21 y/o college football player. Please read and Help if you can, I want my life back!!

[bmforem07]

For the past year and 4 months, I have been seeking help for problems with lightheadedness and fatigue, accompanied by annoying pressure in the back right of my head and especially in my right ear as well. Whenever I move my head around, there is also clicking and popping within my ear/neck area. right eye is also dry and scratchy whenever I blink. Note: This started about the time after I got done being immobilized (stretcher & neck brace) for 14 hours after a shoulder stinger in a college football game. They thought i had back fractures but it was a blatant misdiagnosis by the team doc's and local hospital. I have so far been to 3 neurologists, 3 ENT's, 3 eye doctors, 2 general practitioners, 2 orthopedic specialists (for neck trouble), 1 orofacial/TMJ specialist, and even 1 neuropsychologist (to rule out anxiety/prob.'s with medications). To this point, 0 tests have proven to show that I should sit out, but I still feel awful. I have had an unnatural amount of tests done within the past year, done a lot of therapy, and taken many medications for months at a time but nothing has worked thus far. I am a college student, 21 years old, scholarship football player. I have in addition, been checked for Chiari Malformation which someone told me to look into last time I was here. I have also done a month worth of food elimination (gluten, dairy, and products high in sodium) None helped. I am ready to have this problem diagnosed and move on to get with my life. Not a day has gone by in the past year where I feel like I am walking around in a FOG of lightheadedness/dizziness/spacey feeling with my right eye being dry, having pressure in my ears (mainly right), and feeling fatigued.  Could this be related to being immobile in the neck brace? Is it a tendon in my neck or head causing this cascade of inflammation?  For an extremely active athlete, you could see how frustrating and debilitating this actually is. If there is anyone who can help PLEASE let me know what to do.

[Onoceobi]

Has anyone checked your chest? I dislocated my sternomanubrial joint and lived with it like that for nearly seven years because the pain in my chest was very mild/ non existent initially and all of the pain was in my back (later the neck / throat / jaw but nobody connected the dots). It is a rare injury so nobody ever thinks of it and it can be ruled out with a simple lateral chest x ray. Hope this helps :)
-C

[Michael L Gross, MD]

I am sorry about your problems. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the cause is. However, I dont think your injury nor the immobilization are the root of your problems.