Whiplash Injuries and CCSVI
Upper Cervical Spine
Jumping from a steel bridge while attached to a bungee cord causes large elastic strains and deformation in the bungee cord. At the same time it causes infintissimally small elastic strains in the bridge and small but larger, hopefully elastic strains in the jumper’s body. On the other hand, whiplash and other suddden jerky or even slow sustained types of injuries to the spine can cause chronic micro plastic types of strains.
Chiropractors collectively catergorize all mechanical strains of the spine as subluxations. Technically speaking, subluxations are micro mechanical plastic strains of the spine that cause dis-ease in physiology, which is function. Some chiropractors argue that subluxations must include interference to communication in the nervous system, and that the only place where interference can occur is in the upper cervical spine. It is an age old arguement in chiropractic.
All strains of the spine, however, alter physiology. Furthermore, the spine is a structure, not a bunch of isolated segments so that one faulty segment can impact the function of the whole structure. Strains of the upper spine can affect the lower spine just as strains of the lower spine can affect upper areas. A spine that lists due to scoliosis from leg length discrepancy affecting its base can affect the upper cervical spine. Likewise a ten pound head that lists to one side can affect segments much further below, including the low back and legs. Furthermore, abnormal curvatures of the spine have been shown to affect the contents of the spinal canal, especially the vertebal veins, as they get compressed up against the inside curve of the canal, which can result in venous congestion and sluggish blood flow in the area. Lastly, deformation of the cartilage of the spine, called discs, can compress nerve roots directly, while other types of spinal strains deform soft tissues tunnels such as thoracic outlets in the shoulder girdle and the femoral and sciatic foramen in the pelvis.
The upper cervical spine, however, is without question one of the most critical areas of the spine, subject to a great deal of wear and tear stress that starts with birth and sometimes results in chronic strains called subluxations. The differece between upper cervcial strains and those that occur further down in the spine is that upper cervical subluxations, that is strains, affect the health of the brain and cord.
Among other things, upper cervical subluxations are associated with deformation, albeit small, of hard and soft tissue tunnels that contain critical circulatory routes for blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow, including venous drainage routes used to drain the basement of the brain during upright posture. Thus, UC subluxations can result in CCSVI. But they also do much more. The fact of the matter is, UC subluxations don’t simply pinch nerves, as chiropractors like to say, nor do they simply interfere with communication between the brain and the body. In contrast to a fracture of the UC spine that can kill a person instantly, upper cervical subluxations slowly strangle the life out of the brain and cord.
There is a limit to what any professional can do to repair badly damaged tissues. CCSVI testing and treatment is definitely a consideration if corrective care of the spine fails. That said, what type of chiropractic care did you get? Aside from musculoskeletal complaints do you have any neurological signs and symptoms?
medical records scrappers who travel the country trying to find a pre-existing condition to use in order to get your insurers out of paying compensation ; his examination lasted only 7 minuets, he told me on entering the room that he had almost completed the report
without seeing me.
I would like to find others who have had problems with Law firm and these low grade
Medico-legal experts. Can you put me in contact?. supply my email address if you wish.
I have been tested for MS and it came back negative but when they did the MRI for that I had been having a ‘better’ day than normal because I did not do activities before. I am desperate for some answers and would like to get my life back to normal. This has been devestating to not have answers.
Thank-you
Teresa
Your symptoms are due to pressure on the brainstem and cord most likely caused by upper cervical misalignment. It is impossible to imagine how you could not have injured your cervical spine, especially after the water tubing injury where you felt a “numb” feeling from the waist down for a minute. I don’t know what particular tests were ordered but I suspect that the tests were negative mostly because you don’t have any lesions on brain scans. That doesn’t mean you don’t have serious symptoms similar to MS and you are progressing. A recent study by Dr. Damadian the inventor of MRI showed that there is a connection between MS and trauma. More and more evidence is pointing that way. I would strongly recommned you consult with a highly qualified upper cervical chiropractor to take specific x-rays of your upper cervical spine and get it corrected.
Nanette
The rear end collision is the cause of your problems. You clearly had a whiplash injury that resulted in neck and shoulder pain with headaches. The problem started seven month ago and progressed to a chronic strain causing worsening of signs and symptoms. The strain on the muscles and connective tissues of the cervical spine are affecting the blood vessels and nerves in the base of the skull which is being transmitted to tissues inside the cranial vault. I don’t know what type of chiropractor you saw but you need a better evaluation of your spine, which you won’t get from a neurologist, orthopedic surgeon or a mediocre chiropractor. Something is clearly wrong and the doctors are obviously incapable of finding it due to incomplete or poor examinations. I highly doubt that you have no abnormal findings. Among other things, I have no doubt that you have inflammed sensitive soft tissues and probably faulty range of motion in your cervical spine. You may also have torn ligaments and connective tissues. Someone is not looking. So keep looking until you find someone who does. Now is the time to get it fixed before more damage is done.
