Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

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

It represents the degenerative changes of the intervertebral discs, which develop under the background of severe stress, wearing the wrong shoes, intense physical exertion and malnutrition. It develops gradually, so the patient may not notice the initial symptoms immediately.

The main symptoms of this disease

As the pathology progressed, symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis appeared. During the worsening of the disease, they are more obvious. After noticing the initial symptoms of the disease, it is recommended that you consult a doctor, as the disease is usually disguised as another disease, which complicates timely diagnosis.

Patients usually encounter the following complaints:

• Severe pain in the collar area.
• Noisy and stuffy ears.
• Often dizzy.
• Shortness of breath, feeling short of breath.
• Nausea, vomiting.
• Blood pressure drops.
• Frequent syncope or syncope.
• Increased body temperature.

The signs of cervical chondropathy in men are almost the same as in women. The patient complained of uncomfortable occiput, sternum and shoulder straps. You should contact your local therapist or neurologist for diagnosis.

Neck pain syndrome

One of the most common symptoms of cervical chondropathy is neck pain, which affects the back of the head and shoulders. The nature of the pain (pain, sharp, slight tingling) directly depends on the location of the lesion and the severity of the pathological process. In the beginning, this may 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.

Due to insufficient blood supply to the collar area, the pain is manifested by deformed vertebrae. In the context of this process, cramps, anxiety and panic attacks were observed. The pain in the neck radiates to the shoulders or arms. Increased after sleep, sudden movement, laughter or sneezing. When trying to turn or experiencing muscle weakness, the discomfort is combined with the typical tightness.

Muscle tissue spasm and poor blood circulation usually not only cause pain, but also temporarily lose the ability to move the neck. The constant overwork spread to the entire head, and the patient began to complain of migraine attacks.

Tinnitus and ear fullness

Osteochondrosis of the neck is also manifested by ear tightness, hearing loss and noise. All this is due to insufficient blood flow to the vestibular device. This complex symptom is called the cochlea, but doctors rarely associate it with vertebral disease. Pay attention to the nature of noise and tinnitus. They are usually exacerbated when people are in a position for a long time or try to change it.

Patients with hearing problems are referred to an otolaryngologist. If this happens, such as facial numbness and restricted neck movement, further consultation with a neurologist is required to confirm the diagnosis and determine the cause.

Headaches and migraines

The main symptoms of male cervical spine chondropathy are rarely accompanied by frequent headaches, and women are more likely to suffer from headaches. If the elasticity of this muscle tissue is not enough to keep it in its natural position, the vertebrae in this area will continue to bear excessive stress, causing it to gradually deform. Since symptoms are not specific, it is more difficult to determine the cause of head pain.

The following reasons for the attack:

• Cerebral vasospasm.
• The nerve endings of the spinous process of the cervical thoracic spine are compressed.
• Increased blood pressure.
• Acute violation of venous outflow.
• Fatigue increased.
• Staying in an unnatural position for a long time.

When the condition gets worse, the headache will get worse for all patients, including men. In essence, it can be constant, boring in the form of seizures or pulsations. In the elderly, this symptom requires close attention because it can be said to be an initial stroke, angina, heart attack or arterial hypertension. Therefore, first of all, these conditions should be ruled out before starting the treatment of osteochondrosis.

For heart diseases, patients also complain of compression in the chest area and irregular heart rhythm, which allows doctors to distinguish the condition in time. Headaches accompanied by nausea and shortness of breath must require ECG.

Dizziness

When osteochondrosis progresses to grade 2 or higher, coordination disorders and frequent dizziness often occur. This is due to degenerative changes in the vertebrae, spasms, and compression of nerve endings. The brain does not receive the required amount of oxygen, which negatively affects the function of the vestibular equipment.

Due to the deviation of the state, the symptoms are:

• General vertigo.They manifest as the sensation of the whole body and surrounding objects rotating. Due to the failure of the vestibular device, the muscle tissue and the receptors located in the joints are weakened, resulting in dysfunction.
• Non-systemic vertigo.In addition to instability, patients may also experience nausea, which is an uncertain upright state. Usually no circular rotation is performed.

Dizziness is a serious symptom and you should seek medical attention immediately. If the shoulders are numb, the facial muscles are numb, and consciousness is lost, urgent hospitalization is required.

Shortness of breath and lack of air

Another serious symptom of advanced osteochondrosis in the shoulder area is a constant lack of air. Breathing problems stem from the compression of nerve endings and receptors, which are unable to transmit stimulation from the pharynx to the esophagus. Shortness of breath occurs when the vertebrae are displaced, and shortness of breath under tension, accompanied by a lump in the throat. After taking sedatives, his health returned to normal.

Lack of air can cause neurological syndrome. The spasm of the diaphragm affects the depth and rhythm of breathing. The patient becomes depressed, has difficulty breathing, and has problems with memory and concentration. This symptom of osteochondrosis requires immediate assistance because it can cause many serious complications. The doctor will choose the medicine individually according to the situation.

Disgusting

There are a large number of nerve endings in the cervical region where the carotid artery is located, which is responsible for transporting nutrients to the brain. With osteochondrosis, protrusions and intervertebral hernias gradually form, which affect blood pressure. As a result, the patient feels nausea.

