Chiari Malformation Treatment – Do You Need Surgery?

I often see patients after surgical Chiari malformation treatment. Many actually have craniocervical instability causing their problems, but mistakenly get Chiari surgery and don’t do well. In fact, I just spoke to one of these patients this week on a Telemedicine consult. I tried to explain to her that this is a procedure with significant…
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The Vagus Nerve, Neck Pain, Anxiety, Headaches, and Depression

On this page: The function of the vagus nerve Neck pain and the vagus nerve Other symptoms of an irritated vagus nerve We’ve seen neck pain patients for years with lots of seemingly unrelated symptoms. Many have suffered from depression, anxiety, headaches, and some even cardiac problems like runs of tachycardia. So what’s causing all…
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Headaches and Neck Pain or Cervicogenic Headache

Headaches and neck pain are often linked but also often ignored by many physicians. This is called cervicogenic headache. What causes this problem and how can it be helped? Let’s dig in. Why Does My Neck Hurt and Give Me a Headache? As you develop in the womb, your head and upper neck develop together,…
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Neck Pain And Dizziness: The Inner Ear Is Only Part Of The Picture

Did you know that your neck can make you dizzy? Most patients don’t know that dizziness also known as cervical vertigo and neck pain can be connected, and many physicians miss this diagnosis.[1] Why? Both patients and doctors think inner ear or brain when dizziness occurs. However, when the neck component of our balance system…
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Why Your Head Feels Heavy

On this page: What holds the head on? How do you know if you have these problems? How do you treat heaviness of the head? Picture your head as a bowling ball balanced on the end of a stick (the spine). There are muscles at the top of the neck as well as in the…
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Spinal Fusion Is It Worth It? More Research Says No…

A spinal fusion is a surgery that uses hardware and screws to “fix” together two or more vertebrae to make a damaged section of spine immovable. Given that this is a big surgery with many known serious side effects, a patient the other day posed this question: “Spinal fusion is it worth it?” My answer,…
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My Story of Living With Cervical Spinal Stenosis

On this page: What is cervical spinal stenosis? My story of living with cervical spinal stenosis Neck fusion vs. living with cervical spinal stenosis Diagnosing the symptoms of cervical spinal stenosis My tips for living with cervical spinal stenosis I still remember the first day I knew there was something seriously wrong with my neck.…
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What Is Craniocervical Instability (CCI)?

On this page: Causes of craniocervical instability CCI symptoms Diagnosing craniocervical instability Treatments for CCI Cervical refers to the neck and instability that a joint or spinal segment moves around too much (1). When a person suffers from craniocervical instability or CCI, the strong ligaments that hold their head to their upper neck are lax…
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