Has anyone heard of the spinal cord uncoiling near the brain stem (perhaps with a chiari malformation)?? Help!
114092
Please accept my sincerest condolences on your loss of a family member. Upon my many researches on surgery for chiari malformation,never have I seen anything about a spinal cord uncoiling near the brain stem. It sounds like your family has a good case against the place that did the operation. There are not a lot of places that have experience with this type of surgery. I have chosen not to have the surgery because of the fact that there are so many unknowns and many patients have had to have surgeries redone many times.  The one place that I have heard many good things about is The Chiari Institute in New York. If I was ever forced to have the procedure done,that would be the place to go to.  I hope you have success in getting the answers you deserve.
1169626
A EEG shows brain waves..I would get a second opinion because it doesn't make any sense about your ability to jump, run in place..also concerns about your back pain..so good luck and see another physician.
257132
Talk to your Chiropractor about spinal stabilization exercises.  Also, talk to your Chiropractor about the bones being "out of place" versus not having the proper motion.  The "out of place" statement is pretty much a old-time analogy.  Actually, Chiropractors restore normal segmental motion between the vertebrae.  Now, if the motion has been abnormal for a while, it may take a while to restore the motion for any decent period of time.  Think of stretching the muscles: one stretch doesn't get all of the flexibility back in them- it takes repeat stretching and time.  Anyway, talk to your Chiropractor and have them explain it better to you.
986673
It could be sciatica.  It occurs quite often and often goes undiagnosed for many years.  I recommend you get a doctor's opinion though as this is just my two cents.
132921
I don't understand your question. Until emptiness? Are you talking about hydrocephalus or some other disease state?\n\nEDIT: Hmm. Now I better understand your question, but I have to admit I don't know the answer, it's not my area. It does sound rather severe. A Neurosurgeon is the best person to ask, if you have not already had an appointment with one. Is this congenital (child was born with this)?
11264
I had this for a long time in my left heel and did not know what this "knife" in my foot was...until I found out that I had a ruptured disc (L4/L5 area)and the ruptured disc was pushing against the sciatic nerve that was going through the left leg...in your case the ruptured disc is pushing out on the right side and affects your right leg. You COULD stay in bed - flat - for 3 days and see if it gets better...the "red hot inflamed" nerve may calm down a bit and you might feel better...you could take Aleve to calm the inflamation of the nerve...you could get a shot of Cordisone in the spine...anywhichway...you need to see a neurologist who will take an MRI and tell you if you need surgery. In my case I am overweight and they did not want to touch me "with a ten foor pole". I healed mine by going the other way...I found a machine called VAX-D at a chiropractors and (look on google) was able to go 30 times and then I was completely out of pain and able to walk again. \nOther things you will feel with this is numbness in your right thigh...occasionally a nerve-line pain all the way down your right leg and also a "spray" of pain over the top of your right foot. You SHOULD have also a "pilot-lite" burning feeling in your lower back on the right side of the spine where the actual disc is pushing. This is the line of the nerves...from the lower back through the right side of the leg into the foot. Go look at a picture of the nerves that go through the body. \nBonati Institute in Florida will also do Laser surgery for this...but in my case it did not work.\nGood luck!\nThe Oracle
860822
Anything near or having to do with the brain is serious and being that i'm not a doctor, I don't want to scare you or tell you about something, I know nothing about. I suggest you ask your doctor, or have your doctor refer you to someone, that specializes, in that type of profession.
230783
I have Arnold Chiari Malformation...
218152
Basic Summary for Syringomyelia\n\nMain name of condition: Syringomyelia\nWhat is Syringomyelia?\n  Brief description of Syringomyelia: Spinal cord cysts\n  Organs Affected by Syringomyelia: spinal cord Who gets Syringomyelia?\n  Patient Profile for Syringomyelia: Usually 25-40 How serious is Syringomyelia?\n  Prognosis of Syringomyelia: Good. Usually good response to early treatment such as surgery. Advanced cases may leave permanent spinal injury.\n  Prognosis of Syringomyelia: Symptoms usually begin between the ages of 25 and 40 and may worsen with straining or any activity that causes cerebrospinal fluid pressure to fluctuate. Some patients, however, may have long periods of stability. Surgery results in stabilization or modest improvement in symptoms for most patients. Delay in treatment may result in irreversible spinal cord injury. 1\n  Complications of Syringomyelia: see complications of Syringomyelia What causes Syringomyelia?\n  Causes of Syringomyelia: see causes of Syringomyelia What are the symptoms of Syringomyelia?\n  Symptoms of Syringomyelia: see symptoms of Syringomyelia How is it treated?\n  Treatments for Syringomyelia: see treatments for Syringomyelia\n  Research for Syringomyelia: see research for Syringomyelia
60810
A chiropractor fixed mine. Setting down makes it worse, so avoid this. Use a lumbar pad to relieve the pressure on your back. This was about twenty years ago. Still good.
