Cochlear Syndrome

The neck, the part where the trunk ends and supports the skull, is the link between the trunk and the head and is made up of 7 vertebrae that are surrounded by muscles and ligaments, creating an extremely strong bone structure. Its structure allows a person to perform various movements while being extremely vulnerable in the event of a fall or collision.

Cochlear syndrome is one of the most common conditions nowadays, due to modern lifestyle and poor posture in general, and consists mainly of pain or discomfort in the cervical spine. More specifically, there is more than one problem caused by diseases of the cervical spine. Any discomfort or combination of symptoms due to a condition of the cervical vertebrae, intervertebral discs, joints, nerves or muscles can be called 'cervical syndrome'.

It can occur in anyone, most commonly after the age of 25 - 30 years.

Mild forms of cervical syndrome, such as neck pain, are caused by simple causes, such as fatigue of the neck muscles at work or a sprained neck joint after an injury. More severe forms of cervical syndrome are usually caused by degenerative disease of the cervical spine, which manifests as discopathy in younger people or as spondylarthropathy in older people.

The cause of the pain may be completely different, for example a problem in the shoulder joint, a reflection of pain from chest problems (lung or heart problems) or a manifestation of conditions such as migraine and labyrinthine diseases.

An experienced orthopaedic surgeon will be able to tell that you are suffering from cervical syndrome from the history of your problem and from the clinical examination, without the need for other tests. However, in order to determine the exact location and extent of the problem, tests such as a simple X-ray or, for even greater accuracy, an MRI scan of the cervical spine may be needed. Perhaps the orthopaedic surgeon, if he or she is convinced by the symptoms, may also recommend an upper limb electromyogram to assess the condition of the nerves.

The symptoms that cervical syndrome can present to each patient are differentiated according to their intensity, as they can be very well tolerated and mild to unbearable. They last from a few days to months and even years. In addition, apart from the neck, they may be reflected in the shoulder and even in the whole upper limb area. Patients may report:

• Pain that is most often reported as discomfort when performing certain movements, as rest pain or as discomfort that occurs mainly in the evening hours when the patient tries to sleep.

• Pain and stiffness, which may extend to the back and side of the neck, to the shoulder region or to the upper back region.

• Pain starting in the area of the shoulder blade and extending to the upper limb, i.e. the arm, forearm and fingers.

• The appearance of numbness or burning, starting from the neck to the arm and muscular weakness of the upper limb.

• Headache is also common in people with cervical syndrome.

More rarely, neurological problems may occur in both upper and lower limbs due to a problem in the cervical spinal cord. When nerve problems co-exist, there is a risk of permanent disability in extreme cases.

Conservative Treatment

The treatment of each case of cervical syndrome always depends on the exact cause.

Simple forms are treated more quickly with combined means of the following. In the case where the cervical syndrome is more severe, such as when it is due to pressure on a nerve root, then recovery and treatment takes longer with the same methods below:

• Pharmaceutical treatment for pain management and relief from muscle spasms with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxants, which can be taken for a short period of time. In some cases cortisone is also recommended.

• Staples - Collar. Cervical splints and guards that support the neck are divided into soft and hard and generally offer great stability and good functional results.

• Physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is an integral part of treatment for cervical syndrome and provides great pain relief for the patient. Physiotherapy can be started as soon as the acute phase of severe pain has passed.

Surgical Treatment

This is needed more rarely, in cases where the problem is due to nerve pressure from a herniated disc. Surgical treatment involves a discectomy to decompress the nerve. This is an operation with very high success rates when performed by a qualified surgeon, which is currently performed with only a one-day hospital stay and requires no further rehabilitation programme. In this case the relief of symptoms is immediate and permanent.