The first signs of cervical osteochondrosis are quite difficult to notice. Often they cause so little discomfort that a person does not pay attention to them and is in no hurry to consult a doctor. In other cases, the symptoms are confused with simple fatigue or a mild cold:
- increasing pain in the neck;
- feeling of heaviness in the back of the head;
- slight tingling in the hands.
These signs appear in thousands of people every day, but few can recognize them as developing cervical osteochondrosis.
Important! Remember that the disease develops slowly and in the early stages it is much easier to contain the progression of destructive processes than to treat an advanced stage!
Who is at risk
Osteochondrosis develops not only in those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Athletes in fields such as classical wrestling, judo, freestyle wrestling and sambo also suffer from this disease. The disease develops due to critical loads on the spine in the cervical region (constant falls and blows, high mobility of the neck). It is important to consider that osteochondrosis is often diagnosed before the age of 35 – in more than 86% of cases.
How the disease develops
Currently, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is much more common than other spinal pathologies. This is due to greater neck mobility. As the disease progresses, severe pain appears, which makes the person's life worse. Osteochondrosis progresses slowly, but surely leads to degenerative changes in the bone tissues of the spine. There are four degrees of development of the disease:
- The first stage is characterized by an almost complete absence of symptoms. The disease can only be diagnosed during a routine examination. Sometimes mild pain may occur, which many identify as signs of stress or fatigue. At the first stage, the destruction of the nucleus pulposus occurs, due to which the vertebrae begin to bear a worse load. As a result, degenerative-dystrophic processes develop. Among the first symptoms are: mild headaches that quickly disappear, spasm syndrome "inside the neck", significant muscle tension in the upper back.
- In the second stage of the disease, cracks appear on the sides of the discs due to stress. They are not yet very deep, but they are already helping to push the core out. During diagnosis, a protrusion is often detected and the height of the disc decreases. This stage is characterized by frequent and prolonged pain. A person loses strength, certain areas of his face begin to go numb, and stiffness of movements develops due to fear of new painful sensations.
- The third stage is characterized by the formation of a hernia in the cervical region between the vertebrae. All tissues and vessels located in this area – veins, muscles, nerves, arteries – are also affected. The pain flows smoothly and spreads from the neck to the occipital region. Particular sensitivity occurs when moving the head. Patients also begin to complain of dizziness due to insufficient blood flow in the vertebral artery.
- During the fourth stage, osteophytes form – bone tissue expands because the body and brain literally send signals requiring an increase in surface area to distribute the load. As a result, the nerves of the vertebrae are pinched, the cavities between the vertebrae are reduced, severe stiffness appears and sometimes impossibility of movement. All adjacent joints are damaged. To eliminate the causes and "contain" cervical osteochondrosis at this stage, it will be necessary to carry out a long and difficult treatment, including surgical intervention.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis is an important process that will contain the degradation of the cervical vertebrae, relieve complications and preserve your quality of life. But to identify pathology, you need not only to monitor the symptoms, but also to carry out diagnostics at least once a year and pass the necessary tests.
Characteristics of symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Even minor changes in the vertebrae, ligaments and intervertebral discs lead to disruption of the functioning of nerve endings. Blood vessels are also affected. All of them connect directly to the brain and other organs, where unpleasant symptoms appear.
Important! It is the compression of blood vessels and nerves that causes discomfort and severe pain.
Clinical symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are divided into three groups:
- the first group is characterized by neurological manifestations of pathology that arise due to the impact of inflammatory processes and changes occurring in the tissues of the peripheral part of the nervous system;
- the second group is associated with the impact of processes on the spinal cord;
- The third group includes signs that depend on disruption of processes in the nerve endings leading to the brain.
As soon as disorders occur in the peripheral nervous system, a person begins to feel pain. They don't always start abruptly or last long, but they all start from the same place: the inside of the neck. The pain is not similar to muscle pain: when kneading, there is no relaxation.
In most cases, when the peripheral system is damaged, a feeling of shortness of breath appears. Patients feel like they have a "lump" in their throat and it becomes difficult to breathe. The pain is characterized by unexpressed, dull, constant tension in the muscles. Sometimes, after a night's sleep, the pain intensifies.
As the disease progresses, symptoms spread. After the head and neck, the arms start to suffer:
- feeling weak;
- numbness occurs in one or more fingers;
- then large parts of the hands become numb.
