Pain caused by Chiari

Hey there my wife has recently been diagnosed with chiari malformation. She is waiting on a specialist appointment but is there anything she can do to relieve the pain before… we are gonna try ice pack on the neck and shoulders but is there any pain killer she can take to help for now. Thanks in advance.

Hi, Gord!
Living with pain and stress can make muscles go really tense. That causes even more pain. You can ask your family doctor to prescribe some muscle relaxants and see if that helps. They won’t numb the pain, but can be very helpful. She can try carefully stretching her neck muscles. Remember, when you are stretching a muscle, you must do it for 10 second at least, otherwise it will have no effect. Make her try out warm packs too, especially, if warm baths have helped her relax. And she should avoid hot baths and showers, if that makes anything worse(like heart pounding, stronger headaches, dizzines).

Best wishes,
Kristine

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