Reflex symptoms
The symptoms of this category are characterized by a crack of the vertebrae during the rotation of the head, which, due to the pain, forces the patients to occupy a certain position. Osteochondrosis provokes pain of a pressing nature that spreads to the temporal area. Sometimes patients experience a decrease in 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 cerebral circulation, which causes dizziness.
In this case, dizziness and vomiting can also be caused by a sharp movement of the head. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis also include cardiac syndrome. Its manifestation resembles an attack of angina pectoris.
Radicular syndrome
Radicular symptoms of neck osteochondrosis are usually the result of spinal cord compression. Violations of the musculoskeletal system or sensitivity depend directly on the affected nerve ending:
- S1 - leads to a violation of sensitivity in the occupied area;
- S2 - causes pain in the parietal area, which may cause dizziness;
- S3 - reduces neck sensitivity, in addition, there may be a speech impediment;
- S4 - leads to a decrease in sensitivity in the shoulder area, reduces the tone of the neck muscles and provokes respiratory failure;
- S5 - causes pain and a violation of sensitivity in the outer part of the shoulder;
- S6 - causes pain moving from the neck to the shoulder blade, to the outside of the shoulder, even to the thumb;
- S7 - leads to pain, spreading from the neck to the shoulder, the back of the shoulder and the II-IV fingers of the hand.
- S8 - causes pain, decreased sensitivity that moves from the neck to the forearm, to the little finger.
Symptoms by group
Dividing clinical phenomena into groups will help to better understand the symptoms of osteochondrosis. With osteochondrosis, three main 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
Damage to the distal part of the nervous system can lead to the appearance of osteochondrosis of the cervix. The effect of pain will be accompanied by regular neck pain.
Among the main symptoms are:
- muscle pain;
- joint pain;
- pain in the chest area.
Most often, the onset of pain occurs without external stimuli. When you try to roll over, raise your head, or cough, there may be an increase in the effect of the pain. The main localization of pain falls on the neck.
The manifestation of pain may be similar to an electric shock. In addition, there is tension in the neck muscles, difficulty breathing. With worsening osteochondrosis, a non-standard posture gradually arises: the patient's head is slightly tilted to the side.
The cervical lumbago restricts the back movements of the head. While the rotation of the head is often accompanied by crackling of the vertebrae and noise phenomena, especially if the disease has begun. Patients often believe that the cause of pain spasm may be cervical hypothermia or increased stress on 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.
The resulting symptoms
Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebra often provokes the development of the sciatic nerve of the cervix and shoulders. As a result, patients complain of pain in the occipital region and upper 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 by the vertebrae.
Movement disorders
Osteochondrosis often leads to the development of torticollis. This is the result of a neck muscle spasm. Such manifestations of the disease lead to lack of movement in the spine of the cervix.
Any attempt to turn the head is accompanied by a crackling of the vertebrae and pain in the neck.
X-rays of the cervical spine show clear changes in the individual vertebrae. Compression of the vessels weakens the pulse in the radial artery. Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is often accompanied by whitening of the fingers.
An additional manifestation of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae is pain in the shoulder joint. Painful spasm usually occurs at night. The pain is given in the neck or arm, especially during an attempt to get the arm sideways.
Attempts to give peace to the hand cause the development of joint stiffness and form a kind of posture: the shoulder pressed to the chest. As a result, osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae in a neglected form allows you to raise your hand only at eye level. Periods of deterioration are often associated with an increase in skin temperature.
Vascular phenomena
Insufficient blood flow leads to the appearance of the disease brain. The main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae with vascular manifestations:
- hypothalamic;
- point syndrome;
- stalk-vestibular;
- oklear-flow;
- pharyngo-laryngeal;
- visual disturbances.
The first symptom indicates a hypothalamic dysfunction and leads to increased fatigue, sleep disturbance. There is a decrease in the ability to remember. Cases of unexplained fear or anxiety are known. You may also notice a decrease in sexual desire and frequent urination.
The second symptom is characterized by the fact that it causes dizziness, fainting and loss of consciousness. Attacks usually lead to weakness in the legs and a feeling of weakness. The third syndrome causes dizziness, nausea and instability while walking.
However, dizziness can be the cause of a number of other illnesses. 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 the feeling of dryness or a foreign body in the throat, loss of voice sound and fatigue 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 vertebral discs;
- osteophytes;
- bead elongation formation;
- change in spinal disc height.
Cervical-thoracic osteochondrosis
The basis of cervicothoracic spine osteochondrosis is the destruction of spongy bone tissue. Pathological changes in the spine create conditions for damage to nerve endings in the chest region. Consequently, there is a sensation of electric shock, for example, when you try to bend the neck.
Cervical-thoracic osteochondrosis is associated with oppressive and creeping pain in the chest area. Complications cause impaired mobility of the elbow and shoulder joints. But, since in the thoracic region there are no conditions for spinal disc trauma, this pathology rarely leads to the formation of a hernia.
Symptoms of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis:
- fatigue;
- headache, chest pain;
- drop in blood pressure;
- fog before the eyes;
- dizziness;
- tinnitus;
- pain in the neck (vertebrae) and ribs;
- numbness of the fingers;
- impaired coordination of movements.