Dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis acts as a symptom of the underlying pathology of the spinal column. It develops most often after a night’s rest, as well as when making quick neck movements. In parallel, a person may get dark in the eyes, tinnitus may appear, he may lose his balance.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is one of the most common causes of dizziness. In this disease, the discs of the spinal column change their normal shape, put pressure on the vessels that feed the brain. The organ begins to suffer from hypoxia, which leads to an attack of dizziness.
Of course, cervical osteochondrosis is not the only, but one of the most likely causes of dizziness. To clarify the etiology of this symptom, you need to seek the advice of a specialist.
Causes of dizziness in osteochondrosis
Cervical osteochondrosis of the spine is a chronic disease that is accompanied by degenerative changes in the vertebrae and discs located between them. To one degree or another, this disease develops in all people in adulthood, as it is a natural aging process of the body. Injuries, excessive loads, vascular, hormonal and hereditary diseases can provoke an early debut of osteochondrosis.
The vertebrae that are located in the cervical spine are much thinner than most other vertebrae. At the same time, a significant load lies on them, since they are required to keep the head in the correct position. Due to regular loads, the vertebrae can be deformed, and a person will develop osteochondrosis. Dizziness is one of the brightest symptoms of the disease.
Displaced vertebrae put pressure on nerve fibers, which causes pain and muscle spasm in the neck. In parallel, the vessels are infringed (arterial stenosis occurs), which feed the brain. Oxygen ceases to flow to it, hypoxia develops, resulting in dizziness.
The occipital part of the brain stops receiving blood before the rest. The core of the human vestibular apparatus is located in this area. Therefore, dizziness is an invariable companion of cervical osteochondrosis.
Other causes of dizziness
Sometimes a person mistakenly believes that he is dizzy due to violations in the structure of the vertebrae. In fact, there can be many reasons for this phenomenon, in addition to osteochondrosis.
We list only the main ones:
Diseases of the vestibular apparatus located in the inner ear. In this case, dizziness will increase during sharp turns of the head.
Diseases of the cardiovascular system, such as atherosclerosis. An insufficient supply of blood to the brain leads to the fact that it will suffer from hypoxia.
Diseases of the nervous system, such as migraine and epilepsy.
Sometimes dizziness acts as a side effect of taking medications. To make sure that this pathological symptom is precisely the result of osteochondrosis, knowledge of the main signs of osteochondrosis and complex diagnostics will allow.
Video: neurologist about dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis:
Prevention
In order to prevent the development of dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis, the following preventive measures must be observed:
Physical activity should be moderate. The harder the work that a person is engaged in, the more damaged the vertebrae.
You definitely need to do physical therapy.
To maintain healthy bones, you need to eat right.
If a person has excess body weight, then he needs to get rid of it.
It is important to lead a healthy lifestyle, give up bad habits.
Dizziness in osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is an unpleasant symptom of a serious illness. Self-treatment in this case is unacceptable, since multiple structures of the body are involved in the pathological process: nerves, blood vessels, brain, spinal column. An experienced doctor should lead patients with osteochondrosis.