pressure travels up spine to head

@pinkrose Welcome to Connect. If I was having your symptoms, I would definitely talk to a doctor about it. Dizziness on standing may not be related to the spine. You body has to shift and increase blood pressure as you stand which requires your circulatory system to react. If you don't get blood to your brain fast enough, that may cause dizziness. It is something to look into. Loosing your balance or passing out from the dizziness could cause injuries or broken bones or a head injury if you hit your head. Prevention is your best medicine.

I am a spine patient, and I have had dizziness related to my spine that happens if my C1 & C2 get rotated on their own. That was happening a lot before I had spinal fusion at C5/C6 because there were a lot of muscle spasms, and one side of my neck is too tight from thoracic outlet syndrome. When this was rotated, and I didn't realize it, when I looked upward, it caused vertigo and I did fall down once from that. The reason is because the vertebral arteries pass through the cervical vertebrae, and with rotated vertebrae, it was already stretched, then I looked up and kinked it. What resolved this was to stretch the muscles to get my neck back in a better position and see my physical therapist who realigned my spine. I had some lingering dizziness until my vertebrae were back in position. Since my spine surgery, this doesn't happen, and I know if I am getting tight muscles that need to be stretched.

What are the movements that increase your pain in your back? Are there body positions that reduce pain?

@pinkrose
What treatment was suggested for your spine cyst? Do they know what caused the cyst? Can it be surgically removed? Have they done a needle biopsy of the cyst? I have had surgery on my cervical and lumbar spine (lumbar spine L3-L5 was just done on Friday, 8/2/2024). My understanding of any compression on spinal cord/nerve roots affects communication to/from brain to body/limbs. The cyst may also be putting pressure on blood vessels/blood flow. Has your doctor recommended spine injections to help reduce any inflammation?

I have only seen a nurse practitioner for the pain across the bottom of my buttocks. She ordered the MRI that found the cysts at S2. She recommended injections from a pain doctor who was sure the pain was coming from my middle back, since there was some indication of osteoarthritis in that place. But the injections did not help. I have only one kidney and stage 2 ckd, so ibuprofen is not recommended. Ice is helping and Tylenol Arthritis is not really toughing the pain. I have an appointment tomorrow with her again and will address the dizzyness. I am hoping for some direction in talking with her to go the next step for help.
I am not adjusting to the lifestyle challenges very well.

@pinkrose
Did you get lumbar and hip MRIs? I got both because I had low back/hip/buttocks/legs/feet pain, numbness and weakness. Your cysts sound like they are pressing on spinal nerves. It may be good to see a spine specialist/neurosurgeon to determine if you could get the cysts removed and if doing so would relieve some of your symptoms. My lumbar stenosis/degenerative disc disease/neurogenic claudication/sciatica was causing the symptoms in my hips and buttocks (wasn’t my hip joint). I was told that my hip MRI showed bilateral gluteal tendinopathy and partial hamstring tears (have no idea how this happened but it did add to my symptoms of pain/weakness).

Nurse Practitioner has ordered gabapentin for the pain, she explained the good and bad for its affects. Now have appointment with a spine specialist that she highly recommends. She can not address the unsteadiness I feel, though. The appointment is in October and grateful that they will see me that soon. Taking a day at a time. Gardening and grandchildren are my joy, just with new directions. Thank you for your replies.

@pinkrose
I am so glad you can see the spine specialist in a couple months. I take Gabapentin at night to help me sleep but need to be careful because it makes me a little dizzy. I have balance and dizziness that I think is linked to my small fiber neuropathy/peripheral neuropathy. It may also be tied to spinal stenosis/nerve root/nerve compression. Your brain sends signals through your spinal cord, to nerve roots to peripheral nerves and your peripheral nerves send signals back to your brain. The sensorineural/motor communications may be impacted by your cysts and the nerve compression. When I go up and down stairs, I have always needed to hold onto the rail firmly and tap my foot on the steps to make sure I have my foot firmly on the step before putting my weight down. I do this to make sure not to fall. I can’t wait to see how I feel after recovering from my lumbar decompression spinal fusion surgery on 8/2. My neurogenic claudication caused so many symptoms that it will be interesting to see how it feels to have my spinal cord and nerve roots/nerves decompressed. I am hopeful to have better movement and function. Being 55 and a single parent of a teenage son makes it so hard for me to not be able to fully enjoy doing things with my son. If I can do a little more with him after full recovery, the surgery will be so worth it.

Hello I'm the guy who posted here last week concerning numbness and tingling in my hands,up to about three years ago I was professional guitar player all over Key West,my home town and also up the Keys as far as Marathon which is about fifty miles. After having four consecutive Colon surgeries in five weeks,{Abcess Colon} before I came home from the hospital,a fistula formed in my stomach---and eventually the infection went into my Spinal Column,I had to stay in the hospital another three weeks and when I got home within two weeks I fell,my wife an ambulance and they took me to Miami Beach Mt. Sanai for another three weeks. I then came home and my wife inserted one hour Anti Virus medication every day for eight weeks. Way back in 1960 after high school graduation I joined the US Army and after basic training in Ft. Jackson,S.C--I went to Air Borne training in Ft.Campbell,Ky. and again--my luck I landed on my butt the last week of six weeks training,I needed surgery on the tip of my Spine and they inserted a draining wick---which was very pain full as they drained it every week. I could not continue Air Borne training after I healed so I re-enlisted for 3- more years to get out of there and was re-located to Freidburg,Germany--right where Elvis Pressly was stationed seven years before me. I became intrested in guitar and music and when finally arrived back to Key West in late 1966 I took two years music lessons and became an entertainer. Now my hands won't function--so I can't play guitar any more---so as some one said here last week,just re-lax and try to enjoy the rest of my life. Thank you all for the advice and reading this story,Bobby Pazo--in the Southern most city in the Contnental U.S--Key West,Fl