There are many diseases characterized by degenerative-dystrophic manifestations, one of which is osteochondrosis. In humans, the signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifest themselves in different ways and it is sometimes impossible to think about this pathology. Gradually, the entire spine is affected, especially in the thoracic region.
Very often, in addition to pain, other symptoms may occur. Which, you need to find out in more detail, because numbness and tongue disorders are a manifestation of this particular disease. Such psychosomatics can confuse anyone, there are reasons for such a disease. We will try to understand the variety of symptoms in more detail below.
Degrees of the disease
Osteochondrosis is characterized by a chronic course with periods of remission and exacerbation, which can be very difficult to eliminate. Psychosomatics is able to take a person to extremes, as the pain is particularly intense. Even if you act on the causes, the disease is constantly progressing, only a certain regimen and timely treatment can help. Psychosomatics does not appear immediately, in the first stages a person feels completely normal, and after the second or third attacks become simply unbearable.
There are a total of four stages of the disease:
- In the initial stage, the changes are minimal, they occur inside the intervertebral disc. It gradually loses moisture, which eventually leads to cracking of the fibrous capsule. At this stage, everything does not manifest itself in any way, the changes are visible only on MRI. It is at this stage that it is better to treat the disease, while the causes can be reversed and, by starting treatment, the manifestations of the disease can be completely eliminated.
- In the second stage, disc damage occurs and pain may occur. The height of the disc decreases, which leads to sagging ligaments and muscles. Instability develops, the vertebrae begin to shift relative to each other. At this stage a person feels pain, a specific lesion characteristic of osteochondrosis appears.
- In the third stage of the disease, the pain may be more pronounced and is often accompanied by protrusion of the disc.
- The fourth stage is the last stage, during which osteophytes and deformity of the spine are formed. Due to osteophytes, the body tries to reduce the signs of cervical osteochondrosis. As the ligaments begin to ossify, the vertebrae gradually shift.
The reasons why everything happens
To better understand the symptoms of the disease, you need to understand the reasons for their appearance. All psychosomatics occurs primarily due to compression of the spinal cord in the spinal canal. But such causes can be found very rarely and in a far advanced degenerative process. The cause can be a significant amount of intervertebral hernia, trauma or displacement.
Often psychosomatics develops due to compression of the spinal roots. The causes of pain are that they can be compressed by adjacent vertebrae, herniated discs and inflammation.
Often the problem may be in nearby vessels. Especially often psychosomatics develops as a result of damage to the spinal artery, which passes into the thickness of the spine and supplies blood to the back of the brain.
Based on the characteristics of the lesion, the symptoms can be understood, which have the same manifestations in both men and women.
Symptoms due to spinal cord injury
Cervical osteochondrosis on the background of compression of the spinal cord develops very rarely. Such a condition can cost a person not only health but also life. The respiratory and vasomotor centers are located in this area nearby. And if compression occurs at level 3 or 4 segments, a person can be completely paralyzed. If the diaphragm is affected, then it often ends in paralysis and respiratory arrest.
Body temperature is normal, even if 4-5 segments are affected, then paralysis is possible, but breathing will not suffer. When the 5-8 segment is damaged, the muscles of the arms and legs may be affected, the temperature also does not change and there may be a violation of the function of the pelvic organs.
When the nerve fiber is damaged
When nerve plexuses and fibers are damaged, the temperature also does not rise. Pain occurs in the cervix as well as in the thoracic region. It can be permanent and is called cervical pain and in the form of seizures - cervical. Attacks occur in the neck, neck or shoulder girdle, upper chest. Irritation occurs due to compression of the root, it becomes inflamed, although the temperature remains normal. As a result, the muscles that innervate the roots involved in the pathological process become very tense, tingling joins.
In cervicalgia in both men and women the pain is constant and of varying intensity. Psychosomatics is very pronounced, seizures can be very difficult to eliminate. Very often everything is written off as a simple migraine. But you can withstand the pain, although it occurs as a result of sudden movement, bend, tilt of the head. Numbness and characteristic crunch may occur during movement.
