I am wondering if you would have more information about Chiari and whiplash?

[Ninja5]

2 months ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and on my 6 week med check I had mentioned to the dr that I had recently started falling for no reason. After being sent for an MRI I was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation 1.  I have an appointment being set up with a Neurosurgeon at this time.

The reason I am asking about the whiplash is that I am a martial arts instructor and had very few signs of Chiari that I can remember prior to training. In my training I have been taken to the ground from leg sweep etc. 100’s of times mostly on firm mats but at times on gym floors. Although my head doesn’t hit the floor it can at times be quite a jarring motion. And of course during my training of learning how to fall or with more aggressive partners my head has bounced off the floor. I am wondering if this could have been a trigger for my diagnoses. Most importantly I am wondering so I can protect my student from this happening to them.

Sorry to have a 2 part question but I am also noticing significant short term memory loss. Over that’s 5 years I have noticed I recall less and less long term (like my kids growing up) and now I tend to recall less short term, even forgetting what I was saying halfway through. It’s like it’s at the top of my tongue but I can say it. Or even driving and I will take a random turn and then can’t figure out where I am for a bit even though I’m going to somewhere I have been. Any idea how memory is affected?

Thank you!

[selmaS]

Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

First Chiari is a congenital condition meaning you were born with it, and it is a  malformation of the skull.....many that have it may be unaware since we have always had it and do not recognize symptoms as symptoms as we have always had them....they are our "normal"....HOWEVER it is possible to acquire Chiari  BUT it is low lying tonsils and not a true Chiari BUT the symptoms are the same as are the treatment options.

You , if you have true Chiari may not have noticed your symptoms, but the continuned falls may have triggered your symptoms to flare/worsen so you noticed them more.

Anyone can develope low lying tonsils and sometimes they retract on their own, while some require surgery.

As for whip lash, it can aggravate Chiari symptoms.....I had whip lash and I know it made my symptoms worse.I am not sure what could be done to help prevent someone from possible injury like this due to the nature of the contact sport...just as in football is dangerous as there are many head and neck injuries that do not show up until years after playing the sport.....

Not sure if that helps, if it has created more questions just keep asking , I'll try to answer the best I can,

[Ninja5]

Thank you so much! This does help as I feel my symptoms seem to have significantly increased, which caused me to seek medical advise which found the Chiari.  

As I look back I have had mild symptoms over the years that I just brushed off.  Now the symptoms are too many and too severe to explain away. I have altered my training but I feel it might be a bit too late as I’m not sure if the pain will subside and the memory to come back. I am  just waiting to hear back for an appointment from the neurosurgeon at this point.

Thanks for the help!

[selmaS]

No worries.....do make sure your NS  is a true Chiari specialist and rules out ALL related conditions as they can affect the outcome should you be deemed a candidate for surgery.
And do keep us posted on what you find out.