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Member
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 214
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 214
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho
As the article and my comments say, a NUCCA or Atlas Orthagonal chiropractor is a good start.
Upper neck injuries are often symptom free except for the PCS symptoms. There may be tenderness behind the ears where muscles may be spasming.
Usual PT and other range of motion exams and such are not valid at denying an upper neck injury. Upper neck injuries are very subtle.
Mine was only symptomatic with head aches and breathing interruptions, neither of which seemed to have any connection to my upper neck. It was only after resolving the upper neck issues that those symptoms were reduced or eliminated.
A big part of my improvements came from learning to sleep on my back with my head in a straight posture.
It's a long story about how I learned these issues with my neck. Suffice it to say, I would have told you my neck was fine, too.
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I'm curious Mark, how did you learn to sleep on your back with your head in a straight posture? After starting NUCCA treatment, I broke my habit of sleeping on my stomach, which took some effort and cost me weeks of solid sleep. Now I can sleep pretty comfortably on my sides and on my back, but usually my head isn't absolutely straight when I'm on my back, but tilted slightly to one side or the other.
I've been holding my alignment for longer periods of time now (after months of not holding it from week to week), and took this to mean that something positive is happening, and that my sleeping posture is OK. Were you not holding your alignment before you switched to back sleeping, as is that what allowed the adjustments to hold? Or were you holding your alignments but noticed additional improvement after switching to back sleeping?
I guess I'm just a little confused on just what the relationship is between holding alignments for longer periods of time and the actual healing taking place.
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26 year-old PhD student in evolutionary biology, slipped on ice in Feb 2014 while clipping my fingernails and walking to save time (dumbest reason for PCS ever?). Initially just had headaches and didn't feel quite right, but a minor head bump 5 days later started a downward spiral of anxiety, depression, insomnia and fatigue. Had trouble concentrating on reading/looking at screens
April 2014 - did exertion test, passed, started exercising and doing more, but didn't feel much better.
May 2014 - Went on backpacking trip OK'd by doctor, trip itself went fine, but felt worse a few days after getting back, more difficulty concentrating, worse headaches.
June 2014 - Bumped head on ceiling walking slowly down stairs, no immediate symptoms, but caused worsening headahces, more difficulty concentrating and looking at screens. Have not felt as good as I did before this since this bump.
December 2014 - after feeling relatively better I went xc skiing and fell but didn't hit my head (something my psychologist who specializes in brain injuries told me he hoped would happen so I saw it was OK), felt worse
Feb 2015 - back in grad school, light teaching load and some research, nowhere close to operating at my full capacity. Still have constant headaches, difficulty reading/looking at screens, mild anxiety and depression, and just not feeling like my normal sharp self.
Trying, but struggling, to believe that I'll get back to my old self, or at least get close.
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