How to identify cervical osteochondrosis: Symptoms

A woman is worried about cervical osteochondrosis

Cervical osteochondrosis is often not diagnosed for a long time.Headache, dizziness and other symptoms are associated with general deficiency or vitamin deficiency.But taking vitamins and resting long does not help - over time, headaches attack in the morning after proper sleep and rest.What's the problem?Osteochondrosis "normal" cervical spine lasts, which is easily identified at home and diagnoses precisely through full examination.Timely pathological detection guarantees quick and effective treatment.Otherwise, the disease causes severe pain in the neck and partial paralysis or numbness of the limbs.

What is cervical osteochondrosis?

Before studying the question of how to determine cervical osteochondrosis, it is necessary to study pathological pathogenesis.Cervical osteochondrosis is a wound that damages the intervertebral disc.The defeat can be durable or advanced quickly.Similarly, the level of the disease - depending on the external and internal factors, the pathology can reach an advanced level in a short time, or it can be felt for years with the pain in the neck after a long static position.

Cervical osteochondrosis is the destruction of the cartilage of the intervertebral disc, which develops for a variety of reasons.The main position is occupied by cartilage dysfunction - a kind of cartilage of the intervertebral disc, which develops due to useful microelements, impaired blood circulation, and pressure on the vertebra.Depletion causes pinching of spinal cord roots - this is where severe pain in the neck and back of the head begins, and increased blood or crovocated cranial pressure.

Neck pain is a symptom of osteochondrosis

To the scary people who are unaware of the development of the pathology presented, it should be noted that the destruction can be influenced by an old accommodation on a computer or an unhealthy diet.Therefore, it is important to diagnose the disease in time and begin treatment.

IMPORTANT!Osteochondrosis is a chronic disease that cannot be fully cured.Therefore, it is important to prevent it, and not to "mend the destroyed area."

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Doctors advise contacting the clinic at the first symptom of the development of cervical osteochondrosis.Of course, they can easily identify at home, and not just here - dangerous manifestations can wait for patients to even during harmless activities.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include:

  1. Head pain, dizziness, loss of regular balance for no apparent reason, fainting, blurred vision - the symptoms presented indicate the syndrome (pinch) of the vertebral artery, as a result the brain and organs do not receive the required microelements and oxygen.
  2. Increased intracranial pressure, nausea and vomiting - against inadequate oxygen supply background and other disorders in blood supply to the brain, hypertension syndrome develops.
  3. Pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, tingling or numbness, partial or complete paralysis, throat and ear pain, hearing loss - radicular syndrome develops, characterized by mentioned that has been mentioned in the spinal cord root.
  4. Hypertension and tachycardia, the development of cervical migraines - affected blood flow in the vertebral artery.
Sore throat may be a sign of cervical osteochondrosis

From the top, it is clear that the manifestations that are not emphasized in the future can make themselves feel with important signs that will cause disruption of one's normal life activity and lose some of the motor activity.

IMPORTANT!You should consult a doctor who is already on the pain and pain in the neck after a long stay in a static position or after sleep.If, after moving your head, you feel the warmth in the affected area, the possibility of an intervertebral disc is destroyed, and warmth means a rush of blood and complete blood circulation.

Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis

Once the pain and discomfort in the neck area are detected, you should consult your doctor immediately for examination, which is performed in three stages:

  • inspection;
  • X-ray;
  • Differential diagnosis.

Visual inspection by an expert

In the event of pain, it is best to contact the chiropractor immediately, which, after only one examination, will be able to provide a more accurate picture of the pathological development.Therefore, during the appointment of a doctor to check:

  • muscle condition of collar zone, shoulder belt, arm;
  • neck symmetry, chin, supraclavicular area;
  • shoulder position;
  • The presence of spinal curvature.
A doctor consult a patient with cervical spinal osteochondrosis

The therapist runs the exam by rubbing the back and side of the neck - usually people with osteochondrosis feel pain or discomfort that should not be there.If the development of cervical osteochondrosis is suspected, the doctor does test to determine the intervertebral space using a special instrument.

Also important criteria during visual examination is the determination of normal neck mobility - as a rule, the patient cannot easily make full turn or head tilt.These criteria can determine the location of the affected area and equivalent to pinching the spinal cord.

X-ray and other instrumental diagnostics

After identifying osteochondrosis, it is important to understand the level of the disease and what may happen further.Here they use instrumental diagnostics, consisting of the following methods:

  1. X-ray is the simplest and most informative way to determine the development of pathology.It is a radioactive radiation -x radiation, based on the image taken - highlighting the musculoskeletal system.From the image you can determine the affected disc, the possibility of pinching and other pathological features.
  2. MRI and CT are the most modern methods of instrumental diagnostics, based on which doctors can determine the nature of the pinching and stage.According to the data received, doctors recommend further deterioration in the patient's condition.
  3. Doppler ultrasound allows you to determine the condition and supply of blood to the brain and neck.This makes it possible to explain the presence of dizziness or headache.
Radiography is a popular method for diagnosing cervical osteochondrosis.

Comprehensive studies on the data obtained allow not only to diagnose the disease and determine the stage, but also to prevent further damage to the spine.Based on the diagnosis, appropriate treatment is taken.

Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnosis is a common exception of possible diseases that have the same symptoms and symptoms as cervical osteochondrosis.If a person has a headache during the pathology under consideration, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of head injury and other causes that cause these symptoms.

It is also important here, when pain in the neck is detected, to exclude spinal disease itself - for example, the same injury, a congenital or acquired dystrophic change, an inflammation or cancer process.Cervical spinal osteochondrosis is often confused with heart disease, stomach ulcer, vegetative-vascular dystonia and other diseases.

As a result, doctors can also prescribe the following tests to the patient:

  • general blood tests to exclude the development of oncological processes;
  • General urinalisis - to exclude the inflammatory process;
  • Ultrasound of the abdominal organs - to exclude gastritis, ulcers and other organs pathology;
  • Fluorography - to exclude tuberculosis;
  • Other methods for examining the health of the patient.
Blood tests for cervical osteochondrosis to exclude oncological development

Based on the data obtained, doctors prescribe appropriate treatment, consisting of several stages - severity removal, maximum possible recovery with disease treatment and preventive measures to prevent new severity.You cannot slow down a specialist, as treatment and recovery in advanced conditions can last for several years.