579774
I used to have that problem and still do occasionally.When you are either j****ng off or having s*x, it causes it a lot of pressure in your brain stem area and the major areas of the back of your head and it can cause serious cramp like pains. I thought the first few times it happened to me that I was going to pass out but didn't...But mainly you are putting a lot of stress on your nerves but even more pressure on your head--Just take it easy for a while: do what you would normally do and maybe take a few Motrin or Tylenol before or after s*x or ej*******on...Hope this helps and good luck...You are not alone!
427226
Hi Toodle. I am a retired Chiropractor.  I am sorry to hear about your situation.  Clearly you are in significant pain.  Your overall description of your spinal health indicates that you have very serious, and very advanced degenerative changes present.  \n\nLiterally, any of the spinal problems you have can be causing your symptoms (which clearly are related to nerve compression).  Sadly, it is very likely that several of your conditions are contributing to your pain and numbness.  None of your conditions can be readily 'cured'.  But a better understanding of the specifics as they relate to your current symptoms is needed to even begin to try to help you.\n\nSo, here is what confuses me about your explanation.  1)  What type of doctor/doctors are you seeing?  2) What has their physical examination of you indicated? - this is almost always more important/useful than the expensive, high tech, imaging tests (the imaging tests are helpful too, but not without a quality physical exam, which is becoming a lost art!). 3) Why 'can't he give you a scan'?  and 4) Why have you not sought a 2nd or 3rd opinion?\n\nLastly, be very careful of any surgeon who wants to operate on you.  This 'magic placebo' is often not helpful and can make matters much worse.  Having said that, if you have a very clear-cut indication for an easily fixable condition through ONE surgical procedure, then that certainly should be considered - just be sure to have 2nd/3rd opinions that agree about the surgery.\n\n\nLastly, as a Chiropractor I would obviously suggest a chiropractic evaluation.  However, I do not expect chiropractic treatment to be a 'miracle cure' for you.  So, just as with surgeons, be wary of any doctor that promises too much!\n\nBest wishes and good luck!
947032
YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!  ME!  I had the Spinal Cord Stimulator implanted and it helped me so much.  Unfortunately my body HATED it and rejected it and I had to have it removed.  My surgeon said he had never seen a reaction like mine, so I know it's not normal.\n\nI have had chronic sciatica down my left leg and into my foot for 14 years.  I had surgery to correct a ruptured disc, but it took so long for the doctors to diagnose the bad disc that by then I had damaged the nerve.  Surgery helped with some of the back pain but never helped with the leg pain.  My most recent MRI shows scar tissue wrapped around the nerve root. Surgery really isn't an option because it will just cause more scar tissue to form.\n\nI wish you much luck and good health.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
920150
I delivered 7 kids...(6 natural, 1 with an epidural)...THEN found out I had scoliosis! I also have fused disks in my lower back. I dont know how bad the curve of my spine is..altho I have had two different drs tell me I have the most crooked spine they have ever seen. You may just need to give your back time to heal since you just had a baby a few months ago. Also doing yoga stregthens the back muscles, which could help if you decide to have another baby. Since you dont have insurance maybe you can find a Health Department or Clinic that would be able to see you. GOODLUCK!
