Signs and Symptoms of Cervical Conditions

Cervical conditions generally affect the neck area. They may come with neck pain and other symptoms depending on your condition. The neck plays a vital role in the motion of the hands, shoulders, spinal cord, and arms, as well as your ability to feel. Additionally, different nerves connect to the neck, and any damage to them can cause cervical radiculopathy. Cervical conditions and neck pain mostly go hand in hand since some changes in nerve function around the cervical region result in cervical pain. If you experience this problem, make sure you visit an Edison cervical conditions expert. They can run a diagnosis to determine the exact cause of the condition and recommend an effective treatment.

Signs and Symptoms of Cervical Conditions

Cervical conditions come in many different forms. Some conditions are congenital, and you are born with them, while others are acquired at some point in life. Whether you suffer from an acquired or congenital cervical condition, you may notice some common symptoms. Below are some common signs and symptoms of cervical disorders.

• Symptoms of Upper Cervical Conditions

Since upper cervical conditions affect the intersection point of your spine and skull, you may experience neck pains and headaches around the back of your head. It is widespread in people suffering from a chronic disease that experiences headaches and neck pain that worsens with any neck or head motion. If compression spreads to the spinal nerves, the pain can affect the arms.

• Symptoms of Spinal Cord Compression

Some of the most complicated conditions affecting the cervical area have to do with spinal cord compression. If your spinal cord is compressed, it causes nerve problems that make it hard to handle daily tasks.

If you have a condition that causes spinal cord compression, you may experience symptoms such as weak arms and legs, loss of position sense, reduced sensations of cold and heat in the arms and legs, and reduced pain sensation. You may also feel an electric-like pain running down your spine into the legs when you bend your neck forward.

• Other Symptoms of Cervical Conditions

Although neck pain and headaches are common symptoms for most cervical disorders, some conditions have their unique signs and symptoms. Conditions like platybasia, Klippel-Feil malformation, and basilar invagination can cause changes in the physical appearance of your neck. It may seem shorter, twisted, or webbed. You may also experience limited mobility in the neck.

Brain and cranial nerve pressure can cause eye problems, including double vision and abnormal eye movements. Throat and speech problems such as trouble swallowing, slurred speech, and a hoarse voice are also common. Additionally, you experience sleep apnea and loss of coordination.

In some cases, you may experience syringomyelia if you suffer from Chiari malformation. Syringomyelia refers to a fluid-filled cyst known as a syrinx which forms in the spinal cord. If it grows, it can cause spinal cord damage resulting in painful neurological symptoms across the body.

Every cervical condition has its symptoms. However, headaches and neck pain are common across many diseases. Conditions causing spinal cord compression often cause weakness in the arms and legs, loss of position sense, and reduced pain sensation. Other symptoms include eye problems, speech problems, and loss of coordination.