I have a 5mm Chiari 1 as well. They told me it would not cause any of my numerous neuro symptoms and was nothing to worry about. 5 mm is very mild and I was told it was considered a variant of normal.
p.s.: as far as your running goes, I can imagine that it would be hard for you to "hang up your running shoes"! I think a specialist might tell you to stop. I think you should experiment and find out at which level your pain decreases.
BTW, if your specialist tells you to see a psychiatrist, run the other way and find a good one!
Hi,
I'm a runner too, but nowhere near your eliteness. :-)
My daughter has just been diagnosed with Chiari, and we're getting on a plane today to see a specialist in LA. Please be careful in what specialist you choose! We've been going through this for a long time, and people who claim to be specialists are often not.
There are some great websites out there with lists of specialists. ChiariOneInternational is a good place to start. Yahoo groups has a Chiari support forum, and the people there know alot of good specialists too.
Its been noted that Chiari pain can be worse upon exertion. My daughter is only three, so she can't articulate when her pain is worse. I can only guess. She does tell me when her head or eyes hurt. Yesterday she was crying and begging me to "turn off the lights". There were no lights on, so I can only guess she was either being ultra sensitve to light, or she was seeing flashing lights.
Good luck!