Long-term obstacles to normal circulation can cause vomiting, loss of consciousness, and lead to stroke and disability. Therefore, the appearance of this symptom has nothing to do with nutritional disorders and requires immediate medical attention.

Increased blood pressure

For cervical osteochondrosis, the typical symptom is a surge of stress during the day. For a long time, blood pressure has not increased or decreased, which is a characteristic sign of degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. Since the stimulation of nerve endings is reflexive and can cause short-term vasospasm, the daily dynamics of blood pressure are sudden.

A significant feature of increased pressure in cervical osteochondrosis is:

• headache;
• Chest discomfort;
• Reduce the sensitivity of the territorial zone;
• Muscle tension after being in a position for a long time.

All these factors are taken into consideration during diagnosis. The rapid deterioration of the condition and sudden changes in pressure are the basis for patients to be hospitalized and provide help in the hospital environment.

Visual impairment

Cervical osteochondrosis usually causes uncomfortable symptoms such as diplopia, flickering and the appearance of "flies". This shows the severity of the process and the need to see a doctor.

In the context of vertebral connective tissue destruction, the following diseases may occur:

• Glaucoma.The patient was diagnosed with elevated intraocular pressure and damage to the optic nerve. It is impossible to completely eliminate the pathologist, and stable remission can only be achieved through complex treatment.
• Cataracts.This pathological process leads to destruction of the lens. These changes are related to the acute damage of metabolic processes and brain oxygen supply. The first sign of the disease is a "fly" in front of you. Starting treatment in time helps to maintain the patient's vision.
• Claude Bernard Horner's disease.Hypoxia in the occipital area is considered to be one of the causes of the disease. The main symptom of a pathological condition is a weakened pupil response or different pupil sizes in different eyes. Some patients complain that they cannot fully close their eyes and rest overnight, and their twilight vision will be affected.

The ophthalmologist prescribes treatment after a thorough examination. But treatment can only be done in a complex designed to eliminate the cause of the violation. Only in this way can the problem be effectively solved.

Pharyngeal problems

Degenerative changes in the cervical spine can cause swallowing problems. The patient complained of lumps, sweating, foreign body sensation and itching in the throat. Signs indicate abnormal function of the neurovascular trunk from the spinal cord. However, the symptoms are not considered characteristic and can be observed in pathological diseases such as inflammation and swelling.

Body temperature changes

When osteochondrosis progresses, body temperature will rise. This symptom occurs when the vertebral artery is damaged, spinal canal stenosis or intervertebral disc herniation. It causes changes in neurosis and accompanying neurological diseases.

Against the background of increased temperature, numbness of the tongue or hands, inflammation of the lymph nodes, and burning of the tongue.

The characteristic crunch when turning the neck may be suspected of osteochondrosis.

The symptoms of osteochondrosis depend on the stage

The signs of cervical osteochondrosis depend to a large extent on the development stage of the pathology, the pressure of the nerve endings and the deformation process of the intervertebral disc. It causes the symptoms of vertebral artery compression and violates the blood flow to the brain. Clamped nerve endings can cause serious neurological diseases.

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

1. Initial.The degenerative process of the intervertebral disc did not attract the patient's attention. It is difficult to notice the initial changes because these changes may be mild headaches (more easily felt by women), neck discomfort, a slight decrease in vision, or decreased sensitivity in the collar area. At this stage, patients rarely see a doctor and their symptoms are due to fatigue, lack of sleep or stress.
2. The second stage.With the progress of pathology and the appearance of herniated disc, more obvious symptoms appeared. The destruction of the annulus affects the movement of the head and they become more limited. Similarly, patients began to complain of constant ear ringing, impaired visual function, neck pain accompanied by a typical tightening sensation, swallowing problems, sleep disturbance, and reduced reflex clarity. Keeping the head in one position can cause severe discomfort, which requires a doctor's consultation.
3. The third stage.Intervertebral hernia gradually forms, the annulus fibrosus is completely destroyed, the vertebrae are deformed, the bone segments are displaced, dislocated, and unstable. The patient complained of acute neck pain, obvious shoulder syndrome, paralysis of the upper limbs, no tendon reflexes, and impaired scalp sensitivity. This is the severe stage of the disease and requires complex treatment.

Osteochondrosis is a chronic systemic disease with multiple symptoms. The reason is always hidden in the compression of nerve endings, circulatory disorders and disc deformation. Herniation, hernia and displacement gradually 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 tissue. This is caused by muscle fiber weakness, insufficient nutrition and chronic inflammatory diseases in the body.

Patient comments

Cervical osteochondrosis is a common disease, because nerve roots are constantly under pressure due to segmental hypermobility. Timely pathological examination can avoid serious complications, so many people read patient comments and compare them with symptoms.

It is strictly forbidden to diagnose yourself without laboratory and instrument testing. Any information should only be used as a comment.

There are many symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, but most of them are easily confused with similar pathologies. Therefore, it is recommended to comprehensively consider the main complaint of the patient and make a differential diagnosis in order to detect the disease in time and prescribe the correct treatment methods, including physical therapy, gymnastics and drug therapy.