Displacement of the cervical vertebrae is a pathology that occupies one of the leading positions in the list of clinical changes in the spine. The disease can begin to develop for many reasons, it can be a congenital pathology or various injuries and diseases. When the cervical vertebrae are displaced, the child has a narrowing of the intervertebral tubule, as a result of which he develops pains and the functions of various organs are impaired.
In many cases, patients accept this pathology with constantly arising pains for banal fatigue, although the cause of such discomfort can be much more dangerous and serious. As soon as the first symptoms of this disease begin to appear, you must immediately seek the help of doctors to determine the cause of such discomfort and begin treatment. Problems such as displacement of the cervical vertebrae, its symptoms and treatment, which has many nuances, will be considered here.
Danger of disease
Any pathology, if you do not start treating it on time, can eventually lead to more dangerous and serious diseases. Displacement of the vertebrae of the neck is no exception. In the absence of the necessary treatment, the risk of a variety of pathological conditions of the spine significantly increases. And the most common among them are neuralgia, intervertebral hernia and scoliosis. This will adversely affect the functioning of different systems in the human body. Symptoms of cervical vertebra displacement can be very unpleasant.
The role of the vertebrae
Let us consider in more detail their role in the human system:
- If the first vertebra shifts, then the patient begins to suffer from frequent pains in the head, migraines occur. Blood pressure is constantly changing its indicators.
- With a displacement of the second vertebra, deafness, blindness and earache appear. In most cases, the patient complains of frequent loss of consciousness.
- In case of displacement of the third vertebra, neuralgia, eczema and neuritis begin to develop.
- The fourth vertebra changes its position and the patient has the opportunity to lose hearing. Another symptom is a fever.
- The displacement of the fifth vertebra of the neck responds in the throat of a person. In this case, hoarseness appears in the voice, the patient begins to accompany painful and prolonged laryngitis.
- Changes in the position of the sixth vertebra can lead to discomfort in the upper limbs. The occipital muscles lose their elasticity, and as a result, their stiffness occurs.
- With the displacement of the last seventh vertebra of the cervical spine, the patient begins to get acquainted with the problems of the thyroid gland, catarrhal diseases often arise, because the human immune processes become more susceptible to various infections.
This once again confirms the severity of this disease.
Causes
There are many different reasons for the displacement of the cervical vertebrae. And the most common of these are:
- The presence in a person of diagnosed osteochondrosis.
- The presence of intervertebral hernia.
- Various injuries. Fractures and dislocations of the spine can often lead to deformation of the cervical vertebrae and dangerous pathologies occur.
- Surgical interventions.
- Sharp head movements. One of the main causes of cervical vertebrae displacement in young children. In infants, the neck muscles are still underdeveloped and the occipital part is still weak, so sudden movements often displace the vertebrae of the cervical spine.
- Excessive exercise.
- Congenital pathologies, including diseases of the skeletal system and injuries that were received by the child during childbirth.
- The age of the patient. Throughout a person’s life, the muscles and bones of the skeleton undergo changes. They may become deformed by old age.
- Genetic factor. The risk of cervical vertebrae displacement increases if similar problems existed in immediate blood relatives.
How does the cervical vertebrae shift?
Symptoms
Often patients mistakenly think that pain in the neck is the only pathological sign of the onset of the disease. In fact, the symptoms of the disease are quite wide and varied. Its key symptoms are:
- chronic fatigue;
- the presence of increasing headaches;
- painful and uncomfortable sensations in the cervical spine;
- the upper limbs go numb;
- the occurrence of neurosis in the chest;
- periodic fainting, loss of consciousness;
- hearing loss;
- loss of visual acuity;
- memory abilities worsen.
If a person discovers one or more of the above listed symptoms, this is a significant reason for visiting a specialist.
What will an x-ray of the cervical spine show?
Diagnostics
Due to constantly developing medical technologies, specialists have the opportunity to accurately determine the main cause of the disease, make a reliable diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment. Diagnosis of the condition of the cervical vertebrae is carried out by a traumatologist. The doctor will prescribe the necessary examinations, among which there is an x-ray of the cervical spine, as well as diagnostics using magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Having discovered the exact location of the damaged vertebra, the doctor carefully examines and identifies the nature of the pathological changes. Then, based on these studies, a treatment suitable for the situation is prescribed.
Therapy
A method of treating displacement of the cervical vertebrae is selected by the doctor, it should be based on the causes of the pathology. If vertebral deformities are not significant, then the disease requires physiotherapeutic and medical treatment. And in cases where the symptomatic picture implies more serious forms of the disease, a surgical method of treatment is necessary. After the patient eliminates pain with pain medication, he is prescribed physiotherapy, reflexology, massage and therapeutic exercises.
What is it for
Such procedures help to normalize blood circulation in the spinal column, restore metabolic processes in the human body. Massage has a good effect on the whole body, removes muscle tension, and relieves pain in the back and neck. For successful results from the prescribed treatment, the patient should exclude physical activity, which can have an adverse effect on the spinal column, and also try not to make sudden movements.
What else does treatment for cervical vertebral displacement suggest?
In some cases, the patient is expected to wear a special corset, which will help maintain the proper positioning of the cervical vertebrae.
Operation
If situations arise in which medication does not help, the patient is prescribed treatment with surgery. Such an operation will help to correctly fix the vertebrae in their natural position, to eliminate the cause that caused this pathology. A big minus of such surgical treatment is a long postoperative stage and the risk of various complications. There is another method of treating this disease - kinesitherapy. Its essence lies in stretching the patient’s spine, so that all displaced vertebrae of the neck fall into place.