Cervical spondylosis is a common and frequent disease, with a male to female ratio of about 6:1.
Cervical spondylosis is the degenerative changes of the cervical disc and its secondary pathological changes involving the surrounding tissues (nerve roots, spinal cord, vertebral artery, sympathetic nerve, etc.), resulting in the corresponding clinical manifestations. Degenerative changes of the cervical spine without clinical manifestations are called cervical degenerative changes.
With the increase in the number of people working with their heads down and the widespread use of computers and air conditioners in modern times, the chances of people flexing their necks and suffering from wind, cold and dampness are increasing, resulting in a rising prevalence of cervical spondylosis, and the trend of a younger age of onset.
Clinical manifestations of cervical spondylosis
I. Cervical cervical spondylosis
1, cervical straightness, pain, may have the whole shoulder and back pain stiffness, can not make nodding, head tilting, and head turning activities, a sloping neck posture. When the neck needs to be turned, the trunk must be turned at the same time, and the symptoms of dizziness may also appear.
2. Reflex shoulder, arm and hand pain, swelling and numbness, and the symptoms are not aggravated when coughing or sneezing.
II. Nerve root type cervical spondylosis
1.Neck pain and neck stiffness are often the earliest symptoms.
2.Radiation pain or numbness in the upper limbs. This pain and numbness radiates along the travel and innervation area of the affected nerve roots and is characteristic, so it is called root-type pain.
3. The upper limbs feel heavy, grip strength is reduced, and sometimes there is falling of objects.
C. Spinal cord type cervical spondylosis
1. Most patients first experience numbness and heaviness in one or both lower limbs, and then gradually experience difficulty in walking, tightness of various groups of muscles in the lower limbs, slow lifting, and inability to walk fast. Then, when going up and down the stairs, it is necessary to hold the puller with the upper limb to ascend the steps.
In severe cases, the gait is unstable and walking is difficult. Patients have the feeling of stepping on cotton in both feet. Some patients start insidiously, often trying to catch a bus that is about to leave, but suddenly find that their legs cannot walk fast.
2. Numbness and pain in one or both upper limbs, weakness and inflexibility in both hands, difficulty in completing fine movements such as writing, fastening, holding chopsticks, etc., and easy to drop objects. In severe cases, the patient cannot even eat by himself.
Patients often feel a belt-like binding sensation in the chest, abdomen, or both lower limbs, called “belt sensation”. At the same time, there may be burning and cold sensation in the lower extremities.
4. Some patients have bladder and rectal dysfunction. Such as weak urination, frequent urination, urgent urination, incomplete urination, urinary incontinence or urinary retention and other urinary disorders, and constipation.
IV. Sympathetic cervical spondylosis
1. Head symptoms: dizziness or vertigo, headache or migraine, head sinking, occipital pain, poor sleep, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, etc. Occasionally, people may fall down due to dizziness.
2. Eye, ear, nose and throat symptoms: eye swelling, dryness or tearfulness, vision changes, blurred vision, fog in front of the eyes, etc.; tinnitus, ear blockage, hearing loss; nasal congestion, “allergic rhinitis”, foreign body sensation in the throat, dry mouth, vocal cord fatigue, etc.; taste changes, etc.
3, gastrointestinal symptoms: nausea or even vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, indigestion, belching and foreign body sensation in the throat, etc.
4, cardiovascular symptoms: palpitations, chest tightness, heart rate changes, arrhythmia, blood pressure changes, etc.
5, excessive sweating, no sweating, chills or fever, sometimes pain, numbness but not according to the distribution of nerve segments or travel. It is aggravated when sitting or standing, and reduced or disappeared when lying down.
V. Vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis
1. Episodic vertigo, double vision with nystagmus. Sometimes it is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, tinnitus or hearing loss. These symptoms are related to the change of neck position.
2.Sudden weakness of lower limbs and sudden collapse, but consciousness, mostly occurs when the head and neck are in a certain position.
3. Occasionally, there is numbness and abnormal sensation in the limbs. Transient paralysis and episodic coma may occur.