off balance after neck injury

[BWpatient]

I injured my neck 2 1/2 years ago and woke up with an off balance feeling the next day which followed by a very strong painless throbbing in the back of my head on the left, right at the base of my skull, for many many months.  After several doctors, I was eventually diagnosed with cervical vertigo and did physical therapy, which made my neck much worse and made the off balance feeling so much worse that the floor started to feel like it's moving and I constantly feel like I'm moving even when sitting or lying down, sort of like mal debarquement is described.  I've been to three neurologists.  Finally after two years of searching for an answer, the third one diagnosed me with migraine associated vertigo without headaches.  A four month trial of topamax did not help.  The neurologist does not believe the neck injury is related.  Recently I found out that my atlas is sheared forward, rotated to the right, tilted up on the right and stuck under my skull in front of the coracoid process rather than behind it.  I believe this is probably the main cause of the off balance feeling, however, I was told by a cranial sacral worker that the out of position atlas could have caused some inflammation in the nerves in my neck.  I'm wondering if you've heard of this and if anything can be done.  After 2 1/2 years of this, I am at my wits end and tired of doctors telling me it's not related to the neck injury and is probably psychological.   How should I approach my neurologist about this?

[BWpatient]

darn, I thought I WAS in the ask the doctor section.  Oh well.  I'm sure I'm too late to get a question in today.  Thanks Selma - not sure what to do at this point.  I'm getting integrative neurosomatic therapy which is great for pain reduction, but has not done anything for the vertigo yet.  Now that my body is more "aligned" I am hoping the proprioceptors will decide they like the way things are.  LOL

[selmaS]

This is a support forum.

If you want to ask a dr a question...use the forums button on the tol bar at the top of the screen...click on it and when it opens look to the right side of the page for the expert forums....scroll down to the Neuro expert forum.

Please be advised they only allow so many questions per day, so u must be persistant and patient to get thru.

Good luck

And please post an update on what u find out.

"selma"

[BWpatient]

hoping to get a response from the neurologist.  Thanks

[BWpatient]

thanks Selma - that's what I say - yes it IS all in my head - that's where the injury is affecting me!  Unfortunately, I have found that when a doctor cannot figure out what something is, that's where they go - it's just emotional/psychosomatic.   They can't seem to fathom that there are things they do not know about.  

I thought I might get a response from a neurologist on this forum - isn't that how this site works?

[selmaS]

Hi..I can relate to ur frustration in getting a dx and treatment.

I had neck issues and head aches for most of my life and last yr I finally got a dx of chiari malformation, DDD, cervical spinal stinosis, scoliosis and tethered cord.

I was also told for yrs...it was all in "my head"...as it turns out...it is, but not they way they were implicating.

I hope u can find a dr that will continue to do testing to find ur dx sou can get the treatment u need.

"selma"

[BWpatient]

I was just stretching my neck - looked up, down, left, right, ear to shoulder - when I put my left side to my shoulder I felt a loud pop, and it's never been the same since.  Hard to believe such a simple thing would change my life forever.  I don't have headaches with pain so I don't think it's a CSF leak.  I looked into the perilymph fistula, I have never heard of that.  Thanks for the suggestion.  Sometimes I think it's GOT to be my ears, but I had every test imaginable on my ears and I passed them all including the one with the little balloons and the eye goggles that test your eye movement - that seems to be the test for the fistulas.  I keep saying it started with my neck, it's got to be related to my neck, but not getting anywhere with doctors - the alternate/complementary medicine people are more compassionate and understanding and I don't get the "it's just in your head" line from them.  But yet, they haven't solved the problem yet either.  

[xtine]

how did u injure your neck? have you looked into the possiblities of a csf leak or a perilymph fistula.  i share some of your symptoms and i have narrowed down my search to these 2 things.  still not diagnosed yet....

[BWpatient]

I had an MRI of my brain about two months after the injury and another one of the arteries in my neck about 14 months after - they were apparently normal, though I have 50% blockage in the aorta on the right side.  I was told not to be concerned about that.  I requested another brain MRI at the two year point when I saw the new neurologist but he wouldn't do one.  

[selmaS]

HI BW,

I was wondering if u had MRI's done and if u have copies of the report as well.And how long since u had one?

WIth an injury like u described it is possible to have an injury that has developed over time since the time of the accident.

I can relate to ur frustration and am sorry I can not help u much more than asking u a few questions.

Good luck
"selma"