Non-straightness of the vertebral arteries: symptoms, treatment

Symptoms and treatment of tortuosity of the vertebral arteries

Very often, people susceptible to high blood pressure and neurocirculatory dystonia do not know the main cause of the disease.
Behind the pathology is often tortuosity of the vertebral arteries, which increases the risk of stroke several times due to deterioration of blood flow in vital vessels. Such consequences can disrupt the activity of the brain and the entire central nervous system. Typically, tortuosity of the vertebral arteries is a hereditary disease and develops when the arterial tissue contains predominantly elastic fibers. As a result, the vascular walls quickly wear out, become thinner and become deformed.

The situation is aggravated if a person suffers from atherosclerosis. In this situation, plaques form on the walls, reducing the overall patency of the vessels. This in turn causes improper blood flow in the brain and other organs of the body. Usually, the bend does not manifest itself in any way, and only over time does the patient experience a circulatory disorder.

As a result, if the pathology is not diagnosed in time, the risk of strokes increases. It happens that the disease is detected during a standard medical examination. In this case, it is necessary to immediately begin competent treatment.

Prevention

To avoid a problem such as a deformed artery, it is recommended to take the following measures:

• control the level of cholesterol in the blood, exclude unhealthy foods (spicy, salty, fatty, fried, etc.) from the daily diet;
• get rid of bad habits (nicotine addiction). Smoking has a negative effect on the condition of the vascular walls and is the main cause of the formation of plaques and narrowing of the arteries;
• control body weight. For these purposes, physical exercises are used for all parts of the spine.

In addition, try not to lift heavy objects and limit your participation in professional sports. Also, you should not make sudden rotations, turns or tilts of your head.

Treatment of disorders of the chord of the vertebral arteries (tortuosity and non-straightness)

Effective treatment of non-straightness of the vertebral arteries without surgical intervention is possible only in the early stages. Therapy is always associated with eliminating the disease that provoked tortuosity of the vertebral arteries and led to disruption of cerebral blood supply.

In our manual therapy clinic, patient treatment begins with a detailed examination. The doctor conducts an examination, collects anamnesis, makes an accurate diagnosis and identifies potential causes of pathology. Then an individual course of treatment is prescribed.

It is aimed at eliminating the cause that caused the disruption of the vertebral arteries, restoring their patency and improving blood supply to the posterior cerebral structures.

The following manual techniques are used:

1. traction traction of the spinal column, which creates conditions for the restoration of cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc and eliminates compression from the radicular nerves;
2. osteopathy, designed to restore normal blood supply and the movement of energy flows through tissues;
3. massage that has a relaxing effect on muscle structures and improves the patency of the posterior vertebral arteries;
4. kinesitherapy and therapeutic exercises, which improve the condition of the muscular frame of the human body, increasing blood supply to all tissues;
5. reflexology designed to activate the hidden reserves of the human body.

If necessary, laser therapy, electrical myostimulation and many other types of therapeutic effects can be prescribed.

Symptoms of pathology

Timely identification of the problem can significantly speed up the diagnostic and treatment processes. For this reason, it is worth remembering a number of symptoms, if they occur, you should contact a neurologist and orthopedist.

• Frequent headaches in the back of the head;
• Neck pain;
• The appearance of a pre-fainting state with sudden movements;
• Increased intracranial pressure;
• Constant or intermittent weakness in the arms, legs, or fingers;
• Spontaneous attacks of nausea;
• Loss of coordination and problems with the vestibular system;
• Systematic visual impairment.

These symptoms do not directly indicate that the problem lies specifically in the vertebral arteries, they only indicate a violation of the blood circulation in the brain. However, it is often associated with the vertebral arteries.

The non-linearity of the course means that instead of the direct and shortest path to the brain, the artery is located along a tortuous path. To correct the pathology, it is necessary to act not on the arteries, but on the primary problem - the cervical spine. Let's look at the causes of the disease in more detail.

Symptoms

The non-straightness of the vertebral arteries, which supply the vessels of the head, can affect many functions. Main symptoms:

• Treatment of arthrosis and osteoarthrosis of the costovertebral joints

1. Visual impairment: double vision, spots in the eyes, darkening, photophobia.
2. Noise, ringing in the ears.
3. Headaches, migraines, even nausea.
4. Problems with the vestibular system, vertigo, fainting.
5. Increased intracranial pressure, sometimes even to the point of seizures.
6. Orthostatic hypotension is a decrease in blood pressure when standing up.

Impaired blood flow can cause both plethora (hot flashes) and transient attacks with pale skin. There is a risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Insufficient blood flow to the brain is a signal to increase blood pressure in order to increase the supply of nutrition to the main organ of the body. The sympathoadrenal system is activated.

Read about a lump in the throat with cervical osteochondrosis: symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment.

Find out whether a headache can occur with cervical osteochondrosis and how to treat the disease.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia often develops against the background of non-linearity of the course, since the work of the vasomotor and respiratory centers located in the medulla oblongata is disrupted.

Migraine develops due to blood redistribution. This vascular disorder is characterized by a disorder in the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain. Light sensitivity in one eye is associated with paralysis of the muscles that constrict the pupil.

How is the non-linearity of the course of the vertebral arteries between the transverse processes manifested?

