Osteochondrosis of the neck is a common disease of the spine that affects patients of all ages. It is a degenerative change in the vertebral disc that develops against a background of severe stress, wearing the wrong shoes, doing strenuous physical exercise, and malnutrition.
It develops gradually, so patients may not notice the first symptoms immediately.
Another name for this disease is degenerative-destructive lesions of the spine, affecting the vertebral body, ligament and articular apparatus, intervertebral discs.
Equally often diagnosed in men and women, as a rule, it develops after 30 years. According to statistics, the disease affects 50 to 80% of the population.
The main signs of the disease
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis appear as the pathology develops. They are more pronounced during exacerbations. After seeing the early signs of the disease, it is recommended to consult a doctor, as it often disguises itself as another disorder, which complicates the timely diagnosis. Patients usually come with the following complaints:
- Severe pain in the collar area.
- Noise and blockage in the ears.
- Frequent dizziness.
- Shortness of breath, shortness of breath.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Blood pressure drops.
- Frequent fainting or fainting.
- Increased body temperature.
The signs of cervical osteochondrosis in men are not very different from those that appear in women. The patient complained of discomfort in the occiput, sternum, and shoulder girdle. You should contact your local therapist or neurologist for a diagnosis.
Pain in the neck
One of the most common symptoms of cervical spine chondrosis is neck pain that affects the back of the head and shoulders. The nature of the pain (painful, sharp, mild tingling) directly depends on the location of the lesion and the severity of the development of pathological processes. In the early stages, this may be a bit of a 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.
The pain manifests itself as a result of vertebral deformation, caused by insufficient blood supply to the collar zone. Against the background of this process, seizures, anxiety attacks and panic were observed. A painful sensation in the neck area may radiate to the shoulders or arms. Increased after sleep, sudden movements, laughing or sneezing. Discomfort is combined with characteristic dryness when trying to twist or muscle weakness.
Muscle tissue spasm and poor circulation often lead not only to pain, but temporary loss of the ability to move the neck. Overstrain continues to spread throughout the head, and patients begin to complain of migraine attacks.
Noise and congestion in the ears
Osteochondrosis in the neck is also indicated by a feeling of blockage in the ears, hearing loss, and the appearance of noise. All this occurs due to insufficient intensity of blood flow to the vestibular apparatus. This complex of symptoms is called the cochlea, but doctors rarely associate it with disorders in the vertebral area. Pay attention to the nature of sounds and ringing in the ears, they usually get louder when a person is in one position for a long time or trying to change it.
Patients with hearing problems refer to an otolaryngologist. With the presence of concomitant disorders of the condition, such as numbness of the face, limited mobility of the neck, additional consultation with a neurologist is required to clarify the diagnosis and determine the cause.
Headaches and migraines
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in men are rarely accompanied by frequent headaches; the female population is more vulnerable to them. The spine in this area is constantly exposed to excessive stress, which leads to their gradual deformation, if the muscle tissue is not elastic enough to keep it in its natural position. It is more difficult to identify the cause of the pain in the head, because the symptoms are not specific. The following reasons trigger the attack:
- Cerebral spasm.
- The nerve endings are pinched in the cervicothoracic spine.
- Increased blood pressure.
- Acute violation of venous outflow.
- Increased fatigue.
- Long stay in an inappropriate position.
Headaches increase during periods of exacerbation, and in patients, including men. Naturally, it can be constant, dull in the form of seizures or throbbing. In older people, these symptoms require careful attention, as they can speak of a recent stroke, angina pectoris, heart attack or arterial hypertension. Therefore, first of all, these conditions are excluded before starting treatment for osteochondrosis.
With cardiac pathology, patients also complain of compression in the chest area, an irregular heart rhythm, which allows the doctor to differentiate the situation in time. Headache accompanied by nausea, shortness of breath, necessarily requires an ECG.
