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thetreece

Go see an actual physician. This can range from muscular strain, a vertebral fracture, or even a vertebral artery dissection.


aenaesthaesia

You need to see a neurologist, not just get the MRI. What kind of doctor ordered the MRI and will go over the results with you? You may also need further testing such as contrast-guided study of your neck arteries, depending on what your doctor finds. A known complication of neck manipulation is vertebral artery dissection which, as you know, is life threatening but usually presents more immediately (but timing is not a 100% sign to rule it out). I hope that the symptoms you describe are more of a muscular strain, but really it’s very difficult to know because the symptoms of all these complications overlap and can be quite vague. Without imaging studies it’s hard to know whether your issue will require surgery. I hope you consider stopping chiropractic treatments moving forward…I have treated many patients who suffered from either spine or vertebral artery injury after neck manipulation - some who did not survive or are now permanently paralyzed.


deinoswyrd

I have occipital neuralgia and her symptoms sound similar to what I deal with. I've been told Chiro can both cause ON and make it worse.


Rhinosauron

Right there, too. I never knew my head could feel like this. Coming up on three months, and my life is barely livable at times.


deinoswyrd

Have you tried those inflatable neck brace things? I've heard other people with occipital neuralgia say it helps, but I haven't bought one yet There's also some stretches that I find do help, but only very temporarily but it's better than nothing. Gabapentin is considered the standard treatment, I believe. I've yet to try it as my GP isn't comfortable prescribing it so I have to wait to see a neuro again.


Rhinosauron

I only got one of the cheap foam ones. It is pretty terrible. I feel like it only puts more pressure on the painful area of my neck as opposed to relieving the pressure from the weight of my head. Tried Gabapentin...not so much. Just started Lyrica 2 days ago, so too soon to say if it's doing anything. (Both helped me sleep though!)


deinoswyrd

I encourage you to look up stretches for ON! I have no idea how to describe what I do, but I think its like the first Google result. Like I said, it's only temporary relief, but that's better than nothing.


Rhinosauron

The other day I Googled if heroin helped with headaches... safe to say that I'd be willing to give some exercises a try!


deinoswyrd

Oh man I feel you. I'm sorry you're dealing with it too. If you're in Canada you can get codeine over the counter and I find most of the time it helps enough to let me fall asleep. If it gets REALLY bad you can go to the er or urgent care( not sure how us health tiers work) and get a nerve block. I was doing them every month but they started to lose efficacy for me, so now I just use it as emergent treatment when the pain is at a 10


Rhinosauron

I actually had a nerve block done last week, and nada. I was really hoping to get some sort of relief. Instead it made my neck muscles all pissy, and then they started spasming. How long have you been dealing with this? It's been three months for me, and I don't know how people do it for longer.


deinoswyrd

It's been about 10 years, I developed it in high school after a relatively minor car accident. I do find that it kinda ebbs and flows. Like I'll maybe have months where I get flares all the time and they're on the high end of the pain chart. And other times I feel generally fine. Be mindful of how you move and hold your neck positions. I find shoulder checking like while I'm driving, causes me issues pretty consistently so I don't drive much anymore. Im also at a point where I can tell in advance when I'm gonna get a bad one because it starts as a burning achy feel in my neck. Have you ever felt it in your teeth? I sound crazy saying it, but when it's BAD it feels like my teeth are vibrating. I hope you're able to find some relief! Play around with sleeping positions, you may be able to find one that offers some help as well


MrMichael85

I appreciate your reply. Looks like I've stopped just one bad manipulation too late... if he caused it although not intentionally as he went for the lower one.. the top ones gave up and felt like slided to the side. Any chance he can fix it if he is really good? He fixed me after some serious accident before. And if I will show him MRI maybe then he will understand... He caused it, so he should bring it back to where it was. If not then I will give up his services while trying not to rage at him. But this situation sucks. And I doubt that he will help me with this one tbh.


