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Cervical osteochondrosis: can it increase blood pressure?

18.07.2021

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Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is a problem that can drastically disrupt life comfort and lead to complications of various kinds. In terms of frequency of occurrence, it occupies the second position after osteochondrosis of the lower back. Dystrophic changes, as a rule, lead to adverse consequences, for example, one of the formidable complications is hypertension. An increase in pressure against the background of an illness almost always accompanies the main diagnosis. As a result, there may be a violation of cerebral circulation, which leads to difficult to predict consequences for the patient.

Why does it occur?

The disease is a condition in which degenerative-dystrophic disorders occur in the intervertebral structure. The discs perform a damping function, that is, they dampen shocks and vibrations. This property allows the vertebrae not to be in direct contact with each other and preserve bone tissue due to the absence of dry friction.

The intervertebral disc consists of an annulus fibrosus and a jelly-like inner core that acts as a damper. The ring, in turn, allows the gelatinous contents to maintain a minimum clearance level.

Changes in the internal tissues of the spine can lead to the destruction of the structure. Cartilage problems can cause it to fall out. The shock-absorbing function is lost in a single fragment and the interaction of adjacent vertebrae is disrupted, blood circulation is disturbed, the nervous conduction system suffers, and the activity of the spinal cord is disrupted. The manifestation of individual of the listed symptoms or their combination indicates osteochondrosis of any parts of the back.

The occurrence of this disease can be due to various reasons. The main ones are:

  1. Anthropometric features of the structure of bodies.
  2. professional loads.
  3. Metabolic disease.
  4. Disturbed hormonal background.
  5. Received injuries.
  6. Age.
  7. Rachiocampsis.
  8. Wearing the wrong shoes.

The human neck, inherently, constantly perceives loads of various origins. The kinematics of head movement in the process of life is quite complex. Therefore, changes in the functionality of the disks immediately lead to some restrictions or pain in the neck.

Clinical picture

Statistics among people with this problem shows that the first manifestations of the disease begin after reaching the age of 30-35. At the age of 60, almost everyone already has certain changes in the spine.

The main signs of the presence of degenerative changes are:

  • Explicit pain in the neck.
  • The occurrence of a crunch or a faint clicking sound when moving the head.
  • The appearance of dizziness of varying degrees.
  • Nausea.
  • Morning headaches, which often go away after getting up.
  • Migraine conditions (should be differentiated from a possibly different etiology of migraine).
  • The presence of tinnitus.
  • Persistent increase in blood pressure.
  • Sometimes worsening vision.
  • Significant hearing loss.

In the clinic of the disease, there are a significant number of other signs that can be combined with the main symptoms. So, in advanced conditions, there are constricting pains in the back, irridation of pain in the arm or heart area. It is important here to apply the early diagnosis, since the nature of pain is often similar to pain in myocardial infarction.

An intervertebral hernia or a prolapsed disc is evidenced by strong pressure surges, the spread can reach 50-60 mm Hg. in an hour. There is also numbness of the fingers on the hands and dizziness. The pain may radiate to the cheekbones.

Effect on the body

The high value of pressure in the human circulatory system is often associated with changes in the cervical vertebrae. Recently, these diseases are considered to be concomitant. Blood vessels pass through the cervical spine, which pass through the occipital foramen into the cranium. The main purpose of these vessels is to feed individual parts of the brain. In particular, the medulla oblongata, the cerebellum, the blood supply to the inner ear, and a certain part of the cortex depend on the arterial blood passing through the lateral processes of the vertebrae. Degenerative processes in the vertebral discs gradually lead to a modification of the latter, bone tissue grows, and the geometry of the vertebrae changes.

Against the background of these processes, partial or complete clamping of the vertebral artery, which feeds certain parts of the brain, occurs. The medulla oblongata may begin to experience hypoxia, as a result of which the area of ​​the medulla oblongata responsible for pressure begins to send signals to raise blood pressure, due to other mechanisms. There are some empirically derived signs that may indicate insufficient blood flow in the vertebral artery:

  • The appearance of a headache after monotonous work with papers or at a computer.
  • Pain in the occipital region, which sometimes radiates to the area above the ears.
  • Cracking or clicking sound when moving the head, after monotonous work.
  • Localization on the one hand.
  • Increased heart rate, breathing becomes deeper.

As a rule, typical symptoms occur, regardless of the cause. Vision may temporarily deteriorate, there is pain in the eye area, a severe general headache, the ears begin to perceive any sounds as an irritant. Therefore, if a combination of signs of insufficient blood flow of the vertebral artery appears, help should be provided immediately, since complete clamping of the vertebral artery can lead to adverse consequences.

There is an opinion that osteochondrosis does not have a significant effect on the functioning of the circulatory system and cannot lead to hypoxia. This opinion is argued by the fact that the brain is fed through other arteries that are not connected with the spine. This statement is incorrect. As already mentioned, the vertebral artery feeds certain areas, the blood supply of which is not always fully compensated by other ways. As a result of low blood flow through the vertebral artery, the body will in any case increase pressure, trying to compensate for the lack of blood supply.

Cervical osteochondrosis in rare cases leads to increased pressure. This is a dangerous situation because the person is unaware of his promotion. Therefore, you should always pay attention to altered breathing, sharply impaired vision, localization in the head on one side. Sometimes there is a rush of blood to the head. When such symptoms appear, mandatory monitoring by a doctor is required.

Influence on other organs

Cervical osteochondrosis predominantly affects brain function. The nerve nodes located in the spine can also be pinched in case of violation of the vertebral discs. Very often with this disease there is a migraine. It is already capable of affecting vision. The inner ear suffers regularly.

Often the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases ended with the fact that the problem of osteochondrosis was at the head of all causes.

It is necessary to differentiate the location of the disease. So, he is not capable of giving painful impulses to the abdominal cavity. On the contrary, irritation of chest pain and shortness of breath is possible with osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic regions. Therefore, the totality of symptoms is always considered

Treatment and prevention

Treatment is usually carried out in conjunction with the therapy of arterial hypertension, which has developed against its background. Here it is extremely necessary to consult a specialized doctor and self-medication is unacceptable.

Extremely high rates are reduced by antihypertensive drugs, anti-inflammatory therapy is carried out in parallel. For this, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and hormonal drugs are used that prevent inflammation and swelling. Compression of the artery is often caused by edema associated with poor venous return (congestion).

In severe and advanced forms, in particular, with the formation of a hernia, a surgical operation is performed.

Together with the classical treatment programs, massage, physiotherapy procedures are shown. The appointment of therapeutic exercises depends on the stage of hypertension, in severe stages, exercise therapy is contraindicated.

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Be sure to consult your doctor before treating diseases. This will help to take into account individual tolerance, confirm the diagnosis, make sure the treatment is correct and exclude negative drug interactions. If you use prescriptions without consulting a doctor, then this is entirely at your own risk. All information on the site is presented for informational purposes and is not a medical aid. You are solely responsible for the application.