PCS and Attlas C1

I have been PCS for alomost a year now has anyone ever heard of or have any information concerning the Atlas Vertebra (C1) being out of place causing PCS related Symptoms Thanks

crossline

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02-15-2012, 04:30 PM   #2 Jo*mar Co-Administrator Community Support Team Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pacific NW USA Posts: 20,342 My Mood: Is it severely twisted or more of a misalignment? Some threads on c1/c2 - atlas/axis adjusting - Nucca http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread164885.html http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread164957.html http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post735715-15.html __________________ . Check the Helpful sticky threads near the top of every forum. site FAQ's . Use the search tool to find information posted in other NT threads & posts Search link - . NT Guidelines . . .   Jo*mar View Public Profile Find More Posts by Jo*mar

02-15-2012, 04:52 PM   #3 SpaceCadet Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 752 Quote: Originally Posted by crossline I have been PCS for alomost a year now has anyone ever heard of or have any information concerning the Atlas Vertebra (C1) being out of place causing PCS related Symptoms Thanks C1 is right around where the brain stem is...and if it's out of place it can be causing some mild compression to your brain stem which can cause a lot of problems. Since your recovering from a head injury and it's mainly your upper cervical area your concerned with, you want to see a NUCCA specialist. http://www.nucca.com You can find a NUCCA chiropractor in that above link. If you want more information about the procedure you can click that first link that Jo*mar listed...it is my thread about the success I've so far had with NUCCA. __________________ What happened: I was randomly assaulted from behind in June of 2011. I was knocked unconscious for an unknown amount of time (less than 30 minutes) and have no memory of the event. CT scan showed contusion and hematoma of the left frontal lobe. I spent 3 days in the hospital. Diagnosed with Post-Concussion Syndrome in September 2011. Currently have Medicaid and SSI. Current symptoms: Brain fog, anxiety, panic attacks, memory issues, confusion, problems with spontaneity, sensitive to loud noises, trouble thinking, problems with producing speech, spacing out, word finding difficulties, tinnitus in both ears, random tingling in different parts of my head and many other things that I can't explain. I'm very easily overloaded which makes it nearly impossible to watch TV or use the computer. Slowly but surely regaining my life back.   SpaceCadet View Public Profile Find More Posts by SpaceCadet

02-15-2012, 08:47 PM   #4 Mark in Idaho Elder Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: The Treasure Valley of Idaho Posts: 6,692 Any misalignment of C-1 (Atlas) can cause inflammation that can interfere with nerve function, blood flow to the brain and blood flow to the brain stem. The idea of C-1 compressing the brain stem is an over-simplification. The compression is from the inflammation, not the position of C-1. There may also be pinching of nerve fibers but there are are not nerve fibers in or very near the joint areas (occipital condyle to Atlas) like there are near the highly moveable joints of the lower vertebra. That is why icing the area is so valuable. Anything to reduce the inflammation is beneficial. The blood flow being restricted is likely the cause of the PCS symptoms since they manifest from areas that are not necessarily near the C-1 structures. An important posture issue to be aware of is moving the head laterally (rotating side to side) at the same time as moving the head up and down. In other words, don't combine Yes movements with No movements. These combined movements are most likely to cause impingement in the joint increasing inflammation. __________________ Mark in Idaho . 59 years old, retired due to disability, married 34 years, father of three, grandfather of four, Suffered a serious concussion at 10 years old (1965) stopped most driving after concussion at 46 years old (2001), Post Concussion Syndrome/Multiple Concussion/Impact Syndrome with PTSD, immediate/short term visual and auditory memory problems, slowed processing speed, visual/auditory processing difficulties, insomnia, absence seizures, OCD, 14 concussions since first concussion at 8 years old, Taking paroxetine for 14 years and gabapentin for 12 years. Added L-Tryptophan and stopped paroxetine after 3 months of tapering. I currently take 500 mgs of L-Tryptophan AM, 500 mgs noon, and 500 mgs PM. As of Nov 15th, Due to high stress issues resulting in PTSD, docs put me on 3 meds. Clonazepam but only for 30 days ) .125 mgs twice daily (Doc presc. .25 mgs 2x daily but half a tablet is good) , citalopram (Celexa), an SSRI , and olanzapine (Zyprexa), an atypical anti-psychotic that usually causes weight gain before bed. I lost over 30 pounds since mid July. It just stopped the weight loss. Took me off the gabapentin. I am feeling better than I have in years. This great feeling only lasted a month. Back to the same old PCS doldrums. May 2014, I am off the olanzapine due to a 6 fold price increase. Back on 600 mgs of gabapentin before bed. I am also taking L-Theanine to help with GABA regulation "Be Still and Know That I am God" Psalm 46:10   "Thanks for this!" says: Hockey (06-12-2014) Mark in Idaho View Public Profile Find More Posts by Mark in Idaho

