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, 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 first 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 life. Athletes from such fields as classical wrestling, judo, freestyle wrestling, and sambo also suffer from this disease. The disease develops due to critical loads on the spine area 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 – over 86% of cases.
How the disease develops
Currently, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is much more common than other pathologies of the spine. This is due to greater neck mobility. As the disease progresses, severe pain appears, which worsens a person’s life. 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, because of this the vertebrae begin to bear the load worse. As a result, degenerative-dystrophic processes develop. Among the first symptoms are: mild headaches that quickly go away, "inside the neck" spasm syndrome, significant muscle tension in the upper back.
- At the second stage of the disease, cracks appear on the sides of the discs due to stress. They are not very deep yet, but they already contribute to squeezing out the nucleus. During diagnosis, 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 pain sensations.
- The third stage is characterized by the formation of a hernia in the cervical region between the vertebrae. All tissues along with vessels located in this area - veins, muscles, nerves, arteries - are also affected. The pain smoothly flows 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.
- In the fourth stage, osteophytes are formed - the bone tissue grows in width because the body and brain literally send signals requiring an increase in area to distribute the load. As a result, the nerves of the vertebrae are pinched, the cavities between the vertebrae are reduced, severe stiffness occurs, and sometimes the 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 long-term and difficult treatment, including surgical intervention.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis is an important process that will help contain the degradation of the cervical vertebrae, relieve complications and preserve your quality of life. But to identify pathology, you need to not only monitor the symptoms, but at least once a year carry out diagnostics and take the necessary tests.
Features 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 directly connect to the brain and other organs, which is where unpleasant symptoms arise.
Important! It is the compression of blood vessels and nerves that leads to 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 tissues on 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 that lead to the brain.
As soon as disturbances occur in the peripheral nervous system, a person begins to experience pain. They don't always start abruptly and last a long time, but they all start from the same place - inside 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 occurs. Patients feel as if they have a "lump" in their throat and it becomes difficult to breathe. The pain is characterized as unexpressed, dull, and constant tension in the muscles is felt. Sometimes after a night's sleep the pain intensifies.
The progression of the disease leads to the spread of symptoms. Following the head and neck, the arms begin to suffer:
- feeling weak;
- numbness occurs in one or more fingers;
- then large parts of the hands go numb.
If you feel pain and pressure in the heart area, you can talk about the development of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis. Osteochondrosis is often mistakenly identified 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 from the brain begin to appear. As the disease develops, it becomes pinched and cannot function normally. This is how dizziness develops, vision deteriorates, and tinnitus occurs.
The use of conventional painkillers rarely helps with headaches with cervical osteochondrosis.
Physical activity and frequent nervous strain can provoke an exacerbation of the pathology. Symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:
- increasing irritation;
- sensitive and intermittent sleep;
- fast fatiguability.
If a person is diagnosed with vegetative-vascular dystonia, then the symptoms intensify: neuroses develop, blood pressure jumps. Diagnosis may also indicate the development of cervical osteochondrosis, so it is necessary to pass all tests, undergo an MRI and take other pictures of the cervical spine.
It is almost impossible to independently diagnose cervical osteochondrosis based on symptoms. Considering that the first stage occurs with virtually no obvious signs, it is necessary to undergo regular preventive examinations. At the first signs of the disease, treatment should begin, following the doctor’s recommendations. Even if the disease has not yet "played out" and does not cause tangible problems.
Syndromes
For an accurate diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis, a correct justification of the symptoms is necessary. Based on tests, images and examination, the doctor must accurately determine the causes of symptoms. All of them are associated with certain syndromes.
Humeroscapular periarthritis
The syndrome is characterized by severe pain and muscle contracture in the area of 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. Features of the pain syndrome:
- constant;
- aching;
- aching.
In most cases, pain intensifies at night. If you move your hand to the side or put it behind your back, the pain will also intensify. Sometimes 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 during palpation the patient feels severe pain in the muscles. In some cases, the doctor notices compactions and small nodules upon palpation, and there is a slight swelling of the affected shoulder.
Radicular syndromes
The syndrome can develop when the spinal root is damaged. It usually appears several years after the onset of osteochondrosis. Irreversible destruction occurs in the vertebrae and discs: the cavity consisting of nerves and vessels decreases, as the cartilage becomes thinner or an intervertebral hernia forms. Osteochondrosis with radicular syndrome is characterized by certain symptoms:
- pain is observed in the forearm, in the area 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 on 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 a somewhat burning, sharp pain in the back of the head and neck. It appears when you move your head after a long period of immobility, for example, when working at a computer. Discomfort is felt in the shoulder joints, as well as in the chest area.
Cardiac syndrome
The syndrome is often confused with angina pectoris, since the symptoms of the diseases are almost identical. This happens because pain and contractions of muscle tissue in the area of the heart occur due to compression of the roots in the lower sections of the cervical spine. Hence the similarity of diseases.
The syndrome is characterized by pain that comes in attacks and can last from 10-15 minutes to several hours. Significantly intensify with sudden movements (turning, coughing, sneezing). Often cardinal syndrome is characterized by the development of tachycardia, and coronary dilators do not cope with pain relief. There are also no signs on the cardiogram that are 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;
- disturbances of the vestibular apparatus (staggering, 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 underlies 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 correct treatment.