I’m 25, diagnosed with Chair 1 when I was about 2-3 years old. Recently I had a C-Spine MRI and a brain MRI just routine checkup and they have found that my cervical spine has straightened. Has anyone else had this issue? I’m not staring down at a phone all day or anything like that but with the straightening of my C-Spine I’ve started getting more frequent headaches to the point where as of right now I’ve had a constant headache since the 17th of September. I can barely get relief from over the counter medicine and if they help at all it’s only for half an hour or so. Has anyone used a cervical traction device and found it helpful? If you have experienced this what helps you with the pain and headaches?
Just to head off the cervical traction route, is that it is not recommended at all for those with CHiari malformation.
Motor Control Exercises
What would be appropriate in your situation is a physical therapy approach called motor control exercises. It isolates and insures that you are able to consciously and separately move the different segments of your neck without movement from other parts of your body. You may need muscly trigger work or active release of your muscles in the cervical and thoracic area. It is a challenge to find skilled therapists. Get confirmation on the phone that they are able to do what you want before booking.
Primitive Reflexes
Those with CHiari tend to have unsuppressed primitive reflexes which increases the tone in some muscles and changes how we move our bodies and our posture. These can be the underlying cause behind the loss of cervical curvatures.
Trigger Point THerapy Workbook
Excellent self-treatment book by Clair Davies - everyone with a body should get it, read it, and practice it. Works well when you cannot find an actual healthcare professional to assist.
Good luck with finding someone who can assist. Do not settle for TENS and a massage as that will do nothing in the long term
1 Like
I’ve been dealing with headaches since last October 2020 every single day there is no over-the-counter medicine release and nothing that the doctors can prescribe me to make my headaches go away I deal with the dizziness nausea ringing in my ears brainfog blurry vision body pain I get the chills then I start sweating I get nervous really bad panic attacks I’ve been dealing with these symptoms for 11 months now I had the decompression surgery done back in 2018 it seem to of worked for two years and then all of a sudden last year my symptoms started up with a vengeance my life is uprooted.I can’t drive I don’t see my family I sit in my house all day staring at a wall it’s been horrible I’ve seen Dr. after Dr. after Dr. specialist after specialist after specialist if there is anybody out there that can recommend anything for me please help me. I’m sorry to hear of everything you’re going through as well and please don’t let my symptoms make you feel hopeless there is hope for all of us we just have to find it
1 Like
I’m so sorry to hear that, I know it’s absolutely miserable not only physically but mentally as well. Sounds eeriely familiar to what I go through. A treatment, if it helps at all it only helps me for a little while and then I’m having symptoms again. (I can’t find any rules against naming medications so here we go) (I don’t recommend taking anything unless it’s ok with your doctor first) I found relief from nausea with prescription phenergrin. I used to take up to three a day and it was the only thing that helped control it. I just started taking a prescription medicine for dizziness until I found out I could buy the same thing over the counter, it’s called meclizine. It has helped me a good bit, enough that it’s worth taking every day. I get the chills and sweats too, I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or if it is Chiari causing it for me because it’s not all the time but often enough to be irritating. Considering you are in your home all day and you’re suffering from what sounds like some pretty fierce anxiety, have you thought about talking to a therapist or psychiatrist? I WAS NOT into the whole therapy and being medicated for mental illness until I actually got diagnosed with quite a few different things. I know talking to someone and seeing my psychiatrist helps me tremendously! A year ago I would have never thought that I’d be able to work because of my severe social anxiety and agoraphobia but I’ve been working now for five months. It is physically hard on me, not gonna lie and I still get overwhelmed sometimes but not as severely as I used to. Have any of your doctor’s ever recommended or send you to get occipital nerve blocks? That’s the only thing that has ever truly given me relief from headaches and migraines. I used to go every two weeks for about a month and a half then go a few months without (which is what most doctors do with nerve blocks) and it brought my headaches down from 80% of the time down to around 30% and that was wonderful. I ended up not being able to travel to get them that often and quit going all together but I plan on going back soon. When symptoms get relentless and I can’t find relief, I do feel hopeless sometimes but I think that it’s normal to feel that way every now and then. As long as you feel it, deal with it, and let it go then no harm no foul. We’re only human and we can only take so much until it’s too much. I hope that maybe some of this will help you. I’m really sorry you’re going through this. I hope you can find some relief and find some answers!
@Aware you are more than welcome to mention meds that you are taking or that have worked well for you. The guideline here is that you describe, don’t prescribe. Meaning you are more than welcome to share what has worked for you, but not to tell people what they SHOULD do or take. Your post was perfect.
Sharon from ModSupport
1 Like