reflex symptoms
Symptoms of this category are characterized by a crunch of the vertebrae during head rotation, which, due to pain, forces patients to occupy a certain position. Osteochondrosis provokes pains of a pressing nature that spread to the temporal zone. Sometimes patients experience decreased visual acuity.
Irritation of the nerve connections of the vertebral artery can provoke the appearance of a syndrome that is often diagnosed as a violation of the cerebral circulation, which leads to dizziness.
In this case, dizziness and nausea can also be caused by a sudden movement of the head. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis also include cardialgic syndrome. Its manifestation resembles an attack of angina pectoris.
root syndromes
The radicular symptoms of osteochondrosis of the neck are usually the result of compression of the spinal root. Violations of the musculoskeletal system or sensitivity directly depend on the affected nerve ending:
- S1 - leads to a violation of sensitivity in the occipital zone;
- S2 - causes pain in the parietal zone, which can cause dizziness;
- S3 - reduces the sensitivity of the neck, in addition, there may be a violation of speech;
- S4 - leads to a decrease in sensitivity in the shoulder area, reduces the tone of the neck muscles, causing respiratory failure;
- S5 - causes pain and a violation of susceptibility in the outer part of the shoulder;
- S6: Causes pain that moves from the neck to the shoulder blade, the outside of the shoulder, and even to the thumb;
- S7 - causes pain, spreading from the neck to the scapula, the back of the shoulder and the II-IV fingers of the hand.
- S8 - causes pain, a decrease in sensation that moves from the neck to the forearm, to the little finger.
Symptoms by group
The division of clinical phenomena into groups will help to better understand the symptoms of osteochondrosis. With osteochondrosis, three key groups are observed. The first group determines the manifestation of pain, the second is reflected in movement disorders.
As for the third group, it is characterized by vascular manifestations. Based on this, it is necessary to consider in detail each individual type of complications of cervical osteochondrosis.
Nervous system
The defeat of the remote part of the nervous system can lead to the manifestation of cervical osteochondrosis. The effect of pain will be accompanied by regular pain in the neck.
Among the main symptoms are:
- Muscle pain;
- joint pain;
- pain in the chest area.
Most of the time, the onset of pain occurs without external stimuli. When you try to turn to the other side, raise your head or cough, there may be an increase in the effect of pain. The main location of pain lies in the neck.
The manifestation of pain can be similar to an electric shock. In addition, there is tension in the neck muscles, shortness of breath. With exacerbated osteochondrosis, a non-standard posture gradually arises - the patients head is slightly tilted to the side.
Cervical lumbago restricts turning movements of the head. While the rotation of the head is often accompanied by a crunch of the vertebrae and noise phenomena, especially if the disease has begun. Patients often believe that the cause of the pain spasm may be hypothermia of the neck or increased tension in the cervical spine. Therefore, it is important to understand which symptoms in cervical osteochondrosis cause pain, and which exacerbate the clinical manifestations of the disease.
Resulting symptoms
Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebra often provokes the development of cervical and shoulder sciatica. As a result, patients complain of pain in the occipital region and in the upper part of the neck. There are times when the pain moves to the shoulder girdle area.
This usually happens when the muscles that are connected to certain nerve endings are tense. The main reason is the compression of the nerve endings of the vertebrae.
movement disorders
Osteochondrosis often leads to the development of torticollis. This is the result of a spasm of the neck muscles. Such manifestations of the disease lead to a lack of movement in the cervical spine.
Each attempt to turn the head is accompanied by a crunch of the vertebrae and pain in the neck.
X-rays of the cervical spine show clear changes in individual vertebrae. Compression of the vessels weakens the pulse in the radial artery. Osteochondrosis in the cervical spine is often accompanied by paleness of the fingers.
An additional manifestation of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae is pain in the shoulder joint. The painful spasm usually occurs at night. The pain is in the neck or arm, especially during an attempt to bring the arm to the side.
Attempts to provide peace to the hand provoke the development of stiffness in the joint and form a kind of posture - the shoulder pressed to the chest. As a result, osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae in a careless way allows you to raise your hand only to eye level. Periods of exacerbation are often accompanied by an increase in skin temperature.
vascular phenomena
Insufficient blood flow leads to cerebral manifestations of the disease. The main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae with vascular manifestations:
- hypothalamic;
- drop syndrome;
- vestibular stalk;
- eye stalk;
- pharyngo-laryngeal;
- visual disturbances.
The first symptom indicates a malfunction of the hypothalamus and leads to increased fatigue and sleep disturbances. There is a decrease in the ability to remember. Cases of manifestation of fear or anxiety without cause are known. You may also notice a decrease in sexual desire and frequent urination.
The second symptom is characterized because it causes dizziness, fainting and loss of consciousness. The attacks usually cause weakness in the legs and a feeling of weakness. The third syndrome causes dizziness, nausea, and unsteadiness when walking.
However, dizziness can be the cause of other diseases. For example, conditions such as vestibular neuritis, migraines, or a brain tumor can also cause dizziness.
The fourth symptom is manifested by tinnitus or hearing loss. The main manifestations of the fifth syndrome are a sensation of dryness or a foreign body in the throat, loss of sonority of the voice and tiredness during a conversation. The last sign of cervical osteochondrosis is determined by a decrease in visual acuity.
Factors affecting the compression of nerve endings:
- displacement of the vertebral discs;
- osteophytes;
- the formation of protrusion of the vertebrae;
- change in spinal disc height.
Cervico-thoracic osteochondrosis
The basis of osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine is the destruction of spongy bone tissues. Pathological changes in the spine create conditions for the infringement of nerve endings in the thoracic region. As a consequence, a sensation of electric shock occurs, for example, when trying to bend the neck.
Cervico-thoracic osteochondrosis is accompanied by pressing and dragging pains in the chest area. Complications cause mobility problems in the elbow and shoulder joints. But, since in the thoracic region there are no conditions for trauma to the spinal discs, this pathology rarely leads to the formation of a hernia.
Symptoms of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis:
- fatigue;
- headaches, chest pains;
- drops in blood pressure;
- fog before the eyes;
- dizziness;
- tinnitus;
- pain in the neck (vertebrae) and ribs;
- numbness of the fingers;
- Alteration of the coordination of movements.