Cervical osteochondrosis – a disease of the spine, which causes degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs. At the first stage the symptoms are almost unnoticeable, but with the spread of the pathological process, the patient's condition is deteriorating.
The causes of the disease
Osteochondrosis arises as a result of uneven loading on the spine. Predisposing factors:
- heavy physical exertion;
- wearing the wrong shoes;
- malnutrition;
- the problem with the exchange processes;
- nervous and emotional exhaustion.
The disease can occur during carrying a child. A big risk in multiple pregnancies. The pathological process may be genetically determined.
Stage and photos
The development of osteoarthritis is slow. There are 4 main stages of the disease:
- The first stage. The patient feels discomfort after long walks and stay in the same position. Begin to form seals in the vertebral discs.
- The second stage. Pain occur. The doctor prescribes manual therapy and pain relievers.
- The third stage. There are marked degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs.
- The fourth stage. The final stage of the disease, which affected almost all parts of the spine.
At the last stage of conservative treatment will be ineffective. The doctor prescribes surgery, which will require a long recovery.
Common symptoms
Low back pain may cover one or more of the spine. Most often affects the cervical vertebrae. Clinical symptoms such deviations directly related to the work of the brain. Consider all the main symptoms of this disease.
Pain in the neck, neck and neck area
Patients often have neck pain, occipital and neck area. This is due to insufficient blood supply in the brain. Deformation of the vertebrae leading to compression of the vertebral artery. Against the background of these degenerative processes can occur hernia.
Along with pain, there is a risk of serious complications. For example, disruptions in blood pressure or persistent impairment of hearing and vision. Sometimes patients having panic attacks and anxiety. They can last for 30 minutes. A condition called diencephalic syndrome.
Another cause of pain is spasm of muscles, which leads to reduced blood flow. The patient may temporarily lose the ability to move his neck. The strong strain leads to the fact that pain from the neck begin to flow in the head and can continue to spread head. In such processes, the patient suffers from severe migraines.
Noise, ringing, a feeling of stuffiness in the ears
This complex of symptoms is called the cochlear or cochlear. Doctors are not always able to associate such deviations with the development of cervical degenerative disc disease.
Noise and ringing in the ears occurs when you change the position or a long stay in one position.
Dizziness
The cervical vertebrae are quite thin, so the retention head they are subjected to heavy loads. They are more susceptible to deformation than the vertebrae of the thoracic. As a result of deviation occur dizziness, which can be:
- System. There is a sense of circular motion of the body and surrounding objects. It occurs due to malfunction of the vestibular apparatus, muscles and receptors in the joints.
- Not the system. Patient presents with a feeling of faintness, stunned and uncertain state in a vertical position. The sense of circular rotation is missing.
If you experience such symptoms you must immediately consult a doctor. Causes for emergency hospitalization of the patient:
- numbness of the shoulder;
- paralysis of the facial muscles;
- loss of consciousness;
- severe headache.
Displaced vertebrae and muscle spasm leads to pinched nerves that nourish the brain. Due to the lack of oxygen have dizzy spells. Initially, the oxygen deficiency occurs in the back of the head, as it is the center of the vestibular apparatus.
The lack of air
Lack of air in osteochondrosis may be of several types: problems with breathing and lack of oxygen. Difficult breathing in the background of pinched nerves which transmit signals from the pharynx to the esophagus.
The lack of air occurs because of a pinched nerve. The result is a spasm of the diaphragm, which may result in changes of the depth and rhythm of breathing. The patient becomes stuffy and difficult to breathe.
This is a serious symptom as shortness of breath osteochondrosis dangerous development of some other complications. In this case, the doctor prescribes medication.
Nausea
Cervical is the most sensitive, since in its structure there are a large number of nerve fibers and blood vessels. Passes through the neck artery that transports oxygen and nutrients to the brain. With cervical osteochondrosis formed protrusion and herniated discs.
To the rear structures of the brain receive insufficient quantity of arterial blood. This triggers compensatory reactions. Narrowing of the arteries leads to increased blood pressure. The patient the feeling of nausea.
If you do not restore blood flow to the hind brain structures, the patient develops vomiting and loss of consciousness. Long stroke increases the risk of developing stroke and further disability.
Problems with vision
Osteochondrosis of the neck the patient may experience double vision, floaters and flickering. They indicate the onset of serious diseases that appear on the background of osteochondrosis. These include the following diseases:
- glaucoma;
- cataract;
- disease of Claude Bernard-Horner.
It is very important to monitor the changing state of the eye. This is an important symptom that indicates health problems.
Jumps in blood pressure
Initially it may seem that jumps in blood pressure and low back pain have nothing in common. However, it is not. Degenerative changes in the spine suffers the autonomic nervous system.
