Does working out help to resolve Chiari symptoms?

[mila_n]

My reply to this question is YES.  Working out has been helping me to resolve Chiari sypmtoms for years and I want to share my experience with you. I have to mention I’ve been diagnosed with Chiari 10 years ago, get wide range of symptoms (dizziness, nausea, throwing up, dull pain, severe pain, 9-10 on a scale of 10 pain; passed out only once but would more if I did not do my workouts to bring things back to normal). I did not have it surgically corrected. And therefore shared information may apply better to those with uncorrected Chiari.
I am a certified personal trainer. BUT I cannot prescribe you this workout. And I strongly recommend you to consult with your doctor or physical therapist before attempting it. I did NOT. MY CHOICE. I know doctors may not want to assume responsibility for what may happened. And what is there left? Throwing up and wait for brain and spine to be gradually destroyed by intracranial pressure EVERY TIME SYMPTOMS ARE THERE and as long as symptoms are there? Thanks but NO, THANKS. One reason I don’t get surgery is I know HOW to beat Chiari now. After my brain is corrected I might still have symptoms but intense workout would not be an option.
It took me at least 5 years to discover what works BEST by trying to research and understand Chiari and attempting different kinds of exercises.  Finally I found what does help by error and trial (I was my own LAB RAT:). I will illustrate you WHAT works by simple life example that confirmed everything I already knew.  I was visiting my parents and my mom offered to go for a walk. I had a very bad headache and felt nauseous but since I prefer to be active when I am sick I agreed. I had a 3 year old daughter with me. When we came up to the Railway Bridge (5 flights of stairs up -about 50 steps to get to the top, same down) I decided to carry my daughter (about 40 lbs). So I carried her up and down and to the store and same on the way back. Whole walk took may be an hour and a half. When I came home I was ABSOLUTELY pain and symptoms free.  So what happened? Let’s look at the technical work out part. By carrying 40 lbs 50 steps up and down and then again 50 up and down I got CARDIO WORKOUT of rather high intensity. And carrying heavy weight stretched my back elongating spine and widening that opening at the bottom of the skull that is partly obstructed in Chiari affected people. SO here it is workout with 2 components that works:
-High intensity cardio
-stretching your back
*supplementing with massaging back from backbone to neck using electric massager BETWEEN sets speeds up symptoms resolving
Combination of two will work always. “Traffic Jam” gets resolved and CSF circulation goes back to normal. ONLY stretching will work SOMETIMES (50 %). Only Cardio very rarely (15%), you got to supplement it with stretching.
REMEMBER to WARM UP BEFORE ANY WORKOUT (low intensity cardio and stretching)
So what kinds of cardio and what kinds of stretching ? Main workout
(Remember to consider your level of fitness).  
CARDIO for any level of fitness:
-hiking
-stationary cycling – the best! You can see how fast you go and you can change levels of resistance to adjust to your level of fitness. Remember it got to feel like you are really working. Cycle as hard as you can go for 2-3minutes and then switch to stretching and then go back to cycling.
-step climber by analogy must work wonders as well. But I do not own one and never tried to use it.
Absolute don’ts:
-jumping or running
STRETCHING:
High level of fitness:
-deadlifts with weight you can dead lift 10-15 times. I lift two 30lbs dumbbells.
-laying on a Swiss ball holding a medicine ball (6-10 lbs) behind your head
Any level of fitness:
-laying on a Swiss ball, arms stretched behind your head
-laying on the floor hold on to something with your hands and try to reach as far as you can with one  leg, than with the other.
-hold on to a sturdy door handle (anything at your waist to chest level), put your feet under door and lean back, hold about 20 sec. FEEL STRECH.
-bar hanging, hanging with your head down from high bed (somebody got to hold your feet). I still don’t know what works best stretching with head down or head up but either works.
-kneel down, put your hands on the ball or chair at the distance of your stretched arms, stretch
-anything that you can think of that would stretch your back
PROGRAM
As I mentioned, 2-3 minutes of high intensity cardio, then stretching, 1-2minutes, then back to cardio. After 4 sets take a break and massage your back or lay in recovery position: lay on your tummy, arms above your head, elbows bent, one hand is covering other so you could rest your head on them. Do not turn your head to a side. A forehead got to be positioned directly on top of your hands. After 3-5 minutes try to estimate how you feel. If you still in pain, repeat whole cycle.
WHAT TO EXPECT during workout
-you might start yawning and if you do it means you do something RIGHT and you are on a way to resolve your symptoms.
-if your pain is very intense it might take few cycles, sometimes few cycles few times a day. You will feel relieve even after one cycle but symptoms won’t be resolved completely so you got to do it again.
-sometimes I am able to resolve all symptoms within one hour. I might go around all day too lazy to workout or not having a chance to workout and then I get to it and in an hour I Am pain FREE! Feel s like a blessing.
-PAIN! Pain might intensify right after cardio and stretching.  It can be 1-3 minutes pain that cracks the bottom of your skull but them comes immediate relief. Lay in a recovery position till pain subsides.
-if complete relief does not come? You are not working hard enough. You got to really gather your will and DO IT like you mean it. There is a “traffic jam” in the bottom of a skull, it has to take some effort to push it through.
Just following my ideas you might come up with a program that works for you.
MY FAVORITE WORKOUT that always works for me
-stationary cycling and deadlifts, it is highly effective because deadlifts keep intensity up but I am still experimenting and trying to find simpler ways to resolve pain, like specific stretching…Also I am trying to see if preventive workout (daily cardio and stretching) might minimize the frequency of symptoms.
Workout never made me feel worse. NEVER. It always makes things better. I might be feeling intense need to throw up and instead going to bathroom  I go to my workout room and start working. Nausea goes away immediately because brain starts getting what it needs.
There is more to say but it is already long post:). I should consider writing a book:). Meanwhile you are welcome with questions. No criticism please. I do it for YOU. I was delaying for years sharing THIS with the world…But often I feel guilty I know something that might help somebody else in pain so I am sharing now. I have headache now, bad one, a reason I am writing this post first thing on saturday moring.  After I am done posting I will do my magic workout, and my pain will be gone as if angel kissed my head. If I don’t, I will be in pain for days. What is better?

[Claire_MHModerator]

Thanks for everyone's input.  As with any exercise program, please remember that it's important to consult your physician before beginning one.

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[selmaS]

The only response I can give  is the same I gave to ur last post...so please re-read  my comments there to get an idea  of how I feel regarding this new post.

  http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Chiari-Malformation/What-does-trigger-your-Chiari-symptoms/show/1812625#post_8351888

[rod44]

I agree with viva001, this is potentially dangerous.
Exercise can cause changes in CSF pressure or intracranial pressure For people with a Syrinx pressure differences along the spine cause the fluid to move within a syrinx and outside the spinal cord.  Physicians believe that this continual movement of fluid in and around the spinal cord results in cyst growth and further damage to the spinal cord tissue.

[Viva001]

I'm glad this works for you.  I think it is dangerous advice.  And frankly, cruel.