Reflex symptoms
Symptoms of this category are characterized by dryness of the vertebrae during rotation of the head, which, due to pain, forces the patient to occupy a certain position. Osteochondrosis causes a depressive pain that spreads to the temporal zone. Sometimes patients experience a decrease in visual acuity.
Irritation of the nerve connections of the vertebral arteries can trigger the onset of a syndrome that is often diagnosed as a violation of cerebral circulation, which causes dizziness.
In this case, dizziness and nausea can also be caused by sharp movements of the head. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis also include cardialgic syndrome. Its manifestation resembles an attack of angina pectoris.
Radicular syndrome
The radicular symptoms of neck osteochondrosis are usually the result of compression of the spinal roots. Violations of the musculoskeletal system or sensitivity directly depend on the nerve endings affected:
- 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 violations of speech;
- 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 violation of vulnerability on the outside of the shoulder;
- S6 - causes pain that travels from the neck to the shoulder blades, the outside of the shoulder, and even to the thumb;
- S7 - leads to pain, spreading from the neck towards the scapula, back of the shoulders and to the fingers II -IV of the hands.
- S8 - causes pain, decreased sensitivity moving from the neck to the forearms, up 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 main groups are observed. The first group determines the manifestations of pain, the second is reflected in movement disorders.
For the third group, it was characterized by vascular manifestations. Based on this, it is necessary to consider in detail each individual type of complication of cervical osteochondrosis.
Nervous system
Defeat of isolated parts of the nervous system can lead to manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis. The effects of the pain will be accompanied by common pain in the neck.
Among the main symptoms are:
- muscle pain;
- pain in the joints;
- pain in the chest area.
Often, the onset of pain occurs without external stimuli. When you try to roll to the other side, lift your head or cough, there may be an increase in the effects of pain. The main localization of pain falls on the neck.
Manifestations of pain may be similar to 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 rotational movement of the head. While dizziness is often accompanied by spinal noise and noise phenomena, especially if the disease has already begun. Patients often believe that the cause of painful cramps may be neck hypothermia or increased pressure 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 vertebrae often leads to the development of cervical and shoulder sciatica. As a result, patients complain of pain in the occipital area and upper neck. Sometimes the pain moves to the shoulder girdle area.
This usually happens when the muscles connected to a particular nerve end are tense. The main reason is compression of the nerve endings from the vertebrae.
Movement disorders
Osteochondrosis often leads to the development of torticollis. This is due to the spasm of the neck muscles. Manifestations of such diseases lead to lack of movement in the cervical spine.
Every attempt to turn the head is accompanied by vertebral spasms and pain in the neck.
X-rays of the cervical spine show obvious changes in individual vertebrae. Vessel compression weakens the pulse in the radial arteries. Osteochondrosis in the cervical spine is often accompanied by whitening of the fingers.
An additional manifestation of cervical vertebral osteochondrosis is pain in the shoulder joint. Painful cramps usually occur at night. Pain is given in the neck or arms, especially during attempts to bring the arms to the side.
Attempts to give solace to the hands cause the development of joint stiffness, and form a kind of posture: the shoulders are pressed to the chest. As a result, osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae in a neglected form allows you to raise your hands only at 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:
- hypothalamus;
- drip syndrome;
- vestibular-stem;
- occipital stem;
- pharyngo-laryngeal;
- visual disturbances.
The first symptoms indicate damage to the hypothalamus and lead to increased fatigue, sleep disturbances. There is a decrease in the ability to remember. Cases of manifestation of fear or anxiety for no known reason. 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 several other diseases. For example, conditions such as vestibular neuritis, migraines, or brain tumors can also cause dizziness.
The fourth symptom is indicated by tinnitus or hearing loss. The main manifestations of the fifth syndrome are a feeling of dryness or foreign bodies in the throat, loss of voice and fatigue during conversation. The last sign of cervical osteochondrosis is determined by a decrease in visual acuity.
Factors that affect nerve end compression:
- vertebral disc displacement;
- osteophytes;
- formation of vertebral protrusions;
- changes in the height of the spinal disc.
Osteochondrosis of the cervix-thorax
The basis of cervicothoracic spine osteochondrosis is the destruction of spongy bone tissue. Pathological changes in the spine create conditions for violation of nerve endings in the thoracic region. As a result, there is a sensation of electric shock, for example, when trying to bend the neck.
Cervical-thoracic osteochondrosis is accompanied by pressing and dragging pain in the chest area. Complications cause impaired movement of the elbow and shoulder joints. But, because in the thoracic region there are no conditions for spinal disc traumatism, this pathology rarely leads to the formation of a hernia.
Symptoms of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis:
- fatigue;
- headache, chest pain;
- decrease in blood pressure;
- fog in front of the eyes;
- dizziness;
- tinnitus;
- pain in the neck (vertebrae) and ribs;
- numb fingers;
- impaired movement coordination.