Cervical Neck Instability

I have been reading about prolotherapy for c1-c2 instability. Has anyone heard any results using such therapy?

@werock, I did a quick search for information on prolotherapy aimed at the neck, focusing on the National Library of Medicine which prioritizes medically recognized technologies and treatments. It looks as though the reports on file there address pain more than instability, but you may find more satisfying information in 20 articles on the neck and 25 others on the spine as a whole. Check out http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=prolotherapy first to get a list of the 25, then add "+neck" to the search terms to give you http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=prolotherapy+neck for a list of the 20. These may trigger more responses from other members as well.

Thank you!!

I am a candidate for C1-C2 ablation surgery. It is very delicate for the surgeon,
since it can cause a lot of problems. Including paralization. I see that surgery as a last choice.
Does anybody have had this surgery and where?

I have had three surgeries on c-5-6, and c-6-7, and the fourth surgery was a cleanse, since I caught an infection. I have had blocks and even an increase in MED's. I suffer with migraines on a daily basis, left shoulder pain as well as numbness in my left hand.i have went to migraine specialists, neurologists, as well as going all the way to Mayo in Minnesota. I have been told that I have a complicated case. But there is nothing that any dr could make it more pain free. Before you go and have surgery, I suggest that you research as well as see which dr would be the best for you. I am now on disability because I can't stand or sit for long periods of time. i hope this helps you and best of luck....God Bless

I had a spinal fusion at c1 and c2 about 17-18 years ago.

I have cervial instability. Had Chairi decompression. Now with multitude of symptoms and vagus nerve compression. Have done to PT route, cervical collar, etc. Has anyone had this fusion or tried anything else in its place?

Hello @jacklynn12 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You will notice that I have moved your post into an existing discussion on Cervical Neck Instability where you will be able to scroll back into the conversation and read about other members and their experiences. I know you also posted in another discussion where I've connected you to member's with experiences as well. Does this help?

I do not know abut prolotherapy but I had PRP therapy(platelet rich plasma) for C1-C2 and it did absolutely nothing for me. And it was very costly.

Where do I begin…. I feel lost and scared because I cant find the right doc or a doc I need that will see me.

I have always had neck and back issues, which I can usually control with a visit to the Chiropractor. I have also had this gaging feeling or choking feeling in my throat for about a year. It wasn’t till the first of 2020 I started to notice a trend in my symptom.

I started to get really fatigued and had a burning in my throat with the gaging feeling at time when I would turn my head a certain way, or try to do crunches at the gym, a whooshing sound in my ear when I would lay down. Still all manageable,. I even got test for COVID-19 thinking that was the case, but negative.
I went to my OBGYN thinking it was hormone related, all checked out normal. Then I went to a Endocrinologist and thought maybe it was my Thyroid or Adrenals. I thought maybe my Cortisol was off too, because certain sounds, like a smoke detector would send me into a panic. Those tests came back fine. So I took a break and tried to overlook the symptoms. I started to need to drink a coffee in the morning and an energy drink in the afternoon to just get by, but then I couldn’t sleep in the evenings.

It wasn’t till the end of 2020 I started to notice more symptoms. By February 2021 I looked into a ENT doc and told them about my symptoms. They check the throat and they thought it was GERD, so I went on a strike diet, but it didn’t work. They checked my earing due to the whooshing sound in my ear and the neck pain. That is also when I also notice a small bump under my ear sticking out. The doc said it was the Transverse process of the upper cervical and that its completely normal. “Normal!” I didn’t have it before. During this time, I started to research my symptoms and came across CCI. I mentioned it to him, but he said he could only test for the certain things. So I got a MRA brain without contract, MRA of neck without contract, and a MRI IACS with and without contract. All that came back was a 4mm pineal cyst in the brain. They didn’t see anything alarming, so they said they couldn’t do much else to help. So I requested for a referral. Once I found out about the transverse process, I went to my Chiropractor who said he could adjust the neck( which I have never done), reluctantly I agreed. After two sessions the bump went away, but that when things got worse. Not sure if there is any relation to the adjustment or not, just stating the facts. The Chiropractor also suggested I try to do some neck stretching exercises to help with my posture and that it could help the neck pain. So I did a couple of them and that’s when I notice major changes.

While this was all happening, I started to notice new symptoms:
• stiffness in neck, Tension headaches everyday
• head shakes when upright too long
• heart palpations and chest pain
• sensitivity at base of skull and upper neck
• pressure on top, lower skull, upper neck when upright too long- once pressure has increased it hurts to lay head down
• stiffness in neck
• tenderness at base of skull
• blurred vision
• brain fog- have hard time finishing sentence or completing a verbal thought
• pulsating in varies body parts
• ear issues- pulsatile tinnitus, fizzy sound, and ears fill full, sensitivity to sounds
• cold and sweaty hand and feet- comes and goes
• dizzy and off balance after upright
• electric stimulation throughout body daily
• chronic fatigue
• cognitive and memory decline
• difficulty swallowing or sensation of being choked

The ENT gave me a referral to an Orthopedic doc, but that didn’t do much help, because they went by the ENT notes and only wanted to examine one thing. I got a couple xrays and they said maybe try a Neurologist. Really? No further test? You won’t look into more based on my symptoms? He couldn’t tell me if the adjustment to my neck could have started this, nothing about the transverse process either. Frustrated, So I have currently took the referral and I’m hoping to get into a Neurologist, but it’s a waiting game to see if they will even take me based on previous doc notes, which could be a misdiagnosis. I tried to get into the Neurology group at Mayo but got denied. Orlando doesn’t have the best rating of Neurologist in the area, which is depressing.

I think based on my research it is CCI, but not sure at this point. I feel I need a upright MRI of the neck and brain with/ and without contrast. I need to know there is no tumors in the brain and need to rule out if this is CCI.

I’m so scared. I see so many people on here who can’t get to the right docs. I was laid off due to Covid in 2020 and just starting to get some freelance work, but I can barely work. No job is going to hire me, if I can only work a couple hours a day. Being bounced around from doc to doc, I’m starting to getting a lot of bills. My family is frustrated at the situation, and I think my husband almost thinks it’s in my head. I deal with anxiety and OCD on top of this so most doc sum it up to that and it just makes me obsess about it more.

Can anyone give me suggestions? I cant seem to find the right docs or get the right referral.
I want to rule out brain tumor, so it’s that a MRI with contrast of the brain? Is the 4mm cyst in the brain adding to this?
I want to do a test for CCI and maybe CSF- do I do a upright MRI of the upper cervical spine?