There are many diseases characterized by degenerative-dystrophic manifestations, one of which is osteochondrosis. In humans, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifest themselves in different ways, and sometimes it is impossible to think about this pathology. The whole spine, especially the thoracic region, is gradually affected.
In addition to the frequent pain, other symptoms may also occur. You need to understand which one in more detail, because the coagulation and distortion of the tongue is a manifestation of this particular disease. Such psychosomatics can confuse everyone, there are reasons for such a disease. Below we will try to understand the variety of symptoms in more detail.
Degrees of the disease
Osteochondrosis is characterized by a chronic course with periods of remission and exacerbation, which are very difficult to eliminate. Psychosomatics can put a person in an extreme situation because the pain is especially intense. Even if you act for a reason, the disease is constantly evolving, only a certain regimen and timely treatment can help. Psychosomatics is not immediately apparent, in the early stages a person feels very normal, and after the second or third attacks simply becomes unbearable.
In general, there are four manifestations of the disease:
- In the initial stage, the changes are minimal, they occur inside the intervertebral disc. It gradually loses moisture, causing the fibrous capsule to crack. At this stage, everything does not show itself in any way, the changes are visible only on MRI. It is at this stage that it is better to treat the disease, although it is possible to completely eliminate the manifestations of the disease by reversing the causes and starting treatment.
- In the second stage, the disc is damaged and pain may appear. The height of the disc decreases, which causes the ligaments and muscles to sag. Instability develops, the vertebrae begin to slide relative to each other. At this stage, a person feels pain, a special lesion, which is characteristic of osteochondrosis, appears.
- In the third stage of the disease, the pain may be more pronounced and is often accompanied by a protrusion of the disc.
- The fourth stage is the last stage, during which osteophytes and deformities of the spine are formed. According to osteophytes, the body tries to reduce the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis. As the ligaments begin to ossify, the vertebrae gradually begin to move.
Reasons why everything happens
To better understand the symptoms of the disease, you need to understand the causes of their appearance. All psychosomatics are caused primarily by compression of the spinal cord in the spinal canal. However, such causes can be found very rarely and with a very advanced degenerative process. The cause may be a significant size of the intervertebral hernia, trauma or displacement.
Often psychosomatics develops due to compression of the spinal roots. Causes of pain can be compressed by adjacent vertebrae, disc herniation and inflammation.
Often the problem can be on nearby ships. Especially often psychosomatics develops as a result of damage to the vertebral artery, which passes through the thickness of the spine and supplies blood to the back of the brain.
Based on the characteristics of the lesion, it is possible to understand the symptoms that have the same manifestations in both men and women.
Symptoms associated with spinal cord injury
Cervical osteochondrosis rarely develops against the background of compression of the spinal cord. Such a situation can cost a person not only health, but also life. Respiratory and vasomotor centers are located nearby. And if the compression occurs at the level of 3 or 4 segments, the person may be completely paralyzed. If the diaphragm is affected, then often everything ends with its paralysis and respiratory arrest.
Body temperature is normal, even if 4-5 segments are affected, then there may be paralysis, but breathing will not suffer. If segment 5-8 is damaged, the muscles of the arms and legs may suffer, the temperature does not change, and there may be a malfunction of the pelvic organs.
When a nerve fiber is damaged
The temperature does not rise due to damage to the nerve plexuses and fibers. Pain occurs in the cervical as well as the thoracic region. It can be permanent and is called cervical, and in the form of attacks - cervical. Attacks occur in the neck, neck or shoulder girdle, upper thoracic spine. Irritation occurs due to compression of the root, inflammation occurs, although the temperature remains normal. As a result, the muscles innervating the roots involved in the pathological process become very tense, and the joints become tight.
In both men and women, cervical pain is constant and of varying intensity. With it, psychosomatics is very open, seizures can be very difficult to overcome. Often everything is written as a simple migraine. But you can tolerate the pain, although it occurs as a result of sharp movements of the head, turning, bending. There may be numbness and a characteristic crisis during movement.
