Upper cervical disorders, craniovertebral junction abnormalities, and craniocervical disorders all fall into this category. Some of these conditions are inherited, while others develop over time (develop later in life). Regardless of whether they are congenital or acquired, symptoms and signs can be similar. Ask a neck and spine doctor to know more about the symptoms.
Symptoms of Upper Cervical Disorder: Neck Pain and Headaches
Considering that upper cervical disorders happening at the intersection of your spine and skull, neck pain and headache are the most typical findings. Headache and neck pain are common symptoms of a craniocervical disorder, and both get worse with movement of the head and neck. To give you an idea, coughing can increase your discomfort. If the spinal nerves are compressed, the pain may radiate to the arms as well.
Spinal Cord Compression Symptoms
Compression of the spinal cord is a factor in some of the most difficult upper cervical disorders to diagnose and treat. Compression of the spinal cord can lead to a variety of nerve-related issues that can make daily life difficult.
A wide range of neurological symptoms, including the following, can occur if your condition has resulted in spinal cord compression:
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Inability to bear weight on your shoulders or hips
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An inability to feel the movement of your limbs
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You may feel an electric tingling or pain coming down your spine and spreading your legs as a result of bending the neck in this position
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Decreased heat and cold sensations in your hands or feet
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Decreased sensitivity to pain
Other Manifestations of Craniocervical Disease
Symptoms such as headache and neck pain are common in all upper cervical abnormalities, but some conditions have their own unique set of signs and symptoms.
Alteration in the Appearance of the Neck and a Reduction in Its Mobility
For example, platybasia, basilar invagination, and Klippel-Feil malformation can cause neck changes. Your neck may appear slender, webbed, or even twisted. It's possible that you'll have trouble moving your neck at all.
Symptoms Resulting from Increased Pressure in the Skull and Brain
Basilar invagination, platybasia, and craniocervical tumors can all create pressure on the brain stem and spreading all over the cranial nerves. These are possible signs and symptoms you might encounter:
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Vision issues, such as double vision and eye movement abnormalities
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Slurred speech, hoarseness of the voice, and difficulty swallowing are all symptoms of a throat condition.
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Disorientation and disarray
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Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders.
Feeling Dizzy or Faint
VBI is a set of symptoms that some individuals with upper cervical disorders may experience, which occurs when the head is in an abnormal position and blood flow to the brain is disrupted. This causes muscle weakness, ambiguity, light-headedness, and faintness. Vertigo, a spinning sensation, may also occur.
Syringomyelia
Syringomyelia, a spinal cord cyst filled with fluid known as a syrinx, can develop in people with Chiari malformation. If the syrinx expands, it can harm your spinal cord, resulting in a variety of uncomfortable and disabling neurological symptoms all over your body. Heat and cold sensations in your hands, neck, and spine may be lost in more severe cases. Your hands may become paralyzed as a result.
Ask neck and spine doctor at Neuroscience Specialist in OKC to initiate your treatment.
**Disclaimer- Information presented here is not intended to be qualified medical advice. Nothing expressed herein creates a doctor-patient relationship.