There are many diseases characterized by degenerative-dystrophic manifestations, one of these is osteochondrosis. In humans, the signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifest themselves in different ways, and sometimes it is impossible to think about this pathology. The entire spinal column is gradually affected, especially in the thoracic region.
Very often, in addition to the fact that there is pain, other symptoms may also occur. Which one, you need to understand in more detail, because numbness and violations of the tongue 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 remove. Psychosomatics is able to bring a person to extremes, since 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 quite normal, and after the second or third attacks become simply unbearable.
In total, there are four degrees of manifestation of the disease:
- At the initial stage, the changes are minimal, they occur inside the intervertebral disc. It gradually loses moisture, which ultimately leads to cracking of the fibrous capsule. At this stage, everything does not manifest itself in any way, changes are visible only on MRI. It is at this stage that it is better to treat the disease, while the causes of occurrence 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 protrusion.
- The fourth stage is the final stage, during which osteophytes and deformation of the spinal column are formed. Due to osteophytes, the body tries to reduce the signs of cervical osteochondrosis. After the ligaments begin to ossify and the vertebrae gradually shift.
The reasons why everything happens
To better understand the symptoms of the disease, you need to understand what the causes of their appearance are. All psychosomatics arises, first of all, due to compression of the spinal cord in the spinal canal. But such causes can be found very rarely and with a far advanced degenerative process. The cause of the occurrence can be a significant size of the 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 neighboring vertebrae, disc herniation, and inflammation.
Often the problem may be in the vessels that are located nearby. Especially often, psychosomatics develops as a result of damage to the vertebral artery, which runs in the thickness of the spine and supplies blood to the posterior parts of the brain.
Based on the characteristics of the lesion, one can understand the symptoms, which, both in men and in women, have the same manifestations.
Symptoms due to spinal cord injury
Cervical osteochondrosis against the background of compression of the spinal cord develops very rarely. Such a condition can cost a person not only health, but also life. In this area, the 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 respiratory arrest.
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 the nerve plexuses and fibers, the temperature also does not rise. In the cervical, as well as in the thoracic region, pain occurs. It can be permanent and is called cervicalgia 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, it becomes inflamed, although the temperature remains normal. As a result of this, the muscles that innervate the roots involved in the pathological process become very tense, numbness joins.
With cervicalgia in both men and women, the pain is constant and of varying intensity. Psychosomatics with her is very pronounced, seizures can be very difficult to remove. Very often, everything is written off as a simple migraine. But you can endure the pain, although it occurs as a result of a sharp movement, turn, tilt of the head. During movement, numbness and a characteristic crunch may appear.
With cervicago, the temperature also does not rise, but the pain has its own characteristics. It occurs for no apparent reason in the form of a "lumbago" or electric shock. The intensity is so strong that it can give into one of the hands, a person is simply forced to wear a Shants collar. Duration from a few seconds to minutes, then cervicalgia comes to replace. This happens as a result of a sharp movement or compression of the nerve in the neck or upper thoracic spinal cord, which can result in numbness and slight tremor.
Root damage
The main nerves of the upper limb are formed from the roots of the cervical spinal cord, there are three nerves in total: ulnar, radial and median. If osteochondrosis of the cervical spine develops, these structures may be affected, resulting in not only pain and tremor, but also numbness. All these nerves have mixed fibers that are responsible for sensitivity and motor ability. The symptoms may be so severe that it will be necessary to wear a Shants collar, and depend on the type of root that is 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 is able to determine exactly where the violation occurred.
Nerve neuralgia of the occiput
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 damage to the nerves 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 connection with this, patients, and often these are women, are simply forced to wear a Shants collar.
The symptoms are very typical for the disease, properly asking the patient, you can make a diagnosis without special methods of examination. Everything occurs suddenly and is localized on one side, less often it has a bilateral character. For 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 it can be repeated throughout the day. It all starts in the region of the posterolateral surface on the neck and stretches to the region of the occipital protuberance. The sensitivity of the skin is disturbed, numbness occurs, a feeling of crawling "goosebumps", a tremor, which makes a person put on a Shants collar. The temperature does not rise.
From the side of the heart
Very often, violations in the neck lead to the 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 on the neck that the nerves involved in the innervation of the thoracic trunk are formed, the fibers of the phrenic nerve partially pass to the pericardium. That's why help doesn't make any 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, it is not affected by medication for angina pectoris. The temperature is not changed, and the pain itself is not associated with physical activity, but decreases with a change in 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 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 region of the heart or thoracic 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 changes on the film.
Damage to the vertebral artery
If there are symptoms of damage to the vertebral artery, then along with the rest of the treatment, a Shants collar will be required. The brain experiences a lack of oxygen, resulting in pain in the head, 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 tremor, dizziness, nausea, followed by vomiting.
The temperature is normal, but there are visual disturbances, ringing in the ears and hearing loss. Along with the fact that there is a tremor, coordination of movements and balance are disturbed. Treatment and the Shants collar help to remove such symptoms.
In severe cases, drop attacks develop, a state without loss of consciousness with a sharp turn of the head. Memory suffers, working capacity decreases, concentration of attention is disturbed.
If the above symptoms and tremor in the hands appear, then you need to go to an appointment with a neurologist and undergo an additional examination. You do not need to choose the Shants collar on your own, it is also better to do this with the help of a specialist.