Complaints with the cervical spine syndrome
The cervical spine syndrome is not a disease in itself, but a complex of symptoms of complaints affecting the area of the cervical spine, which can be caused by very different causes. The main symptom of the cervical spine syndrome is pain in the cervical spine. These are classically localized in the shoulder-neck area and can sometimes radiate far into the arm.
Sometimes this pain is permanent, sometimes (especially in early stages of the disease) it only occurs with certain movements. In addition, there is often a circumscribed hardening of the musculature (muscle hard tension, myogelosis) in the affected area. The accompanying symptoms of the cervical spine syndrome differ depending on the underlying trigger.
What also often occurs in parallel is headache (see: cervical spine syndrome and headaches). These can either be muscular in origin, i.e. original pain in the neck muscles, which then moves up into the head, or they can be caused by circulatory disorders, which are caused by processes taking place on or next to the spine that constrict the spaces in which vessels run. This lack of blood circulation can also lead to a reduced supply of oxygen to the brain, which can cause dizziness in some people.
Other processes that are controlled by the brain can also be affected. For example, vision or hearing disorders (especially in the form of ringing in the ears such as tinnitus) are more common. A symptom that is particularly often associated with pain in a cervical spine syndrome is sensory disturbances in the shoulder, neck and/or arm.
This is because a cervical spine syndrome is usually caused by irritation, damage or inflammation of nerves that emerge from the spine in the neck region. These nerves then no longer function properly, which can manifest itself in sensory disorders such as tingling or numbness (paresthesias or hypaesthesias) in the shoulder or neck, but especially in the arms. The nerves responsible for the sensation are slightly more sensitive than those that control the muscles and movements. Therefore, they are only damaged in advanced stages. In such cases, a feeling of weakness, loss of strength and, in the worst case, even paralysis (pareses) can occur.