Dizziness
Impaired coordination and frequent dizziness often appear when osteochondrosis progresses to grade 2 or more. This is due to degenerative changes in the vertebrae, spasms, pinching of nerve endings. The brain does not receive the required amount of oxygen, which negatively affects the function of the vestibular apparatus. As a result of the abnormality, the symptoms are:
- Systemic dizziness. They appear as the sensation of the whole body rotating and objects around it. Dysfunction appears due to damage to the vestibular apparatus, weakness of muscle tissue and receptors located in the joints.
- Dizziness is not systemic. In addition to instability, patients experience attacks of nausea, an erratic state in an upright position. Round rotation is usually not present.
Dizziness is a serious symptom that should be treated immediately by a doctor. With the presence of numbness in the shoulders, paralysis of facial muscle tissue, loss of consciousness, emergency hospitalization is required.
Shortness of breath and shortness of breath
Another serious symptom with advanced osteochondrosis in the shoulder area is a feeling of persistent shortness of breath. Respiratory problems arise from compression of nerve endings and receptors that do not send impulses from the pharynx to the esophagus. Shortness of breath appears when the vertebrae are displaced, it increases in a state of stress, accompanied by a lump in the throat. After taking sedatives, his health returned to normal.
Lack of air gives rise to radicular syndrome. Diaphragmatic spasm, affecting the depth and rhythm of breathing. The patient becomes clogged and difficult to breathe air, problems with memory and concentration appear. Such symptoms in osteochondrosis require immediate help, as it can lead to some serious complications. Doctors choose medications individually, taking into account the situation.
Nausea
In the cervical region, there is a large accumulation of nerve endings, the arteries responsible for transporting nutrients to the brain through it. With osteochondrosis, protrusions and intervertebral hernias gradually form, which affect blood pressure, and as a result, the patient feels an attack of nausea.
Prolonged disruption of normal blood circulation leads to vomiting, loss of consciousness, and results in stroke and disability. Therefore, the appearance of such symptoms, which are not associated with dietary errors, requires immediate medical advice.
Increased blood pressure
For cervical osteochondrosis, the characteristic symptom is a pressure jump during the day. For a long time, an increase or decrease in blood pressure is not maintained, which is a hallmark of degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. The daily dynamics of blood pressure are abrupt, as irritation of nerve endings is reflex and causes short -term spasm of blood vessels. The hallmarks of increased pressure in cervical osteochondrosis are:
- Headache;
- chest discomfort;
- decreased sensitivity in the collar area;
- muscle tension after being in one position for a long time.
All this is taken into account when making a diagnosis. The rapid deterioration of the condition and the sudden change in pressure are the basis for the patient’s hospitalization and giving him or her assistance in the hospital setting.
Visual impairment
Osteochondrosis in the cervical spine often gives rise to unpleasant symptoms such as double vision, blinking, the appearance of "flies". This indicates the severity of the process, and requires a visit to the doctor. Against the background of destruction of connective tissue in the vertebrae, the following diseases can develop:
- Glaucoma. The patient was diagnosed with increased intraocular pressure, damage to the optic nerve. It is not possible to eliminate the pathologist completely, only to achieve a stable remission with complex treatment.
- Cataracts. This pathological process leads to the destruction of the lens. The changes are associated with metabolic processes and an acute deterioration 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 maintain the patient’s vision.
- Claude Bernard-Horner's disease. One of the reasons for the appearance of lesions is considered hypoxia in the occipital area. The main signs of a pathological condition are a decrease in pupil response or differences in pupil size in different eyes. Some patients complain that they cannot close their eyes completely to rest at night, and twilight vision also suffers.
The ophthalmologist prescribes treatment, after a thorough examination. But therapy is carried out only in complexes aimed at eliminating the cause of the violation. Only then can the problem be dealt with effectively.
Pharyngeal problems
Degenerative changes in the cervical vertebrae cause problems with swallowing. The patient complains of a lump in the throat, sweating, foreign body sensation in the throat, itching. Signs indicate damage to the neurovascular trunk coming out of the spinal cord. But symptomatology is not considered characteristic, and can be observed with pathological disorders such as inflammation, swelling.