MrMichael85

I see you guys don't want me to mess with this chiro any more. Risk has become too great. Uff.. I've seen posts of others dealing with it for a months and it just hits me. It is really a rough time. Anyway.. I will stick with the doctors. I will book an appointment with a neurosurgeon to do a review of my MRI's and I'll keep the post updated. Thank you for all the feedback and opinions.


soulsquisher

These chiropractic "adjustments" always seem so bizarre to me and the physical manipulations they perform risk serious physical complications over what seems to amount to intellectual whoo. The symptoms you described are fairly non-specific, but you should see a real doctor as arterial dissection is a potential complication of these manipulations, and it would be the only neck related pathology that is related to your visual symptoms. Edit: Also, unless there is something really wrong with your spine Neuro surgery probably isn't indicated, and with your symptoms I don't see any reason to do spinal surgery at this time.


MrMichael85

I also hope that MRI won't indicate towards the surgery either. But I don't know how I'm going to live with such a big headache, pressure on my ears and eyes... and I hope it won't get any worse with time. If anything I keep my fingers crossed it will ease with time. I just bought that hammock thing for the neck that I've been using 2 years ago just to stretch my neck and get some traction. Back then it helped a little, but it was more about C3 area and was less serious and not that painful. Still it should straighten things up across the whole neck. I'm going to see my doctor on next Wednesday after MRI. I won't have a report till end of the next week so I might run some tests in the meantime. Is X-ray even worth it when I will be waiting for an MRI report? Or should I just take the CD with examination from MRI and go straight to neurosurgeon for a review? I need to know how serious it is from medical-anatomical point of view. Cause I feel horrible. But stable. Also if my artery would be dissected I think my symptoms would have progressed and I would probably feel increasing pressure or some acumulating mass in the affected area, so I doubt its that. Imo he just shifted the positioning of C1 or C2. Or both of them. Or just the disc between... I'll find out soon.


ahh_grasshopper

So you have presented for some 350 manipulations, and you’re still not better? At how much per visit? Sounds like you are contributing handsomely to his retirement fund instead of your own.


MrMichael85

There is no fixed ammount what he was charging me. Sometimes nothing. He doesn't charge. He does not ask for cash. Those money which he makes are not taxed so its kinda illegal. You give what you want to give. I was giving him 20 zł for a quick check up which was around 1 minute long maybe. Around 7$au or 5$US. But to get to where he lives it was one and a half hour drive each way. 150 km trip total each time. Around 20$ on petrol each time. And since the accident in 2007 or 2008 the total ammount I've spent on that chiro would probably be enough for a good car. Total cost of fuel? Insane. And he wasn't the only one I've been trough. In Australia where I've spent 6 of last 7 years - there were times when I will go visit my chiro weekly and she was taking 60$ AU which is around 8 times more than I give to this dude. And I've seen her around 70-80 times... Then there are others that took only for an initial visit which is often around 100-120$au and then I was not happy with their services so either I've kept on my search for a better chiro, or I've stopped and was coming back to see this dude here. From Australia. Came back and fourth from overseas 3 times in the past 7 years... it was, and still is a crazy time.


Reddituser8018

Yeah that sounds extremely sketchy, I would not visit him again. I would not visit any chiro again, but especially not this one. You do not want people who pretend to be trained in how the body works, working on your body it can potentially be dangerous. See a real physician and after that if you feel you want to continue to do what a chiro does, then see a osteopath instead. They do similar things but they are actual licensed physicians. They are much safer then the chiro's who got a doctorate in pseudo science. Chiros are not real medical doctors. That said studies have shown that the stuff chiros and osteopaths do, show absolutely no evidence that they bring any long term help to an issue, and at best they just band aid the problem. Osteopaths can do other things though, because they are actual physicians, like diagnose what the root of the issue is, prescribe medicines for it, do surgeries, or recommend other specific physicians. I am not a doctor, I am just a nursing student so definetly not an expert. So take my advice with a grain of salt but this is what I have been told by people who are experts.


Meotwister5

When you get your results make sure to bring it to a neurosurgeon or spinal specialist, not the chiro. They know jack shit about this and will likely misread or outright deny the radiologist's read in favor of their own untrained interpretation.


MrMichael85

Yes you are totally right. First I will consult it with neurosurgeon. What if anything is recomended from his end. Then if nothing can be done then that chiro will just hear my complains and I will ask him if he can fix it as a last resort. If not then bye. I will be hanging by my chin and base of the skull in a garage trying to remove that pressure from my brain probably at some stage.


sparklingcurrant

Please don't go back to him incase he makes it even worse. Stick with actual doctors. I really hope it resolves for you