What exactly is a 'bony abnormality'?

[SG2]

When reading up on Chiari (as I have been doing oh..I don't know, every day for the past month) I keep seeing a reference to 'bony abnormality' when talking about chiari.  Is this in reference to the spine or skull, or both?  

I'm sitting here typing on my laptop, yawn and my neck crackles and pops like a fresh bowl of rice crispies.  I'll stretch and the area between my shoulder blades will snap and pop to add to the crackling symphony I've got going on above my shoulders.

Seems I may have some 'bony abnormality' going on as well as brain issues.  

CT Scan (Only of head!) and MRA tomorrow.  See neurologist again Friday then NS on Monday... if they don't suggest CINE MRI, can I ask for one?

[billyz123]

That's what I want to know wwwhat the funk (+_~*) my head hurts.
Oh just to top it off, I turned up the contrast on that 6 year old CT scan (they were looking at my sinuses) and you can see the tonsils and brain stem all crowded in the foramen magnum. Anyways, you can totally see unfused vertebrae on an MRI but a CT is way easier. Your MRA should be neat. I hope it all goes well for you :)

[SG2]

Well, hot damn.  

That's about all I have to say.  Well, maybe I'll say more. My MRI looks similar, but realize it's hard to tell bone differential on MRI. I'd wager my CT Scan will look quite the same.  

What the funk.

[billyz123]

Bony abnormalities can also refer to the spine in the case of CM. For instance, I know one that I have is an incomplete fusion of the posterior arch of my C1 vertebrae. It's almost identical to this picture I found on Wikipedia under "Spina Bifida."  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Atlasbogenspalt.jpg

Finding this pic on wiki may have played a big role in me coming to find out I have CM :)  Here's a shot of my CT scan from 2006 (radiologist missed it or didn't think it was worth noting)...  http://flic.kr/p/aEqhhE

[selmaS]

  Some of the pops and cracks no matter how loud could be muscles...they twist and rub against each other to make the sound....

And it is possible to have joints that pop in and out of joint causing clicking...
  The bony abnormality may refer to the malformation of the skull we all have, or it could also be if u have calcium deposits on the joints....

  If ur MRI reports do not include this, it could just be the joints or the muscles,.....