In cervical cancer, the temperature also does not rise, but the pain has its own characteristics. It appears for no apparent reason in the form of "lumbago" or electric shock. The intensity is so strong that it can be transmitted in one hand, one is simply forced to wear a Shants collar. Duration from a few seconds to minutes, after which the cervical pain comes into place. This occurs as a result of sudden movement or compression of a nerve in the neck or upper spinal cord, which can lead to numbness and mild tremor.
Root damage
The main nerves of the upper limb are formed from the roots of the cervical spinal cord, there are a total of three nerves: ulnar, radial and middle. If osteochondrosis of the cervical spine develops, these structures can be affected, leading to not only pain and tremor, but also numbness. All of these nerves have mixed fibers that are responsible for sensitivity and motor ability. The symptoms can be so severe that you have to wear a Shants collar and depend on the type of root that is affected. There may be tingling or loss of sensation in the 2nd or 3rd finger of the hand or even paralysis of some muscles. The neurologist is able to determine exactly where the disorder occurred.
Occipital nerve neuralgia
This rather unpleasant condition develops as a result of damage to the occipital nerves. These structures are formed by 2, 3, 4 pairs of spinal nerves. When nerves are damaged as a result of the development of osteochondrosis, the temperature remains normal, intense pain in the head worries, especially in the back of the head. Very often in this regard, patients, and often women, are simply forced to wear a Shants collar.
The symptoms are very typical of the disease, properly asking the patient, you can make a diagnosis without special research methods. Everything occurs suddenly and is localized on one side, rarely bilateral. For a person, "lumbago" looks like an electric shock, forcing him to wear a Shants collar. The duration of the attack is only a few minutes, but can be repeated throughout the day. It all starts in the area of the posterior lateral surface of the neck and extends tothe area of the occipital bulge. The sensitivity of the skin is impaired, there is tingling, a feeling of crawling "goosebumps", trembling, which causes a person to put a collar on Shants. The temperature does not rise.
On the side of the heart
Very often, disorders in the neck lead to pathology of the chest organs. 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 it is on the neck that the nerves involved in the innervation of the thoracic trunk are formed, the fibers of the diaphragmatic nerve partially pass to the pericardium. That is why help makes no sense.
Damaged nerve fibers send signals to the muscles in the chest area, leading to heart-like pain. The pain of osteochondrosis has a long duration, reaching hours or days, is not affected by drugs for angina pectoris. The temperature does not change, and the pain itself is not related to physical activity, but decreases with a change in body position and disappears if you wear a Shants collar. Strengthening is done by movements and turns of the head, during coughing or sneezing. What are the symptoms of angina pectoris? Therefore, nitroglycerin preparations cannot relieve pain.
But do not relax, because there are atypical variants of angina pectoris, which the doctor knows. If there is pain in the heart or chest, it is better to do an ECG one more time, it is completely safe and painless. If there is osteochondrosis, then the next attack of pain may have more tingling than changes in the film.
Damage to the vertebral artery
If there are symptoms of spinal artery damage, then along with the rest of the treatment you will need a Shants collar. The brain experiences a lack of oxygen, which leads to headaches, numbness. Manifested as a throbbing headache in the back of the head, temples and scalp. In some cases, there is tremor, dizziness, nausea, followed by vomiting.
The temperature is normal, but there are visual disturbances, tinnitus and hearing loss. Along with the fact that there is tremor, the coordination of movements and balance is disturbed. Shants treatment and collar help to eliminate such symptoms.
In severe cases, attacks of falling, a state without loss of consciousness with a sharp turn of the head. Memory suffers, performance decreases, concentration is impaired.
If the above symptoms and tremor appear in the hands, then you should go to a neurologist and undergo further examination. It is not necessary to choose the Shants collar yourself, it is also better to do it with the help of a specialist.