Why are patients with cervical spondylosis prone to headache symptoms

Headache is a symptom of cervical spondylosis, mainly located at the back of the head, and with age, this headache symptom may occur more and more frequently. The main causes of headache caused by cervical spondylosis are as follows.

(1) Degenerative pathological changes of the cervical spine such as bone hyperplasia and intervertebral disc herniation caused by cervical spondylosis affect the neck muscles, causing persistent spasmodic contraction of the neck muscles, leading to muscle blood circulation disorders, and releasing pathogenic substances such as lactic acid, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and bradykinin, causing headaches.

(2) Cervical spondylosis directly stimulates, compresses or pulls the headache-sensitive tissues in the head, causing headaches.

(3) The lesion stimulates, compresses or damages the first, second or third cervical nerves, causing headaches, especially in the occipital region. The pain may also radiate to the head through the reflex action of the trigeminal nucleus in the medulla oblongata or spinal cord.

(4) The lesion may stimulate or compress the sympathetic plexus around the vertebral artery or other sympathetic nerves in the neck, causing vasodilation and contraction disorders in the vertebral-basilar artery system or intracranial and extracranial arteries, resulting in head epilepsy.