The signs of cervical osteochondrosis in a strong manifestation usually surprise the patient, although the prerequisites for the disease are observed long before the onset of the main symptoms and are a consequence of degenerative changes in the structure of the vertebrae. Most of the time, the nerve roots at levels C5, C6, C7 (cervical spine) are affected.
Clinical manifestations
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are divided into root and reflex.
Reflex syndrome
Lumbago is a characteristic of reflex symptoms. Its main characteristic is the sudden appearance of a strange movement, a push or a prolonged presence of the head in a position. A lumbago of the cervical spine literally takes the person out of the way, movements are limited, the patient assumes a forced position due to severe pain.
Frequent complaints from patients:
- constricting headaches that radiate to the temples or eyeballs;
- decreased visual acuity, before the eyes as if "everything was floating";
- possible increase in pressure.
Vertebral artery syndrome occurs when the nervous plexus is irritated, which is usually diagnosed as a stroke. The manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis with a similar syndrome are frequent dizziness that occur with a strong turn of the head, almost always accompanied by an unpleasant feeling of nausea and even vomiting.
It is important to exclude stroke in the diagnosis, since the treatment of osteochondrosis is fundamentally different from the treatment of diseases of the vascular system.
With a cardial symptom in the clinic of the reflex syndromes of cervical osteochondrosis, the patient is characterized by sensations that resemble an attack of angina pectoris, but there are usually no difficulties in accurately diagnosing the disease, since thecardialgia symptom is accompanied by a series of symptoms characteristic of osteochondrosis of the spine.
Root syndrome
The signs of cervical osteochondrosis in the root syndrome appear in direct proportion to the "number" of the compressed nerve.
Symptoms and sensory and motor changes depend on which nerve root is affected:
- C1- there is a sensitivity violation in the occipital region;
- C2- the patient feels pain in the parietal and occipital regions;
- C3- the pain appears in the middle of the neck where the infraction occurred. Symptoms: decreased sensitivity, disturbance of work and touch of the tongue, speech disorders;
- C4- there is pain in the shoulder shoulder area, impaired sensitivity, it can hurt the heart and liver;
- C5- the patient does not feel the shoulder well on its external surface, he is concerned with pain in this area;
- C6- pain in osteochondrosis at the level of the 6th vertebra extends to the forearm, scapula, radial surface and "goes down" to the thumb of the hand;
- C7- the pain "spreads" from the neck to the scapula, passes through the back of the shoulder and forearm, goes to 2-4 fingers, the sensitivity in that area worsens;
- C8- the pains are located from the neck to the shoulder and then to the little finger.
Inseparable pathological connection
VSD and cervical osteochondrosis are closely related, and vegetative-vascular dystonia can manifest as a consequence of damage to the cartilage of the cervical joint, which loosens the human nervous system. Dystonia and osteochondrosis, detected at the same time, can be a common disease or VSD occurs for common reasons.
Osteochondrosis is one of the factors that cause VSD, but it is not necessary that the second follows from the first.
Vegeto-vascular dystonia usually manifests itself in different types of osteochondrosis, especially in disorders of the cervical spine. But it can also manifest itself as a consequence of an injury, compression of the nerves in the cervical spine, worsening blood flow and increasing pressure inside the skull.
Diagnostic errors
VSD, osteochondrosis and chest pain are treated radically in different ways. Expensive (and often unnecessary) tests show nothing, except problems in the cervicothoracic region, disturbances in the functioning of blood vessels. In that case, the treatment usually remains the same - cardiac complexes, vitamins, antidepressants. Chiropractors eliminate pain, put the patient in an optimistic frame of mind, but panic attacks, stress and fatigue don't get anywhere.
More and more people are victims of inadequate therapy, panic attacks (or a VSD attack) are becoming almost the norm for them, but still, many of the patients prefer self-medication or visiting "doctors" whose activities do notaim to get rid of the disease, but only for personal enrichment.
Groups of characteristic manifestations
The main clinical signs of cervical osteochondrosis can be divided into several groups:
- first.Neurological symptoms arise as a consequence of complications in cervical osteochondrosis and with direct pressure on nerve roots, nerve plexuses;
- second.Symptoms appear when they directly affect the spinal cord;
- third.Symptoms arise in the brain, affecting its vessels, structures, membranes and trunk.
Each of the groups listed has its own clinical signs and pattern of manifestations, but there is a commonality of symptoms, thanks to which it is possible to make a correct diagnosis.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae usually appear as a neurological complication, the characteristic of which is pain in the shoulder joint. This pathology is called "shoulder scapular periarthritis".
The distinguishing features of spinal cord compression in the cervical region are volumetric lesions in the tissues and a marked decrease in important functions. Skin and muscle sensitivity is impaired, paresis develops and, in complex pathological cases, paralysis.
Therefore, even at the first suspicion of cervical osteochondrosis, it is important to consult a specialist, make the necessary diagnostic measures and carry out treatment. Remember that the pathology detected in time is eliminated quickly and without consequences.