There are many diseases that are 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 whole spinal column was gradually affected, especially in the thoracic part.
Very often, in addition to pain, other symptoms may occur. Which, you have to understand in more detail, because numbness and tongue disorders are manifestations of this particular disease. Such psychosomatics can confuse anyone, there are reasons for such an illness. In the following, we will try to understand the variety of symptoms in more detail.
Degrees of disease
Osteochondrosis is characterized by a chronic course with periods of remission and exacerbation, which are very difficult to remove. Psychosomatics is able to bring a person to extremes, because the pain is especially 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 the person feels completely normal, and after the second or third attack they become simply unbearable.
There are a total of four degrees of disease manifestation:
- In the initial phase, the changes are minimal, they occur inside the intervertebral disc. It gradually loses moisture, which ultimately leads to the rupture of the fibrous capsule. At this stage, everything does not manifest itself, the changes are visible only on magnetic resonance imaging. At this stage, it is better to treat the disease, while the causes can be reversed and treatment can completely eliminate the manifestations of the disease.
- In the second phase, the disc is damaged and pain can occur. The height of the disc decreases, which leads to relaxation of ligaments and muscles. Instability develops, the vertebrae begin to move relative to each other. At this stage, the 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 protrusion of the disc.
- The fourth phase is the final phase, during which osteophytes and spinal deformities are formed. Due to osteophytes, the body tries to reduce the signs of cervical osteochondrosis. Once the ligaments begin to ossify, the vertebrae gradually move.
Reasons why everything happens
To better understand the symptoms of the disease, you need to understand the causes of their appearance. All psychosomatics occurs, primarily, due to the compression of the spinal cord in the spinal canal. But such causes can be found very rarely and with a far advanced degenerative process. Significant intervertebral hernia size, trauma, or displacement may be the cause.
Psychosomatics often develops due to compression of the spinal roots. The causes of pain are that they can be compressed by adjacent vertebrae, disc herniation and inflammation.
Often the problem can be in nearby vessels. Especially often psychosomatics develops as a result of damage to the vertebral artery, which extends in the thickness of the spine and supplies blood to the posterior parts of the brain.
Based on the characteristics of the lesion, symptoms can be understood that, in both men and women, have the same manifestations.
Symptoms caused by spinal cord injury
Cervical osteochondrosis on the background of spinal cord compression develops very rarely. Such a condition can cost a person not only health, but also life. Respiratory and vasomotor centers are nearby. And if compression occurs at the level of 3 or 4 segments, the person may 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. If it is damaged from the 5th to the 8th segment, the muscles of the arms and legs can be damaged, the temperature also does not change, and disorders in the function of the pelvic organs can occur.
When a nerve fiber is damaged
With damage to nerve plexuses and fibers, the temperature also does not rise. Pain occurs in the cervical as well as in the thoracic part. It can be permanent and is called cervical pain, and in the form of an attack - cervical. Attacks occur in 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 merges.
In cervical pain in both men and women, the pain is constant and of varying intensity. Psychosomatics in her is very pronounced, seizures are very difficult to eliminate. Very often everything is written off as a simple migraine. But you can endure the pain, even though it occurs as a result of sharp movement, turning, tilting the head. Numbness and characteristic creaking may occur during movement.
In cervix, the temperature also does not rise, but the pain has its own characteristics. It occurs without any reason in the form of "lumbago" or electric shock. The intensity is so strong that it can give into one of the hands, the person is simply forced to wear a Shants collar. It lasts from a few seconds to a minute, and then comes the replacement of cervical pain. This occurs as a result of sudden movement or compression of the nerve in the neck or upper part of the thoracic spinal cord, which can result in numbness and mild tremor.
Root damage
The main nerves of the upper extremity are formed from the roots of the cervical spinal cord, there are three nerves in total: ulnar, radial and middle. 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 Shants collar must be worn and depend 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 of some muscles. A neurologist can determine exactly where the injury occurred.
Occipital nerve neuralgia
This rather uncomfortable condition occurs as a result of damage to the occipital nerves. These structures form 2, 3, 4 pairs of spinal nerves. With nerve damage as a result of the development of osteochondrosis, the temperature remains normal, intense headache 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 for the disease, by asking the patient correctly, you can make a diagnosis without special examination methods. Everything occurs suddenly and is localized on one side, less often it has a bilateral character. 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 it can be repeated during the day. It all starts in the area of the posterolateral surface of the neck and extends to the area of the occipital bulge. The sensitivity of the skin is disturbed, numbness occurs, the feeling of crawling "goosebumps", trembling, due to which the person puts on a shant collar. The temperature does not rise.
On the side of the heart
Very often, violations in 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 nerves involved in the innervation of the thoracic trunk are formed in the neck, the fibers of the phrenic nerve partially pass to the pericardium. That's why help doesn't make sense.
Damaged nerve fibers send signals to the muscles in the chest area, resulting in heart-like pain. The pain of osteochondrosis lasts a long time, reaches hours or days, it is not affected by drugs for angina pectoris. The temperature does not change, and the pain itself is not related to physical activity, but is reduced by changing body position and disappears if you wear a Shants collar. Strengthening occurs during 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 area of the heart or thoracic part of the spine, 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 a change in the film.
Vertebral artery damage
If there are symptoms of vertebral artery damage, then a Shants necklace will be needed along with the rest of the treatment. The brain feels a lack of oxygen, resulting in headaches, numbness. It manifests as a pulsating headache in the nape of the neck, 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. With tremor, movement coordination and balance are disturbed. Treatment and Shants collar help eliminate such symptoms.
In severe cases, fall attacks develop, a state without loss of consciousness with a sudden turn of the head. The mind suffers, the working ability decreases, the concentration of attention is disturbed.
If the above symptoms and tremor appear in the hands, then you must go to a neurologist and undergo an additional examination. You do not have to choose the Shants collar yourself, it is also better to do it with the help of an expert.