I took a little trip down the street to the local chiropractor to see what they had to say about a possible atlas adjustment to possibly help my MM out. Woke up dizzy after about five days of somewhat normalcy, I blame this on my slip of diet yesterday and a little white coat syndrome perhaps. I had to dose up pretty good since it’s so dang cold out and the frigid temps seem to exascerbate my anxiety. Anyways, I made it up there and they were open despite broken pipes in both bathrooms from the cold. I filled out all of the background paperwork, the older you get the longer this takes due to the laundry list of issues we accumulate... The doc was hip to Ménière’s, and he was interested in the AV approach I’ve been taking. I didnt show any immediate signs of an upper cervical issue per se, but with my multiple prior bike and auto accidents he was concerned with a connection. They took a few X-rays of my head and neck. I’ll go back tomorrow for more info and possible adjustments.
Back from my second visit. X-rays were mostly negative, they did see a slight leftward tilt and a straightening of the middle of my neck, a byproduct of too much looking down at screens. The doc said it’s becoming an epidemic. I got “manipulated” on the table, the adjustments to my mid back sounded like someone cutting a whole lobster lengthwise with a chefs knife. Even the doc said “oh wow!” They want me back twice a week for six weeks. If anything my back and neck will feel better, I’m not counting on much help with the MM.
8) I felt it was important to convey the severity of the “manipulation” as such...My second choice was “sounded like someone crushing a handful of potato chips” but that just didn’t have the same ring to it.
Sooooo.... Went back to the chiropractor again today. Saw the doc I was trying to see from the beginning. He was very interested in MM and especially the AV treatments. He asked me if I'd ever had migraines, I told him I had them when I was a kid and traded them in for MM instead. He did several different adjustments, one of which included me lying on my back, crossing my arms and rolling to one side as he basically laid across me and rotated. That was fun. My whole spine erupted like a chain of Black Cat firecrackers on a hot asphalt parking lot. Then the fun part started. I laid back straight and he began to manipulate the atlas area. He was able to guess my MM affected side without asking based on the whole area being locked up and just generally jacked. When he pressed, I could feel the pain shooting into my inner ear, whereas in the left side there was nothing. After he made those adjustments I sat up and felt so odd..adrenaline mixed with elation with a twinge of nausea. He said "man you are really flushed" ...it was hard for me to explain the feelings at that moment. I thought for a second he might have triggered an attack via nerve manipulation, but so far I'm winding down. The doc hopes he can get some help out of repeated adjustments of the atlas, i for one know he did something different in there...new ground was broken today.
mbg Thanks so much for sharing. I've been shown abnormal xrays of my cervical spine but feel my MM symptoms are about 95% controled by low sodium diet and Acyclovir 800mg 2 x/ day so I'm not currently going for chiropractic treatment. May revisit it after I finish root canal. Meanwhile I find gentle stretching exercises (including neck and TMJ) helpful.
MBG do keep us posted on long term results. Hoping it helps you. I'm afraid to go to chiro because one of my spinning attacks happened at the end of a long massage.
An update. I’m going to say that this treatment does wonders for the accumulated stress in the atlas and cervical spine area, but unfortunately does little to nothing for the underlying MM cause. I’ve been going for 10 weeks, now just weekly. The idea is that the stress from symptoms land in the closest convenient place being the neck. Atlas adjustments alleviate the stress but only temporarily, hence the need for frequent return visits. My doc has also started to do adjustments to the ear bones themselves by tugging down and back on my ear lobes. There’s an audible cracking sound that accompanies this traction. It seems to help, but sometimes it can trigger a wave of nausea. At this point I think the damage to my ear is significant enough that a chiropractic adjustment regimen isn’t going to do me any long term good. Nevertheless I’ll continue to go for at least a few more weeks.
Right ear affected. Substantial hearing loss, worse over the past few weeks. Constant tinnitus, several different sounds. Intermittent extreme volume swelling tinnitus of a low wind variety. Constant pressure with bouts of extreme, painful pressure. Daily vertigo spells lasting from 10-30 minutes. Anxiety, made worse in loud places, grocery stores, etc. Moderately debilitating brain fog. Hyperacusis, but not constant.
MBG, when you say bouts of vertigo every day, do you mean spinning or dizziness? (Sorry, I take ambien nightly then can't remember what anyone's ever told me.)
I'm dizzy basically constantly. Meaning things just feel off, sometimes to the point of mild nausea. For example, last night I had to run to the grocery store (UGH) because the wife has the flu (UGH) and I kept leaning to the left. It was weird and unsettling, but there was no vertigo. When a vertigo attack hits, I'm frozen. The nystagmus is instant, no warning. It usually happens when I'm sitting down reading or concentrating on something close. Not sure what's going on with that. The attack today was pretty mild and resolved within about 5 minutes. I still haven't had a severe attack with vomiting since November. *knocks wood*
On a side, when devoid of spinning or lightheadedness, the perception of leaning to the left, or leaning to any direction when standing on leveled ground is known as 'disequilibrium' specifically. When disequilibrium is perceived as a back & forth motion, such as rolling, swaying, surging, yawing, pitching or rolling (see six degrees of freedom), it is commonly referred to as 'mal de debarquement'.
Nurse: And how would you describe your dizziness? General unsteadiness? swaying? rocking? Me: More of a mal de debarquement I'd say.
lately, when walking usually i tend to move to left. so I guess is disequilibrium. is there any therapy for it? thanks
By gently cupping your uvula with the back of your tongue, be sure to purr the guttural French/German 'R', or the voiced uvular fricative [ʁ], when pronouncing mal de dom-bar)k-monn, too.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy aims to address both the primary & secondary symptoms related to vestibular disorders. Disequalibrum included. That said, I would encourage all members to be as physically active as possible. If not as a form of physical therapy to alleviate primary symptoms such as dizziness, disequilibrium, & gaze instability, to mitigate the sedentary lifestyles that often follow; resulting in muscle atrophy, decreased muscle flexibility, increased joint stiffness, reduced stamina, & diminished endorphins, dopamine, norepinephrine, & serotonin production.