Reflex symptoms
Symptoms of this category are characterized by crunching of the vertebrae during rotation of the head, which due to pain forces patients to take a certain position. Osteochondrosis causes pains of a compressed nature that spread to the temporal area. Sometimes patients experience a decrease in visual acuity.
Irritation of the nerve connections of the vertebral artery can cause the appearance of a syndrome that is often diagnosed as a disorder of cerebral circulation, which causes dizziness.
In this case, dizziness and nausea can be further caused by a sharp movement of the head. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis also include cardiac syndrome. Its manifestation is reminiscent of an attack of angina pectoris.
Radicular syndromes
Radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are usually the result of spinal root compression. Injuries to the musculoskeletal system or sensitivity directly depend on which nerve ending is 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 a violation of speech;
- S4 - reduces sensitivity in the shoulder area, reduces neck muscle tone and causes respiratory failure;
- S5 - causes pain and impaired sensitivity in the outer part of the shoulder;
- S6 - causes pain that moves from the neck to the shoulder blade, the outer part of the shoulder, and even the thumb;
- S7 - leads to pain, which spreads from the neck to the shoulder blade, the back of the shoulder and to the II-IV fingers of the hand.
- S8 - causes pain, decreased sensitivity moving from the neck to the forearm, to the little finger.
Symptoms by groups
Dividing clinical manifestations into groups will help to better understand the symptoms of osteochondrosis. Three key groups are observed in osteochondrosis. 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 complication of cervical osteochondrosis.
Nervous system
Defeat of a distant part of the nervous system can lead to the manifestation of cervical osteochondrosis. The effect of the pain will be accompanied by regular neck pain.
Among the main symptoms are:
- muscle pain;
- joint pain;
- chest pain.
Most often, the onset of pain occurs without external stimuli. When you try to roll over on the other side, raise your head or cough, there may be an increased effect of pain. The main localization of pain falls on the neck.
Manifestation of pain may be similar to electric shock. In addition, there is tension in the neck muscles, difficulty breathing. With exacerbated osteochondrosis, a non-standard position gradually develops: the patient's head is slightly tilted to the side.
Cervical lumbago restricts the rotational movements of the head. While the rotation of the head is often accompanied by crunching of the vertebrae and the appearance of noise, especially if the disease has started. Patients often believe that the cause of painful spasm may be hypothermia of the neck or increased stress on the cervical spine. Therefore, it is important to understand which symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis cause pain and which exacerbate the clinical manifestations of the disease.
Resulting symptoms
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine often causes the development of cervical and shoulder sciatica. 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 from the vertebrae.
Movement disorders
Osteochondrosis often leads to the development of torticollis. This is the result of cramping of the neck muscles. Such manifestations of the disease lead to a lack of movement in the cervical spine.
Every attempt to turn the head is accompanied by cracking of the vertebrae and pain in the neck.
X-rays of the cervical spine show clear changes in individual vertebrae. Compression of blood vessels weakens the pulse in the radial artery. Osteochondrosis in the cervical spine is often accompanied by blanching of the fingers.
An additional manifestation of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae is pain in the shoulder joint. Painful cramps usually occur at night. Pain occurs in the neck or arm, especially when trying to move the arm to the side.
Attempts to give peace to the hands cause the development of joint stiffness and form a kind of posture: the shoulder pressed against the chest. As a result, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine in a neglected form allows you to raise your arm only at eye level. Periods of exacerbation are often accompanied by fever.
Vascular phenomena
Insufficient blood flow leads to cerebral manifestations of the disease. The main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with vascular manifestations:
- hypothalamus;
- stroke syndrome;
- vestibular;
- ochlear tree;
- pharyngo-laryngeal;
- visual disturbances.
The first symptom indicates a malfunction of the hypothalamus and leads to increased fatigue, sleep disorders. There is a decrease in memory ability. Cases of unreasonable fear or anxiety have been reported. 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 feelings of weakness. The third syndrome causes dizziness, nausea and instability when walking.
However, dizziness can be the cause of a number of other diseases. For example, conditions such as vestibular neuritis, migraines, or brain tumors can also cause dizziness.
The fourth symptom is manifested by tinnitus or hearing loss. The main manifestations of the fifth syndrome are a feeling of dryness or a foreign body in the throat, loss of sound in the voice and fatigue during conversation. The last sign of cervical osteochondrosis is determined by a decrease in visual acuity.
Factors affecting compression of nerve endings:
- moving the vertebral discs;
- osteophytes;
- vertebral bulge formation;
- change in spinal disc height.
Cervical-thoracic osteochondrosis
The basis of osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine is the destruction of spongy bone tissue. Pathological changes in the spine create conditions for injury to the nerve endings in the thoracic region. As a result, there is a feeling of electric shock, for example, when you try to bend your neck.
Cervical-thoracic osteochondrosis is accompanied by pressing and pulling pains in the chest area. Complications cause reduced mobility of the elbow and shoulder joints. But, since there are no conditions for spinal disc trauma in the thoracic region, this pathology rarely leads to the formation of a hernia.
Symptoms of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis:
- fatigue;
- headaches, 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.