The temperature does not rise with the cervix, but the pain has its own characteristics. It occurs in the form of "lumbago" or electric shock for no reason. The intensity is so strong that one can give it to one of the hands, a person is simply forced to wear a Shants collar. It lasts from a few seconds to a minute, then replaces the cervical. This occurs as a result of a sharp movement or compression of a nerve in the neck or upper thoracic spinal cord, which can result in numbness and slight tremors.
Root damage
The main nerves of the upper extremity are formed by the roots of the cervical spine, there are only three nerves: the ulnar, radial and median. If osteochondrosis of the cervical spine develops, these structures can be affected, resulting in not only pain and tremors, but also numbness. All of these nerves contain mixed fibers that are responsible for sensitivity and motor ability. Symptoms can be so severe that a shunt collar needs to be worn and depends on the type of root affected. There may be numbness or loss of sensation in the 2nd or 3rd finger of the hand, or even paralysis in some muscles. A neurologist can pinpoint the exact location of the disorder.
Occipital nerve neuralgia
This very unpleasant condition develops as a result of damage to the occipital nerves. These structures are formed by 2, 3, 4 pairs of spinal nerves. With nerve damage as a result of the development of osteochondrosis, the temperature remains normal, headaches, especially intense pain in the back of the head. Often, in connection with this, patients, and often these are women, are simply forced to wear Shants collars.
The symptoms are very specific to the disease, you can diagnose it without asking specific questions and without special examination methods. Everything happens suddenly and is localized on the one hand, and less often on the other. For a person, a "lumbago" is like an electric shock, which forces him to wear a Shantz collar. The duration of the attack is only a few minutes, but can be repeated during the day. They all start at the posterolateral surface of the neck and extend to the occipital protrusion. Sensitivity of the skin is disturbed, numbness occurs, creeping "gas shoots", a feeling of tremors, forcing a person to wear a Shantz collar. The temperature does not rise.
From the heart
Often, disorders of the neck lead to pathology of the organs of the thoracic region. Angina pectoris and other heart problems may be directly related to osteochondrosis. Sometimes first aid for heart disease does not bring the expected relief. The reason is that the nerves involved in the innervation of the thorax are formed in the neck, and the fibers of the phrenic nerve partially pass through the pericardium. Therefore, there is no point in helping.
Damaged nerve fibers send a signal to the muscles in the chest area, resulting in heart-like pain. In osteochondrosis, the pain lasts a long time, lasts for hours or days, and is not affected by medications for angina pectoris. The temperature does not change, and the pain itself is not related to physical activity, it decreases with a change in body position, and disappears if you put on a collar. Intensification occurs with movements and turns of the head during coughing or sneezing. What are the symptoms of angina pectoris? Therefore, nitroglycerin drugs can not relieve pain.
But don't worry, there are atypical variants of angina pectoris that your doctor knows about. If you have pain in the heart or thoracic spine, it is better to do an ECG once, it is completely safe and painless. If you have osteochondrosis, then there may be more alignment than changes in the film with the next pain attack.
Damage to the vertebral artery
If there are signs of vertebral artery damage, a shunt collar will be required along with the rest of the treatment. The brain experiences a lack of oxygen, resulting in headaches and numbness. It manifests itself as a throbbing headache in the back of the head, temples and crown of the head. In some cases, there is tremors, dizziness, nausea, followed by vomiting.
The temperature is normal, but there are visual disturbances, ringing in the ears and hearing loss. In addition to tremor, coordination and balance of movements are disturbed. Treatments and Shants collars help eliminate such symptoms.
In severe cases, seizures develop, a condition in which there is no loss of consciousness with a sharp turn of the head. Memory suffers, reduced ability to work, impaired concentration.
If you see the above symptoms and trembling hands, then you should see a neurologist and undergo additional examination. You do not need to choose a shants collar yourself, it is better to do it with the help of a specialist.