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. Provocative 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 is experiencing discomfort after long walks and stay in the same position. Begin to form seals in the vertebral discs.
- In another 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, in which affected almost all parts of the spine.
At the last stage of conservative treatment will be ineffective. The doctor prescribes surgery, which requires a lengthy 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 results in the compression of the vertebral artery. Against the background of these degenerative processes can occur hernia.
Along with pain there is a danger of serious esneh complications. For example, disruptions in blood pressure or persistent impairment of hearing and vision. Hours patients having panic attacks and anxiety. They can last for 30 minutes. A condition called diencephalic syndrome.
Another cause of the pain – muscle spasm that causes it and reduce bleeding. 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 spread to the head. In such processes the patient is suffering the hell of 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 position or 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 and the whole of the 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 contact the doctor. Reason for emergency hospitalization of the patient:
- numbness of the shoulder;
- paralysis of the facial muscles;
- loss of consciousness;
- severe headache.
Smart spine and muscle spasm, and causes pinched nerves that nourish the brain. Due to 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.
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 ad of the pharynx and esophagus.
Shortness of breath occurs because of a pinched nerve. The result is a spasm of the diaphragm, which is rich in depth and rhythm of breathing. The patient becomes stuffy and difficult to breathe.
This is seriously esny symptoms, 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.
Yes rear structures of the brain receive insufficient quantity of arterial blood. This triggers compensatory reactions. Narrowing of the arteries and causes high blood pressure. The patient the feeling of nausea.
If you do not restore blood flow and posterior structures of the brain, the patient feels 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 esneh, what events appear on the background of osteochondrosis. So, 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.
Leaps and bounds daily dynamics uretralnoe hypertension occurs when stimulation of the reflex nerve endings and intermittent 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 and t.. d;
- 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 and brain. After fainting, you may experience problems with speech and movements.
Pharyngeal problems
The clock on the occurrence of degenerative processes in the cervical vertebrae, can testify only pharyngeal symptoms. They are expressed by:
- difficulty swallowing;
- 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.
Temperature rise a
With cervical osteochondrosis is the temperature rises a whole. This symptom occurs when the following lesions:
- vertebral artery syndrome;
- disk protrusion;
- stenosis of the spinal canal.
A fever can be caused by neurosis, neurological zabolevaniem and fibromyalgics syndrome. Hourly observed several pathological conditions that aggravate the symptoms of degenerative disc disease.
Manifestations that depend on the hell 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 another stage of development begins by the protrusion of spinal discs, brain crevices start to taper off. The pain becomes more pronounced, phenomenon is ringing in the ears and sleep disturbances.
- The third stage is characterized by a destruction of the fibrous ring of the disk. Dislocations occur and displacement 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 bright pronounced or minimal. Cerebral deviations only occur if a strong compression of the vertebral artery bone Belarusian. As a result, there are problems with blood flow in 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 ate appear that the patient feels weakness in the legs and losing consciousness for a few minutes.
- Vestibular-stem. There are vertigo on head rotation.
As a result of these degenerative processes, the patient tends 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 and various pathological processes.
The disease occurs due to sedentary lifestyle, long sitting at the computer and extra weight. The symptoms of this disease are similar to symptoms of osteoarthritis in adults. With the defeat of the cervical the patient is experiencing neck pain, dizzy spells and migraines.
Diagnosis
Before diagnosis and treatment, the doctor will conduct several diagnostic tests. Performed external inspection, is evaluated 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. Yes, 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 phenomena Alen the first signs of lesions of the spine should immediately contact the doctor.