Jumps are observed during the day. For such disease is characterized by prolonged hypertension.
Hopping dynamics of daily uretralnoe hypertension occurs when the reflex irritations of the nervous terminations and momentary spasms krovenosnyh vessels.
Symptoms of high blood pressure in cervical osteochondrosis:
- severe headache;
- pressure peaks after stress or muscle strain;
- pain in the extremities: arms, legs, etc.;
- low sensitivity in the neck area.
Sudden fainting, or syncope
Sudden fainting may occur as the result of a brief cessation of blood flow in the vertebral arteries. If the patient lost consciousness, it must be applied so that feet were above his head. It activates the flow of blood to the brain. After fainting, you may experience problems with speech and movements.
Pharyngeal problems
Sometimes on the occurrence of degenerative processes in the cervical vertebrae, can testify only pharyngeal symptoms. They manifest themselves through:
- difficulty swallowing;
- a sore throat;
- foreign body sensation in the throat;
- itching.
Such characteristics are associated with injury to neuro-vascular trunks, which go from the spinal cord. However, these symptoms are observed not only in osteochondrosis, but also inflammation and swelling.
The rise in body temperature
With cervical osteochondrosis increased body temperature. This symptom occurs when the following lesions:
- vertebral artery syndrome;
- disk protrusion;
- stenosis of the spinal canal.
Fever can be caused by neurosis, neurological zabolevaniem and fibromyalgics syndrome. Sometimes there are several pathological conditions that aggravate the symptoms of degenerative disc disease.
Manifestations depend on the stage of the disease
- In the first stage of development of the disease symptoms may not be observed. The first signs of the beginning of degenerative processes: headache, slight limitation of physical activity neck, headache, discomfort in the neck and arms. These signs become pronounced when turning or tilting the head.
- In the second stage of development begins by the protrusion of spinal discs, brain crevices start to taper off. The pain becomes more severe, there is a ringing in the ears and sleep disturbances.
- The third stage is characterized by a destruction of the fibrous ring of the disk. There are dislocations and displacements of the vertebrae, herniation in the cervical spine.
- In the fourth stage, the most degenerative changes are irreversible.
Which arise in the brain?
The symptoms in the brain can be pronounced or minimal. Cerebral deviations only occur if a strong compression of the vertebral artery bony outgrowths. As a result, there are problems with the access of blood to the head the brain, and this provokes spasms of small blood vessels and hypothalamic dysregulation.
With cervical osteochondrosis can cause the following syndromes:
- Hypothalamic. It can be neurological and physical.
- Syncope and drop-syndrome. They appear that the patient feels weakness in the legs and losing consciousness for a few minutes.
- Vestibular-stem. Observed dizziness in the head turns.
As a result of these degenerative processes, the patient tries to avoid public places. Thus he having unreasonable fears and depression.
The differences in women and men
Symptoms of cervical chondrosis men and women are virtually indistinguishable. Degenerative changes in the cervical vertebrae are more common in women, this is due to the anatomical structure of the cervical. In men, the cervical musculature is better developed.
Chondrosis of the spine in children and adolescents
Chondrosis of the spine in children and adolescents is caused by a General delay of development of connective tissue. It may be the result of genetic abnormalities or disorders of mineral metabolism. Immature intervertebral discs vulnerable to different pathological processes.
The disease is caused by sedentary lifestyle, long sitting at the computer and the availability of excess weight. The symptoms of this disease are similar to symptoms of osteoarthritis in adults. With the defeat of the cervical the patient is experiencing pain in the neck, dizzy spells and migraines.
Diagnosis
Before diagnosis and treatment, the doctor will conduct several diagnostic tests. Is external examination, evaluates posture and studied the musculature.
Computed tomography
Computed tomography allows you to see the bone in 3D projection. According to the principle of carrying out this procedure similar to an x-ray. However, such diagnostics allows you to see the layered image.
This procedure is not available to children and pregnant women, because a high dose x-ray irradiation. Among the contraindications include lack of patient's ability to remain in a stationary position for several minutes.
X-ray
X-rays – a classic procedure that is assigned for the diagnosis of degenerative disc disease. It is practically harmless and allows to assess the degree of degenerative changes. With this technique it is possible to identify the disease at early stages.
X-ray does not allow to obtain cross-sectional images of the affected tissues. There are a number of more modern and informative methods of examination. X-ray is only suitable for the initial diagnosis.
Osteochondrosis is a dangerous condition that without timely treatment can lead to irreversible degenerative changes and disability. At the initial stage can be only a mild discomfort. With the development of the pathological process, the symptoms becomes more intense. When the first signs of lesions of the spine should immediately consult a doctor.