1036215
JS,\nI'm somewhat familiar with your situation as I'm pretty much in the same boat.  I'm 54 and have degenerative disk disease (DDD) with 11 herniated and/or bulging disks in my upper and lower back.  It sounds like you might have the same thing along with the scoliosis.  Have you had an MRI of your upper back?  It's not a big deal knowing it, since there's no cure or treatment for DDD, in fact they're not sure what causes it.  The bottom line with DDD is there's nothing they can do but treat the pain.  Injuries to the spinal cord or the nerves that attach to the spinal cord do not heal themselves nor will they "reroute" themselves as other nerves in your body sometimes can.  With spinal nerve damage, once it happens, you've got it forever.\n\nI've got a damaged nerve on the left side of the T3/T4 disk that's been causing me constant pain for over 3 years now.  I was coughing, of all things, and blew the disk out, which crushed or dented the nerve.  I've been in constant, terrible pain ever since.  Every hour, every day, it hasn't let up, not even for a second.  There's no "comfortable position," no way to ease that "ice pick in the back" pain I have.  It just "is" and it takes over every aspect of your life.  Sometimes I do something, move a certain way, and bingo, the pain shoots up near the top of the scale.  Sometimes it goes back to "normal" (around a 3 or 4 on the pain scale) after a few minutes and sometimes it stays up there around an 8 or 9 for two or three days. Sometimes I can do some particular thing without making it worse and then I do the same thing a week later and I'm back in the jackpot.  It seems there's no reason or rhyme to it.  \n\nI've had 5 Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI), which unfortunately did nothing but give me diabetes, one more thing I have to deal with.  Ok, I should say that the docs think the ESI *did* work, in that it caused the disk to shrink just as it was supposed to, but unfortunately the physical damage to the nerve was already done and that's what is causing the chronic pain.  \n\nI'm taking some pretty strong pain killers, morphine and codeine (can you spell "addict"?), plus I've just started Lyrica.  I tried Neurontin a couple of years ago but it didn't help.  I'm hoping the Lyrica will help this time and maybe I can get off the morphine, which, for one thing doesn't work all that well but also it has some bad side effects.  Mine aren't as bad as some I've talked to, but they're bad enough.  Yes, I know it could be worse and while I have a great deal of sympathy for others that are worse off than me, hearing about the plight of someone else doesn't make me feel any better.\n  \nI'm also taking some stuff called Zanaflex (generic name: Tizanidine) which, while it has some side effects, really helped when I started getting extremely sharp, radiating pains that went from the damaged nerve at the T3/T4 site, down the back of my left arm and up the back of my neck.  The Zanaflex stopped the pain right away and it's one of the best meds I've ever taken when it comes to doing what it's supposed to.  I stopped taking it for a day and the pains came back, so I know it's working.  Zanaflex is a muscle relaxer and apparently the pain in my arm and neck were the result of muscle spasms generated by the nerve damage in my back.\n\nThe biggest problem I have with it is that it knocks me out cold!  I've talked to others that have had different, intolerable, side effects, so it's not going to work for everyone.  I'm supposed to take 4mg three times a day but instead I take two of them (8mg) before I go to bed.  It has a dual effect of stopping the pain plus it's a fantastic sleep aid - but you better not change your mind about sleeping after you take it!  \n\nOne of the best things about it is that it
246070
Hi Laflavafave.  I am a retired Chiropractor.  I would suggest a chiropractic evaluation.  Specifically, ask the doctor to evaluate your neck for an anteriorally fixed rotational cervical subluxation.  Sounds complicated, but it could be the problem.\n\nTriggerpoints in various muscles of the neck, shoulders, upper back and chest, can be involved as you noted about the SCM.  What makes you think the SCM is in play?  Does massaging the tenderpoints (triggerpoints) in it reproduce some or all of your symptoms? Or is it because anatomy books suggest the SCMs are involved in swallowing?  Note: if their is a problem with the SCM, upper cervical/occipital subluxations should be corrected. 2nd note: also check the digastric muscle and internal pterygoid muscle.\n\nAnother thought, have the Chiropractor check you for a hiatal hernia.  That can affect swallowing and cause back and shoulder area pains.\n\nSomething is definitely causing your problem, so keep searching for help until you find the cause.\n\nGood luck!
304069
Yes, if one vertebrea is out it can pinch nerves, cut off blood supply to certain areas and all other types of symptoms.  They may seem unrelated but are probably directly related to subluxation (your back being out).  You should always seek chiropratic immediately and massage, if possible.  My mother was in an accident 20 years ago, did not get treatment and now has serious health problems because of it.  I was in an accident 2 months ago, got chiropratic immediatly, and massage and have completely recovered.  My second set of x-rays shows my spine has almost completly realigned.  My advice: get chiropractic ASAP.  3 times a week for several months, then 2.. your chiropractor should advise you.  Hopefully you have insurance to cover it!