Hi all, so I am a year and a half in since my last serious concussion, and while alot has improved, my one biggest problem remains. That is severe pressure in my head.

Anything that happens to aggravate my head causes so much pressure.

Slam the brakes too hard in the car? I get all this pressure in my head, and the worst (and best) part is, is that I can feel it release.

It pushes out of my head eventually and is sometimes really painful. When the pressure builds up alot it is also very painful. It is so severe leaving my head and building up sometimes it feels like something is going to pop out of my ear, which is where I generally feel the pressure go away.

Ive had MRIs, X rays, all that but I dont know what causes this. Does anyone have any ideas? If not, what kind of doctor should I see?

Right now Im seeing a chiropractor that is adjusting my atlas but it hasnt done much about the pressure. He also says x rays shows my ligaments are messed up and I may fix that. Would this help the pressure?

Because of this pressure my head is so sensitive and I can hardly do what I usually would. I had todrop from college because of it.

Any ideas to put me in the right direction, or ideas on what it could be are much appreciated.

tbeam,

First, for me, the modified formatting only makes it harder to read.

Is the chiro doing the twist the head and pop the neck adjustment ? That can cause more inflammation than it helps for many.

How do you know the ligaments are messed up ? An x-ray will not show ligaments. How do you plan on fixing the ligaments ?

What are you doing about posture discipline so your neck and heal ?

Mark, Sorry for the formatting I typed it up on my phone and it didnt translate over how I wanted it too, let me try to fix that.

The chiro is using a machine that uses an impulse to correct the neck. He is the one who took x-rays.

He sent them to another Dr. and thats when he told me the ligaments were messed up. Does that make sense?

Were thinking about stem cell injections since the pressure isnt changing. Posture discipline, I wear a neck brace a couple hours every day, and use a certain pillow.

I do try to keep the posture good but of course Im not perfect about it.

A 'cervical' pillow is meaningless if it does not fit your neck properly And if you change positions during sleep.

There is a motion x-ray that can see if the cervical vertebra are stable during movement. A static x-ray would just show poor position.

There are 2 impulse machines I am aware of. One is hand held. It is called the Activator. The other is a fixed machine with an arm that impacts the vertebra. Atlas orthogonal chiros sometimes use the latter.

The stem cell injections can be fabulous in the right hands. There are some who oversell and under perform.

Prolotherapy can also help at much lower cost and less risk.

It will be difficult to get improvement unless you can find a way to be stable during sleep. In my opinion, it is better to spend a few months sleeping flat on your back in a recliner or adjustable bed where you cannot roll over and change positions before spending the big bucks. I just lay my head back and find a position where I have to sense of discomfort. I use a pillow that I can shape to support my head so it does not roll right or left.

A physical therapist who can help with gentle traction and manual mobilization without attempting to force vertebra movement can be worthwhile. Frequent icing will also help. Inflammation is a big problem and needs to be addressed.

I've tried the chiro ( a chiro who had been successful with many other vertebra issues using the Activator for 15 years) and he realized my neck needed longer term healing with more a gentle approach.

The machine is the larger one with an arm. Also, the pillow was fitted for me. Ive been doing the posture, and adjustments for a few months now. I was also told the extent of my inuries are pretty severe.

Mark, how exactly do I know who will do the stem cell injections well? My chiropractor recommended me to one, I was going to go to them.

What have you tried and for how long ? Do you sleep on your side or back ? Does the pillow elevate your head ? Do you toss in your sleep.

The chiro is almost worthless if you have instable ligaments. Mine were so weak that the slightest change in position would cause problems. I would have bad dreams and wake up with a head ache and have a lousy day.

When I slept in my recliner with my head straight, I would get good rest and wake up feeling great. I have to be careful to support my head from the side so my head does not roll to either side. A slight tip to the right is OK for me but any tip to the left will cause problems.

I would not go near any stem cell therapy that was not based on a published research project. Most stem cell protocols are for ACL repairs. Very few are for cervical ligaments.

I suggest you seek out some place that can do a motion x-ray of your upper neck before proceeding with stem cell therapy.