It is important to know how the non-linearity of the course of the vertebral arteries between the transverse processes manifests itself, what clinical signs may indicate the presence of such a pathological change. Most often, non-straightness of both vertebral arteries develops simultaneously, which is due to anatomical features. Very rarely, unilateral pathology develops after a serious injury to the cervical spine with the growth of callus.

In most cases, pathological deformation is diagnosed simultaneously on both sides. This causes a total decrease in blood flow on both sides at once, which is difficult not to notice based on clinical signs. If deformation of the course of the vertebral artery develops only on one side, then a compensatory reaction occurs to increase blood flow in the second blood vessel. It will be very difficult to see the pathology clinically in this situation, since there will be no symptoms of cerebral circulatory insufficiency. Only random functional diagnostics are possible when performing duplex scanning of blood vessels for a completely different reason.

Typical symptoms of non-straightness of the vertebral arteries include the following:

• aching and bursting pain in the back of the head;
• a feeling of strong pressure from the inside on the bone structures of the skull in the occipital area;
• regularly occurring severe pain in the collar area and neck associated with prolonged static muscle tension;
• orthostatic dizziness and development of a pre-fainting state upon sudden rise from a sitting or lying position;
• unmotivated rises in blood pressure that are not amenable to standard pharmacological correction with drugs;
• increased intracranial pressure for no apparent reason;
• decreased mental performance and a feeling of constant drowsiness, lack of freshness in the morning after waking up;
• nosebleeds and attacks of nausea not associated with food intake and diseases of the digestive system;
• a feeling of weakness in the upper and lower extremities, not associated with physical activity and its intensity;
• decreased hearing and visual acuity;
• the presence of extraneous noise in the ears;
• flickering of spots or circles before the eyes.

With serious deformation of the course of the vertebral arteries, the development of a spinal type of stroke (acute cerebrovascular accident) is possible. This pathology can develop even in young people (30–45 years old). Typical signs are unsteadiness of gait, changes in facial expressions, deviation of the tongue to one side, paralysis of the limbs on the right or left side, impaired speech function, etc. Immediate medical attention and placement of the patient in a special vascular or neurological hospital is required. This condition is life-threatening.

Non-linear (uneven) course of the vertebral arteries: what is it?

First, let's figure out what it is, the non-linear course of the vertebral arteries, and what this condition can ultimately lead to. As a rule, the patient can see such a conclusion in the transcript of the results of a duplex scan of the cerebral blood vessels. Or such a conclusion can be given based on the results of Doppler ultrasound. In controversial cases, MRI examination of the structures of the cervical spine and brain is indicated.

The uneven course of the vertebral arteries may appear as a result of a change in the path of their conduction. They are anatomically located in the structure of the cervical vertebrae in special oval foramina. In the normal position of the vertebral bodies, it maintains a physiological path. But, if there is curvature of the spine, displacement of the vertebral bodies, destruction of the intervertebral cartilaginous disc, then obstacles arise in the path of the vertebral arteries. They bend and lose their permeability. This leads to disruption of the blood supply to the posterior (occipital) structures of the brain.

The pathogenesis of the development of pathology lies in the following negative influence factors:

• against the background of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, blood circulation in the surrounding muscle structures is impaired;
• as a result of this, the diffuse nutrition of the cartilage tissue of the fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc is disrupted;
• it decreases in height and its area increases (protrusion stage);
• due to this change, the physiological position of the adjacent vertebral bodies is disrupted;
• the course of the vertebral artery is deformed;
• subsequently, a secondary process of deposition of calcium salts occurs in places of injury to the bone tissue of the vertebral bodies;
• this further aggravates the course of the pathology.

Uncovertebral arthrosis, spondyloarthrosis and ankylosing spondylitis are associated risk factors for the development of deformity of the vertebral artery. If treatment is not started promptly after the detection of such a diagnostic sign, then a full-fledged vertebral artery syndrome will soon form. This disease is associated with changes in intracranial pressure, a sharp deterioration in the blood supply to cerebral structures and an increased risk of developing acute ischemic cerebrovascular accident (stroke).

Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology

Blood enters the brain through four large arteries: the left and right common carotid and the left and right vertebral. It is worth noting that 70-85% of the blood passes through the carotid arteries, so disruption of blood flow in them often leads to acute cerebrovascular accidents, that is, ischemic strokes.

cerebellum, hypothalamus, corpus callosum, midbrain, partly the temporal, parietal, occipital lobes, as well as the dura mater of the posterior cranial fossa. Before entering the cranial cavity, branches depart from the vertebral artery, carrying blood to the spinal cord and its membranes. Consequently, when blood flow in the vertebral artery is disrupted, symptoms arise that indicate hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the areas of the brain that it supplies.

• Asymmetry of intracranial segments of the vertebral arteries and how to treat?

Diagnostics

When making a diagnosis, the specialist interviews the patient about the presence of any chronic diseases or symptoms.

In addition, to exclude errors, the doctor prescribes a number of examinations:

• Doppler ultrasound, with the help of which a specialist obtains data on the speed and direction of blood flow, as well as the patency of the vertebral arteries;
• Compression-functional tests help to find a way to avoid brain hypoxia during the period of vessel compression;
• Duplex scanning allows you to view the condition of the vessel walls, as well as the structure and nature of the narrowing of the lumen;
• MRI and Angiography allow you to study the condition of the great vessels of the head;
• Radiography.