteochondrosis, protrusions and intervertebral hernias gradually form, which affect blood pressure, and as a result, the patient experiences an attack of nausea.

Prolonged impairment of normal circulation leads to vomiting, loss of consciousness, and causes stroke and disability. Therefore, the appearance of such a symptom, not associated with nutritional errors, requires immediate medical advice.

Increased blood pressure

For cervical osteochondrosis, a typical symptom is an increase in pressure during the day. For a long time, increased or decreased blood pressure is not maintained, which is a characteristic sign of degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. The daily dynamics of blood pressure is spasmodic, as irritation of the nerve endings is reflected and causes short-term spasms of the blood vessels.

A distinctive feature of increased pressure in cervical osteochondrosis is:

• headache;
• chest discomfort;
• decreased sensitivity in the collar area;
• Muscle tension after being in one position for a long time.

All of this is taken into consideration when making a diagnosis. Rapid worsening of the condition and pressure changes are the basis of patient admission and care in a hospital setting.

Visual impairment

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine often causes unpleasant symptoms such as double vision, flickering, the appearance of "flies". This signals the severity of the process and requires a visit to a doctor.

Against the background of the destruction of connective tissue in the vertebrae, the following diseases can develop:

• Glaucoma.The patient is diagnosed with increased intraocular pressure, damage to the optic nerve. It is impossible to completely get rid of pathologists, only to achieve stable remission with complex treatment.
• Cataract. This pathological process leads to the destruction of the lens. Changes are associated with metabolic processes and acute impairment of oxygen supply to the brain. The first sign of the disease is the appearance of "flies" in front of the eyes. Timely initiation of treatment helps preserve the patient's vision.
• Claude Bernard-Horner's illness.Hypoxia in the occipital region is considered one of the causes of the injury. The main signs of a pathological condition are a decrease in the pupil reaction or a difference in the size of the pupil in different eyes. Some patients complain of not being able to close their eyes completely for a night's rest, and twilight vision is also affected.

The ophthalmologist prescribes treatment after a thorough examination. But the therapy is carried out only in a complex aimed at eliminating the cause of the violation. Only then can the problem be effectively addressed.

Pharyngeal problems

Degenerative changes in the cervical vertebra lead to swallowing problems. The patient complains of a lump in the throat, sweat, sensation of a foreign body in the throat, itching. The signs indicate a malfunction of the neurovascular trunks running from the spinal cord. But the symptomatology is not considered characteristic and can be observed with pathological disorders such as inflammation, swelling.

Change in body temperature

Osteochondrosis, as it progresses, causes an increase in body temperature. These symptoms occur when the vertebral artery is damaged, spinal canal stenosis or disc protrusion. It causes changes in neurosis and concomitant neurological disorders.

Against the background of an increase in temperature, there is numbness of the tongue or hands, an inflammatory process in the lymph nodes, a burning sensation of the tongue.

The characteristic crunch when turning the neck suggests osteochondrosis.

Symptoms of osteochondrosis by stage

The signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine largely depend on the stage of development of the pathology, the compressive force of the nerve endings and the process of disc deformation. It provokes the appearance of symptoms of compression of the vertebral artery and a violation of blood flow to the brain. Pinched nerve endings lead to severe neurological pathologies.

The severity of the signs directly depends on the stage of development of the disease:

1. Initial.Degenerative processes in the vertebral discs proceed unnoticed by the patient. It is quite difficult to notice the first changes, as these can be mild headaches (they are felt more strongly in women), discomfort in the neck, slight deterioration of vision or loss of sensation in the collar area. At this stage, patients rarely go to the doctor, attributing symptoms to fatigue, lack of sleep, or stress.
2. Second stage.As the disease progresses and the disc protrusion appears, more pronounced symptoms appear. The destruction of the annulus fibrosus affects the movements of the head, they become more limited. In addition, patients begin to complain of constant ringing in the ears, impaired visual function, pain in the neck with a characteristic crunch, problems with swallowing, sleep disturbances, impaired clarity of reflexes. Holding the head in one position is very uncomfortable, which requires a doctor's consultation.
3. Third stage.Gradually intervertebral hernias are formed, the fibrous ring is completely destroyed, there is deformation of the vertebrae, displacement of bone segments, dislocations, instability. The patient complains of acute pain in the neck, pronounced shoulder syndrome, paralysis of the upper extremities, tendon reflexes are not observed, reduced sensitivity of the scalp. This is a severe stage of the disease that requires complex treatment.

Osteochondrosis is a chronic systemic disease that manifests itself in various symptoms. The reason is always hidden in compressed nerve endings, circulatory disorders and deformation of the intervertebral discs. Protrusion, hernia and displacement gradually lead to the loss of mobility of the vertebra.

Age directly affects the severity of symptoms. The older the patient is, the stronger the changes in the connective and bone tissues. This is due to the weakness of muscle fibers, nutritional deficiencies and chronic inflammatory diseases in the body.

Patient Reviews

Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae is a common disease, since the nerve roots are constantly exposed to stress due to the excessive mobility of the segment. Timely detection of pathology avoids serious complications, so many people read patient reviews and compare them with their symptoms.

It is strictly forbidden to diagnose yourself without laboratory tests and apparatus. Any information should only be taken as a note.

Cervical osteochondrosis is manifested by a large number of symptoms, but most of them are easily confused with similar pathologies. Therefore, it is recommended to consider the patient's complaints in a complex and carry out differential diagnostics, which allows you to timely identify the disease and prescribe the correct treatment, which includes physiotherapy, gymnastics and drug treatment.