[tbeam]

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.

[Mark in Idaho]

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 ?

[tbeam]

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.

[Mark in Idaho]

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.

[tbeam]

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.

[Mark in Idaho]

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.

[tbeam]

I have been getting the adjustments, sleeping on my back, or side with the pillow. I wear a neck collar a few hours everyday, try to keep posture good throughout the day, and walk regularly.

I was told my ligamemts are badly damaged, worse than they thought theyd be. If they say this, isnt it safe to say they used digital motion?

Is there anyway to know if they used digital motion without directly asking? I go back Wednesday.

Also Mark, could you shed any light on this if you know? They were increasing the angle of the adjustment each time, and for one treatmemt the angle was increased more than others.

I had a pretty bad headache for the next 2 weeks and felt overall really crappy.

With all Ive learned about the atlas it made me worried they could have made my neck even worse and caused more damage to my head. Is this possible? Not sure how it all works exactly.

[Mark in Idaho]

I don't think the collar is any help unless you wear it 24/7. The issue is to avoid straining the neck ligaments so they can heal and tighten. It take 6 weeks without any strain on the ligaments for them to start to heal and strengthen.

What does the chiro do each time before doing the adjustment ? How does he know you need more adjustment and angle ?

What is it like when you wake up ? Are some mornings better than others ?

A digital motion x-ray would be taken with you moving your head during the x-ray. You would do a prescribed series of head forward and head back, etc. as the motion x-ray is taken. I doubt a chiro would have the system to do it.

Atlas is just a cervical vertebra than needs to be working properly. If the Atlas chiro has you scared, I would find a different chiro. Some believe the Atlas controls the whole body. They may have waiting room videos and pamphlets that over emphasize the Atlas to keep patients paying for more treatments.

The problem with Atlas and such is the inflammation that can be caused by injuries there. This inflammation can reduce vertebral blood flow and cause muscle spasms that cause headaches. It can also interrupt the autonomic nervous system when inflamed.

Have you been doing any icing ? The Vitamins sticky has a recipe for home made crushable ice packs. Make 3 so you alwys have one ready.

Do you have a good recliner to sit in an use an ice pack ?

[tbeam]

Actually the digital motion x ray is exactly what I had done.

The Dr. Is Dr. Krakos who actually mentored the Dr. who invented the impulse atlas correcting machines. He has been amazing, and is very knowledgable about concussions and what they can do to the neck and spine, like yourself Mark.

I havent tried ice yet but I will include that with the other techniques I use. I have noticed improvements since the adjustments but as always a bad car ride, or something else will set me back to how I was before just like that.

[jennrod12]

non-concussion related: I saw a chiropractor for many years after a car accident and it was finally explained to me that I have "loose ligaments" and shouldn't see a chiropractor because those adjustments continue to loosen them. After stopping seeing the chiropractor and working with a PT, I was finally able to realize some recovery. (Argh, all those wasted years!)

Concussion-related - I am now seeing a Dr. of Physical Therapy who is also a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist and he has helped me a lot. After the first or second visit, the pressure inside my head, fleeting sharp headaches and transient dizziness stopped. Now we're working on the outside of my head headaches which are longer, but less painful, and the slight dizziness that comes with them.

Good luck,

Jenn