If you feel pain and pressure in the heart region, you can talk about the development of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis. Osteochondrosis is often misidentified as angina or neuralgia. It is mainly characterized by symptoms such as:
- cough;
- Stomach pain;
- discomfort in the liver;
- pain in the lungs.
As soon as the vertebral artery is connected to the destructive process (it supplies the brain with oxygen), symptoms originating from the brain begin to appear. As the disease develops, it becomes pinched and can no longer function normally. This is how dizziness develops, vision deteriorates and tinnitus appears.
The use of conventional pain relievers rarely helps relieve headaches associated with cervical osteochondrosis.
Physical activity and frequent nervous tension can cause an exacerbation of the pathology. Symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:
- increasing irritation;
- sensitive and intermittent sleep;
- rapid fatigue.
If a person is diagnosed with vegetative-vascular dystonia, the symptoms intensify: neuroses develop, blood pressure increases. The diagnosis may also indicate the development of cervical osteochondrosis. It is therefore necessary to pass all the tests, undergo an MRI and take further photos of the cervical spine.
It is almost impossible to independently diagnose cervical osteochondrosis based on symptoms. Since the first stage proceeds practically without obvious signs, it is necessary to regularly undergo preventive examinations. At the first signs of the disease, treatment should be initiated following the doctor's recommendations. Even if the disease has not yet "played out" and does not pose any tangible problems.
Syndrome
For an accurate diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis, correct substantiation of symptoms is necessary. Based on tests, images and examinations, the doctor must accurately determine the causes of the symptoms. All of them are associated with certain syndromes.
Humeroscapular periarthritis
The syndrome is characterized by severe pain and muscle contracture in one of the shoulder joints. In left-handed people, the left shoulder joint is usually affected and in right-handed people, the right joint is affected. Characteristics of pain syndrome:
- constant;
- painful;
- painful.
In most cases, the pain is worse at night. If you move your hand to the side or place it behind your back, the pain will also intensify. Sometimes the pain is felt throughout the arm, in the occipital and scapular regions.
During the examination, the doctor often notices tension in the joint area, and upon palpation the patient feels severe pain in the muscles. In some cases, the doctor notices compaction and small nodules on palpation, as well as slight swelling of the affected shoulder.
Radicular syndromes
The syndrome can develop when the spinal root is damaged. It generally appears several years after the onset of osteochondrosis. Irreversible destruction occurs in the vertebrae and discs: the cavity made up of nerves and vessels diminishes, as the cartilage thins or an intervertebral hernia forms. Osteochondrosis with radicular syndrome is characterized by certain symptoms:
- pain is observed in the forearm, at the level of the shoulder blade, and moves to the front of the chest;
- it becomes difficult to move the neck, pain and stiffness are felt;
- The sensitivity of the skin of the hands worsens, it becomes numb and a feeling of "goosebumps" appears;
- a person cannot raise his hand from the side of the affected parts.
Irritative reflex syndrome
The syndrome is characterized by sharp, somewhat burning pain in the back of the head and neck. It appears when you move your head after a long period of stillness, such as when working on a computer. Discomfort is felt in the shoulder joints, as well as in the chest.
Cardiac syndrome
The syndrome is often confused with angina, because the symptoms of the diseases are almost identical. This happens because pain and contractions of the muscle tissues in the heart region occur due to compression of the roots in the lower parts of the cervical spine. Hence the similarity of diseases.
The syndrome is characterized by pain that manifests itself in attacks and can last from 10 to 15 minutes to several hours. Significantly intensify with sudden movements (turning, coughing, sneezing). Cardinal syndrome is often characterized by the development of tachycardia and coronary dilators fail to relieve pain. There are also no signs on the cardiogram characteristic of circulatory disorders.
Vertebral artery syndrome
The role of the vertebral artery is to supply the brain and spinal cord. With the syndrome, the work of the periarterial sympathetic plexus is disrupted. The syndrome picture looks like this:
- headaches of varying intensity;
- disorders of the vestibular system (shift, loss of balance);
- mild and severe dizziness;
- nausea Vomiting;
- pharyngolaryngeal and ocular symptoms (deterioration of vision, appearance of a veil before the eyes).
With vertebral artery syndrome, burning pain often occurs not only in the neck, but also in the back of the head. A feeling of lethargy, resentment and irritability develops. Anxiety levels increase, sleep and memory may be disrupted.
Thus, to make an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to determine which syndrome causes cervical osteochondrosis. Based on specific symptoms, test results, photographs and palpation, an experienced doctor will be able to accurately determine the characteristics of the pathology and prescribe the appropriate treatment.