Had 1st NS appt today, my recent mri now says chiari 7.5 mm. (Mri from 2 years ago just said low lying tonsils.) hard to see those words, but I knew that was prob what I was dealing with-thanks to this site! On a positive note, I finally saw a dr who knows what chiari is and performs decompressions. He ordered an mri of thoracic spine and cervical /csf flow study. He also ordered physical therapy. He like other drs did say tho that he’s not totally convinced chiari is causing my symptoms. I have classic chiari symptoms (balance, dizzy, tinnitus, pressure, brain fog, etc minus headaches)Sorry for the long post but I have a few questions:
- th PT script says spondylosis, balance, and traction. Is traction safe for chiari?
- when I lay down it feels like my head will explode-i sleep propped up to almost a sitting position on my side) is it possible/safe to do PT if I can’t lay down comfortably?
- He strikes me as knowledgeable about chiari but not a chiari specialist. How does one determine the difference?im going to seek a chiari specialist out of state for a second opinion. I’m worried that a 2nd opinion appt will take 2 months and I’m already having trouble walking can’t imagine waiting for 2 monthsim afraid of deteriorating, but if it means quality care and this NS today isn’t rushibg me to surgery then maybe it’s ok? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you!