02-16-2012, 01:26 PM   #5 PCS Mikey Junior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 66 My Mood: Has anyone with these type of upper cervical issues felt like their necks make a grindy kind of noise when they make movements to their head, yes, no kind of movements? Several weeks after my surgery in Dec of 2009, I recall walking and slipping off a curb with my heel landing on the street, but unfortunately in a locked leg position so I think the jolt and force of the step may have compressed some parts leading up to my brain. At least this is the closest event I remember just immediately prior to the return of my current PCS symptoms. I've had a couple of adjustments by chiros, one of which is my current neurologist, who does a gentler adjustment. I just still don't have an immediate 'ahhhhh' feeling afterwards and wonder if more targeted adjustments are more applicable. They've taken an upper cervical MRI which shows 'degenerative age related wear'. Yeah sure, but grindy noises? So soon after this event? I'm debating seeing an atlas orthogonal specialist which may be closest in specialty to NUUCA adjusters and trying to evaluate the situation. Mike __________________ May 31, 2009: Concussion from syncope due to low blood volume resulting from severe dehydration. Occurred after finishing my 9th marathon. 100% of symptoms cleared by August 2009. December 15, 2009: Major surgery due to diverticulitis. 6 weeks after surgery, dizziness, fog, cognitive difficulty, anxiety, some panic, lots of headache. These symptoms largely gone, but still cannot exercise above a very low threshold otherwise resulting in severe headache and cognitive fog. Same for overwhelming odors. Meds: Nortriptyline and Naratriptan as needed to rid severe headaches (exertional migraines).   PCS Mikey View Public Profile Find More Posts by PCS Mikey

06-12-2014, 12:41 AM   #6 john86 New Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 2 Quote: Originally Posted by crossline I have been PCS for alomost a year now has anyone ever heard of or have any information concerning the Atlas Vertebra (C1) being out of place causing PCS related Symptoms Thanks My atlas was out of place for years, symptoms were anxiety, depression, hopelessness, neck stiffness, grinding when turning away from problem side, muscle imbalances all over the body, jaw pain (on the opposite side), TMJ, jaw clicking, lower back pain, pain mid spine on the left, trapped nerves in left trap and back, thick upper traps (from forward head posture i think) anyway, all of my symptoms disappeared after lots of research I finally cracked it (not literally). Also I wouldnt go to a chiropractor because I've seen some of their 'corrections', all that sudden twisting can't be doing those delicate nerves in your neck any good! I guess that's why the nucca approach is the best because it's gentle. Here's what I did to re align my c1 atlas First, I'm not sure how misaligned you are but I'm going to assume you have muscle imbalance in the neck but either way I think the first step I'm about to right is important. If the muscles are tight on one side your head / c1 simply cant go where it's supposed to. 1. Do these stretches to loosen the neck, pay attention to imbalances ie if you can go further on one side than the other. In this case stretch twice as much and don't count, only release the stretch when the muscle has relaxed. You CAN make tighter muscles even tighter by stretching improperly. *edit* 2. Next the hips. I'm also going to assume you have tight / limited hip movement so here's what to do. Go for a walk, whilst walking focus on tightening you abs and your but (glutes) whilst tilting your pelvis backwards so you effectively straightening your lower back, so you're pulling the front up an pushing the back down. Hold it for as long as possible, you should feel your lower back free up almost straight away. Necks loose and hips are loose, so that's the muscles in the top and bottom of your spine sorted, now to align the C1. 3. Perform these two simple exercises in this video. This (as he says) always works in positioning the atlas / *edit* (Like he says repeat it every hour) Tip: in ex.2 if you're tense try to relax and when you bring your arms to your shoulders breathe in. Hope it helps! Last edited by Koala77; 06-12-2014 at 05:15 AM. Reason: No links allowed for new members.   john86 View Public Profile Find More Posts by john86

06-12-2014, 02:07 PM   #7 russiarulez Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 53 I believe that most of my long lasting issues after the initial concussion were due to neck problems. After I started seeing an atlas orthogonal chiro about a year into my recovery, I finally started seeing good progress. Nothing instantaneous like they claim in some of the AO videos, but definitely felt better over the course of weeks and then months. I've been seeing him for about 5 months now and a lot of my issues have either resolved or at least got way way better. Exercise is finally an option, I'm doing 20 minutes on a stationary bike at a moderate pace and then a 2 mile walk after work. __________________ 12/02/2012 - Light concussion at boxing practice. Ended up having PCS for about 3 months. March 2013 - thought that since most of my symptoms resolved I could start having fun again. Went snowmobiling once (didn't hit my head) and concussion symptoms returned and got even worse than before. June 2013 - accidentally bumped my head against a deck railing, and had a month-long setback. November 2013 - drove to work after a big snowstorm and the roads were very rough, ended up having another setback. 2014 - Having setbacks after coughing/sneezing too much, or someone slapping me on the back, or any other significant jarring. Feb 2014 - Started seeing Atlas Orthogonal chiro - most helpful doc so far. June 2014 - Started with physical therapy (also visual therapy for dizziness). September 2014 - Diagnosed with Perilymph Fistula in right ear. November 2014 - Fistula surgery (switched to left ear before the surgery after additional testing). Current symptoms are: inconsistent sleep patterns, headaches, vertigo/dizziness, anxiety, mental fog, problems with computer screens. Meds: Xanax (off), Trazodone - for sleep (off), Ambien/Lunesta (off)