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 in different ways, and sometimes it is impossible to think about this pathology. The entire spine is affected gradually, especially in the chest region.
Very often, in addition to the fact that there is pain, other symptoms may also appear. Which, you need to understand in more detail, because numbness and language 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 disease
Osteochondrosis is characterized by a chronic course with periods of remission and irritation, which can be very difficult to remove. Psychosomatics is able to take a person to extremes, as the pain is particularly strong. Even if you act according to the causes, the disease is constantly progressing, only a certain regimen and timely treatment can help. Psychosomatics do not appear immediately, in the first stages a person feels quite normal, and after the second or third attacks become simply unbearable.
In total, there are four stages of disease manifestation:
- In the initial stage, the changes are minimal, they occur within the intervertebral disc. It gradually loses moisture, which eventually leads to cracking of the fibrous capsule. At this stage, everything is not manifested in any way, the changes are visible only on an MRI. It is at this stage that it is best to treat the disease, as the causes of the onset 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 appear. The height of the disc decreases, which leads to sagging of the ligaments and muscles. Instability develops, the vertebrae begin to shift relative to each other. At this stage, a person feels pain, a specific lesion appears, characteristic of osteochondrosis.
- In the third stage of the disease the pain may be more pronounced and is often accompanied by disc herniation.
- The fourth stage is the final stage, during which osteophytes are formed and the spine is deformed. Due to osteophytes, the body tries to reduce the signs of cervical osteochondrosis. Once the ligaments begin to ossify and the vertebrae gradually shift.
Reasons why everything happens
To better understand the symptoms of the disease, you need to understand what are the causes of their occurrence. All psychosomatics arise, first of all, due to the compression of the spinal cord in the spinal canal. But such causes can be found very rarely and with a very advanced degenerative process. The cause of the appearance can be a significant size of the intervertebral hernia, trauma or displacement.
Often psychosomatics develop due to compression of the spinal roots. The causes of pain are that they can be compressed by neighboring vertebrae, disc herniation and inflammation.
Often the problem can be in nearby ships. Especially often, psychosomatics develops as a result of damage to the vertebral artery, which goes to 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, in both men and women, have the same manifestations.
Symptoms due to spinal cord injury
Osteochondrosis of the cervix against the background of spinal cord compression develops very rarely. Such a condition can cost a person not only health but also life. In this area, respiratory and vasomotor centers are located nearby. And if compression occurs at the level of 3 or 4 segments, a person can be completely paralyzed. If the diaphragm is affected, then often everything ends with its paralysis and cessation of breathing.
Body temperature is normal, even if 4-5 segments are affected, then paralysis is possible, but breathing will not suffer. If the 5th to 8th segment is damaged, the muscles of the arms and legs may suffer, the temperature also does not change and there may be a disorder in the function of the pelvic organs.
When a nerve fiber is damaged
With damage to nerve plexuses and fibers, the temperature also does not rise. Pain appears in the cervix, as well as in the chest region. It can be permanent and is called cervical pain and in the form of an attack - cervical. Attacks occur on the neck, neck or shoulder girdle, upper thoracic spine. 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, numbness joins.
With cervical pain in both men and women, the pain is constant and of varying intensity. Psychosomatics with it is very pronounced, crises can be very difficult to remove. Too often, everything is written as a simple migraine. But you can endure the pain, even though it occurs as a result of a sharp movement, turning, tilting the head. During movement, numbness and a characteristic crackling may appear.
With cervicago, the temperature also does not rise, but the pain has its own characteristics. Occurs for no apparent reason in the form of a "lumbago" or electric shock. The intensity is so strong that it can give in one of the hands, a person is simply forced to wear a Shants collar. Duration from a few seconds to minutes, then cervical pain comes to replace. This occurs as a result of a sharp movement or pressure on the nerve in the neck or upper thoracic spinal cord, which can result in slight numbness and tremors.
Root damage
The main nerves of the upper limbs are formed by the roots of the spinal cord of the cervix, there are a total of three nerves: ulnar, radial and medial. If osteochondrosis of the cervical spine develops, these structures can be affected, resulting in 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 a Shants collar should be worn and depend on the type of root that is affected. There may be numbness or loss of sensation in the second or third finger of the hand, or even paralysis of some muscles. A neurologist is able to determine exactly where the violation occurred.
Neck neuralgia of the neck
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. With nerve damage as a result of the development of osteochondrosis, the temperature remains normal, severe headache bothers, especially in the back of the head. Too often, in this regard, patients, and often these are women, are simply forced to wear a Shants collar.
The symptoms are very typical for the disease, by properly asking the patient, you can make a diagnosis without special examination methods. Everything happens suddenly and is localized on one side, rarely has a bilateral character. To a person, "lumbago" resembles an electric shock, which forces 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 region of the posterolateral surface in the neck and extends to the region of the occipital protuberance. Sensitivity of the skin is disturbed, numbness appears, a feeling of crawling "goosebumps", a tremor, which makes a person put on a collar Shants. The temperature does not rise.
From the heart
Very often, violations in the neck lead to pathology of the organs of the thoracic region. Angina pectoris and other heart problems can be directly related to osteochondrosis. Sometimes first aid for heart disease does not bring the expected relief. The reason is that it is in the neck that the nerves involved in innervating the thoracic trunk are formed, the phrenic nerve fibers passing partly into the pericardium. This is why help does not make sense.
Damaged nerve fibers send signals to the muscles in the chest area, resulting in heart-like pain. Pain in osteochondrosis has a long duration, reaching hours or days, is not affected by treatment for angina pectoris. The temperature does not change and the pain itself is not associated with physical activity, but decreases with the change of body position and disappears if you wear a Shants collar. Strengthening occurs with movements and turns of the head, during coughing or sneezing. What are the symptoms of angina pectoris? Therefore, nitroglycerin preparations may not relieve pain.
But do not relax, because there are atypical variants of angina pectoris, which the doctor knows. If there is pain in the region of the heart or chest, it is better to do an ECG once again, it is completely safe and painless. If there is osteochondrosis, then with the next attack of pain, there may be more numbness than changes in the film.
Damage to the vertebral artery
If there are symptoms of vertebral artery damage, then along with the rest of the treatment, a Shants collar will be required. The brain experiences lack of oxygen, resulting in headaches, numbness. It manifests as a throbbing headache in the back of the head, temples and crown of the head. In some cases there is tremor, dizziness, nausea, followed by vomiting.
The temperature is normal but there are vision disturbances, tinnitus and hearing loss. Along with the fact that there is vibration, the coordination of movements and balance is also disturbed. Shants treatment and collar help relieve such symptoms.
In severe cases, descending attacks occur, a state without loss of consciousness with a sharp turn of the head. Memory suffers, work capacity decreases, concentration is disturbed.
If the above symptoms appear and tremors in the hands, then you should go to an appointment with a neurologist and undergo an additional examination. You do not need to choose the Shants collar yourself, it is also better to do it with the help of a specialist.