Seems to me you are onto something…the issue for me as now that I have been diagnosed chances of getting anyone to open this up again is nil. What would be your approach and suggested treatment?
Having an informed intelligent suggestion when asking seems to get more action so any suggestions on how to broach it would be appreciated.
Your welcome. Basic cervical x-rays would be helpful to check for spondylosis and curvature problems. Specific upper cervical x-rays would also be helpful. In addition to x-rays, upright cervical and craniocervical junction MRI scans along with flexion and extension cervical views would be helpful. Once again, the scans should be done to check for spondylosis, abnormal curvatures and damaged connective tissues, espeically in the craniocervical junction. Phase contreast cine MRI would be further helpful to check blood and CSF flow. My suggested treatment would be based on what the x-rays and cervical scans show.
Have you seen situations where trauma (in my case, being thrown from a horse) that resulted in concussion lead into orthostatic headache? It was suspected that I had a csf leak, but no enhancement has shown on MRI imaging and I had no relief from epidural blood patch.
The head is connected to the upper cervical spine. Except in rare cases, trauma to one typically affects the other. Since you showed no CSF leaks and no relief from an epidural blood patch, your orthostatic headache is obviously not due to CSF leaks causing intracranial orthostatic hypotension. Your headache is most likely due to muscle, joint and connective tissue injuries to the spine caused by the fall.
In light of the fact that you have a short leg and scoliosis that was diagnosed at the age of fourteeen, as well as the more recently found degenerative changes in your cervical spine, I would say that the radiologist reading your x-rays needs glasses and should go back to school for some basic physics courses in structural strains and deformation. It’s impossbile to have degnerative changes in your cervical spine, a short leg and scoliosis without structural strains, deformation and misalignments of the segments of the spine. I don’t know what method of correction the chiropractor used but I would get another opinion. The short leg and scoliosis needs to be taken into account when considering different treatment approaches to managae the migraine headache, numbness and tingling in the left arm, weak grip, tight neck and shoulder muscles, internal buzzing/vibration, dizziness, fuzzy headedness, sinus issues and dysautonomia causing stomach trouble due to vagus nerve irritation.
Six months after the accident it became obvious my right hand was not working properly. Had great difficulty pitching poker cards in my profession as a croupier. While trying hard to keep my right hand steady I found my right leg would shake uncontrollably under the table. Back to the Dr who said I was too young for Parkinsons disease but sent me to a neurologist. After several neurological opinions they all came back with Parkinsons disease and said the accident had nothing to do with it. My MRI of the brain came back all clear but they were all confident. Six years past and I refused all medications wanting to wait and see how far the symptoms progressed. All tremors remained on my right side only and I still remain employed as a croupier dealing only left hand roulette and baccarat. My right hand is used sparingly and sometimes I walk and feel as though I am dragging my right leg. To my understanding PD spread through the body a lot quicker than that and I would have expected progression on my left side. Went back to Dr insisting on more test especially my neck. Finally an MRI showed impingement at C-5 C-6 C-7. One neurosurgeon believed the tremors in my arm were from my neck and could be resolved via a verterbral discectomy. Two other neurosurgeons were in disagreement and agree that I have whiplash injury from the car accident but believe I also have PD and they are two separate injuries and do not believe they are linked. Call me a sceptic but I do not believe in coincidence. Can anyone help.
Head trauma in professional boxers has long been associated with Parkinsonism. It was once referred to as pugilistic PD. More recently head trauma from hockey and football have been associated with PD. Moreover, head and neck trauma often occur together. It is my opinion that neck trauma and subsequent degeneration of the spine can affect blood and CSF flow in the brain and cord, which can lead to PD. I agree with the surgeon. The tremors are most likely due to the neck injury and degeneration of the spine. Doctors sometimes prescribe L-dopa to see if tremors improve. If they do, then the patient has primary PD. If not, then the patient most likely has Parkinsonism, not primary PD. It would be wise to have your cervical spine checked and treated by a competent chiropractor.
I don’t know what the seventeen different doctors did but I hope they all did something different. As Einstein put it, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. You need to find a better type of treatment. Getting hit in the rear while stopped by a van going 55 mile per hour can injure muscles, connective tissues and cartilage. serious. To start with, you need a good physical examination to determine the cause of your signs and symptoms. The problem may not be limited to the upper cervical spine or bones for that matter. You may have a strain in your lower spine that is affecting your upper cervical spine. You may also have soft tissue injuries that need to be addressed as well. While relieving structural strains of the segments of the spine using counter-strain type procedures applied to misaligned segments, such as the upper cervical correction, can be very effective, they don’t directly treat injuries to muscles, connective tissues and cartilage. There are many and much more effective methods of treating pain, injuries, inflammation and loss of motion in muscles, connective tissues and cartilage etc., including ultrasound, electrical stimulation, traction and deep tissue massage to name a few. You need to find a doctor who does a thorough exam and has a variety of therapies to deal with different types of injuries, not just bones.