Changes in body temperature
Osteochondrosis, as it develops, causes an increase in body temperature. Such symptoms occur when the vertebral arteries are damaged, spinal canal stenosis or disc protrusion. It gives rise to changes in neurosis and corresponding neurological disorders. Against the background of increased temperature, there is numbness of the tongue or hands, inflammatory processes in the lymph nodes, a burning sensation on the tongue.
The symptoms of osteochondrosis depend on the stage
The signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine largely depend on the stage of pathological development, the compressive force of the nerve endings and the process of disc deformation. It provokes the appearance of symptoms of compression of the vertebral arteries and violation of blood flow to the brain. The pinched nerve endings lead to severe neurological pathology. The severity of symptoms directly depends on the stage of disease development:
- The beginning. The degenerative process in the vertebral disc goes unnoticed by the patient. It is quite difficult to see the first change, as this can be a mild headache (it is felt more strongly in women), discomfort in the neck, a slight deterioration in vision or loss of sensitivity in the collar zone. At this stage, patients rarely go to the doctor, linking symptoms to fatigue, lack of sleep or stress.
- The second level. As the pathology progresses and disc protrusion appears, more pronounced symptoms appear. Destruction of the annulus fibrosus affects the movement of the head, they become more limited. Also, patients began to complain of constant ringing in the ears, impaired visual function, neck pain with crunch features, problems with swallowing, sleep disturbances, and decreased reflex clarity. Keeping the head in one position causes severe discomfort, which requires a doctor’s consultation.
- The third level. Intervertebral hernia is gradually formed, the fibrous annulus is completely destroyed, there is deformation of the vertebrae, displacement of bone segments, dislocation, instability. The patient complained of acute pain in the neck, obvious shoulder syndrome, paralysis of the upper limbs, tendon reflexes not observed, impaired 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 a variety of symptoms. The reason is always hidden in the ends of compressed nerves, circulatory disorders and deformation of the intervertebral disc. Protrusion, hernia and gradual displacement lead to loss of vertebral mobility.
Age directly affects the severity of symptoms. The older the patient, the stronger the changes in connective tissue and bone. This is due to muscle fiber weakness, lack of nutrition, and chronic inflammatory diseases in the body.
Patient Testimonials
Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae is a common disease, because the nerve roots are constantly exposed to stress due to excessive segmental mobility. Timely detection of pathology avoids serious complications, so many people read patient reviews and compare them to their symptoms.
Female, 35 years old
"We suspected osteochondrosis almost immediately, because I was constantly tormented by headaches and had problems with twisting my neck. But the diagnosis was made only after X-rays. Since treatment did not give normal results, and pain still appeared periodically, tomographywhich is calculated still ahead, it will confirm or deny the development.
Female, 42
"Doctors could not diagnose osteochondrosis for a long time due to the fact that the symptoms resonated with my gastritis. From time to time I felt pain, but I associated it with dietary errors. After fainting, I went to the doctor and started looking for problems. Discomfort in the necknot so painful in the early stages, and the pain is only felt as the pathology progresses. Treatment is prescribed only after a CT scan. The treatment is gradually bearing fruit. "
Male, 36 years old
"Osteochondrosis in the neck developed because of the strangeness of the profession, but they could not determine it immediately. At first, my vision dropped, which I immediately associated with eye strain at night, and then dizziness and pain in the neck began to suffer, but because Ialways driving and this does not bother me. The diagnosis is made already almost 3 stages, when the pressure starts to soar, and the problem starts with health in general. The treatment has not yet yielded significant results "
It is strictly forbidden to diagnose yourself without laboratory research and equipment. Any information can only be taken as a note.
Cervical osteochondrosis is indicated by a large number of symptoms, but most are easily confused with the same pathology. Therefore, it is recommended to consider patient complaints in the complex and conduct differential diagnostics, which allows timely identification of the disease and prescribe proper treatment, including physiotherapy, gymnastics and drug treatment.