Headache ?!

[alaa_afaneh]

Hi everyone,

I am trying to avoid thinking about this too much but everytime I get the headache it drives me insane, it lasts for days or weeks and it caused me problems with family.

Is there a difference between chiari zero and benign tonsillar ectopia ?!

My report says benign tonsillar ectopia and I have no syrinx, but the headaches are killing me ..

Also I got c5c6 annular tear indenting the thecal sac, which ive done physical therapy to improve.

My headaches are always on one side, they start at the base of the skull and radiate upwards towards the eye, eye becomes watery and eyelid drooping, ear starts ringing and feels full or plugged, nose either runny or congested, and sometimes my teeth on the same side of the headache become very sensitive!!!!

also I get (palatal myoclonous) which is jercking of the soft palate at the roof of the mouth causing your ears to click click ... you can check videos for it on youtube, however my myoclonous is not so bad I can controle it to some extent.

my question is, does my headache sound familiar to those with chiari, or no ?

Is chiari zero same as benign tonsillar ectopia?

Do people with chiari experience palatal myoclonous ?!

Are my symptoms related to chiari or the disc tear, if you have any idea ?

I do not really want to go to doctors or do any tests anymore, I reached to the conclusion that they are a waste of time, I will only check on it over time to see if it get any worse or i develop a syrinx ..

Thank you.

[selmaS]

Hi...I can totally relate to your frustrations with Drs and felt the same way more then a few times over the years....BUT, it could be you have been to the wrong Drs....I found once I was with a Dr that was a true Chiari specialist I got more answers and understood what was really going on with me.

Begin tonsillar ectopia basically is a label Drs put on a herniation they feel is not affecting you, but if you were not affected why were you to see them in the first place....sigh...


Chiari 0 is when a person has Chiari but the herniation is not evident....Chiari is a malformation of the skull....it is not the herniation.....if you have a herniation and no Chiari then they call it tonsillar ectopia.... meaning you have a herniation of the cerebral tonsils.....Both can cause similar symptoms.

Site of nerve impingement determines symptom location
Sustained contact between extruded disc material and a nerve root is called impingement, also known as a pinched nerve or herniated disc. There are eight sets of nerve roots associated with the cervical spine, annotated as C1 to C8. Most annular tears within the cervical region occur at the C5 to C8 levels. The areas of the body affected by the pain, tingling, numbness or muscle weakness caused by nerve impingement will depend on the location of the annular tear, as described below:

C5 – pain or mild numbness in the shoulders, deltoid muscle weakness, reduction in biceps reflex
C6 – radiating arm pain, biceps weakness, weakness in the wrist extensors, reflex reduction in the muscles of the forearm, numbness in the thumb
C7 – middle finger numbness, radiating arm pain, diminished reflex in the triceps muscle
C8 – loss of function in the hand, pain or numbness on the outside of the hand, diminished reflex in the hand muscles.
source-https://www.laserspineinstitute.com/articles/annular_tear_articles/cervical/438/

With Chiari we all may have very different issues/symptoms.....so your palatal myoclonous could be something unique to you....and not a typical Chiari symptom.

As for your headache you didn't say if anything tends to trigger them....laughing, coughing, sneezing, or any strain.....??

[alaa_afaneh]

Thank you so much for the reply selma!

So the palatal myoclonous is not a typical chiari symptom that is good new for me, hopefully it is not a ..

As for the headaches they are not triggered by sneezing or anything, maybe only sleeping position, because sometime I wake up with them and they last all day long. I am suspecting that my headackes are due to cervical instability c1c2 instantly.

[selmaS]

Cervical instability is many times related to Chiari due to Ehlers-Danlos....do make sure this is checked out. I also have CI but have not had to have a fusion yet. And headaches are very typical from CI.