Dizziness, neck pain, and no answers

Tagged: dizziness, Neck pain

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anniebobba
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June 12, 2017 at 11:01 am

Post count: 4

#25201

Hello Dr. Corenman,

I have been dealing with very weird symptoms for almost 2 years now. I am 24 years old. It all started when I sat down at my desk at work after a lunch break and all the sudden got this extreme disequilibrium and unsteadiness and dizziness. I was taken to the ER and told I have post-concussion syndrome from a very insignificant head trauma that I had a few weeks ago. I should also mention that I saw a chiropractor during my lunch break that day before I got dizzy. I took meclizine and it didn’t help. To make a long story short, I started developing more symptoms over the next couple of months including neck pain and tightness, neck clicking and cracking, facial numbness, TMJ pain, major brain fog and loss of concentration, visual disturbances, among other things. I will now list what I have tried to help. Chiropractors(I saw a chiro over 100 times in a year period after my initial bout, I would get temporary relief from symptoms and then they would return a few hours later, I now know this was a horrible thing to do because I was probably damaging my neck even more). 3 different physical therapists, two tried to treat me for a vestibular condition and also tried to strengthen my neck muscles(this helped to an extent but did not completely take care of the issue). Prolotherapy(didn’t help at all). I have seen countless medical doctors as well, ENTs to test all ear functions which all came back normal, 2 different neurologists who told me there was absolutely nothing wrong with me other than BPPV(which I do not have, I have been tested over 10 different times and also done eply maneuvers over a couple months time with no relief). I have had an MRI of neck which showed nothing except a slight degeneration of C4-C5 and straightening of my cervical spine. I have had a CT scan done of my head and neck which showed nothing. Then a month ago I started seeing a NUCCA chiropractor and she took more precise XRays and found that I have a straightening of my cervical spine and even a slight reversal of the curve, she also found that I have degeneration from C3-C6 and also bone spurs. She is adjusting my atlas bone, but so far I havent noticed any results. I am completely lost. I own my own home, but have been forced to move back in with my parents because I can hardly work anymore. I am pretty much house-bound except for doctors appointments. I need some guidance and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Anna

Rzds
Participant

June 16, 2017 at 10:28 am

Post count: 2

#25217

I have had vertigo issues for the better part of 24 years. The worthless & overpriced American medical system has thus far done nothing for me. I too have seen a whole host of doctors. Ive done the NUCCA treatment – it made my systems worse. I wasn’t able to complete the caloric test from ENT – too much dizziness and also gave me needle like pain in the ear. I don’t follow up with ENT until next week. Like you, I also have some mild disk budging in the cervical spine. There is also some mild bone spurring. Neurologists don’t seem to think much of it but considering the neck stiffness, muscle spasms and some neck pain, I think its possible the dick bulge could be irritating the nerves. This could possibly be your problem also. I consult with a pain specialist next week.
I dont think I can put a link here but there is an article on the internet (possible written by doctors from china) who treated a patient with similar symptoms. Article title is:
“Chronic Neck Pain and Episodic Vertigo and Tinnitus” from onlinelibrary.wiley
Its possible this could be answer. I have to discuss with pain management doctor next week. I also have other issues now such as pain when walking and sitting. Seems all related to the neck. L-spine MRI was OK. T-spine did have some arthritis. Also note that the Chinese patient had some vein issues in the back of the neck. Have you had a Doppler scan of your arteries? Mine seem OK but it was a quick test. Did they do it right??
Meanwhile, what could lessen the vertigo for you is muscle trigger point therapy. Its the only treatment that has helped me on any consistent basis. Try manual therapy first. Then, if you want, you can do the dry needling treatment. I found dry needling lessens the dizziness for about 2 days. U will need to find somebody who knows what they are doing because the will be sticking needles in your neck muscles and also back of the head. Check online reviews.
If pain management doc believes nucleoplasty treatment is the answer for me, I will report back.

anniebobba
Participant

June 16, 2017 at 12:57 pm

Post count: 4

#25219

Thanks for the reply, Rzds. I read that article that you mentioned and it seems like a good avenue to pursue. I have never heard of a cervical discography or the nucleoplasty treatment, but then again, everyone who I have told that I have neck pain other than the chiropractors basically tell me its not true because I am so young.

I have not had a scan of my arteries either, I have tried to get my doctors to order one, but again because of my age no one has thought it was necessary to do.

I have tried manual therapy and also dry needling with no success, I am so glad that it is working somewhat for you though. I am going to look into that treatment and hopefully find someone around my area who does it. Thanks!

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

June 19, 2017 at 5:21 am

Post count: 8660

#25227

Be careful with manual therapy to treat dizziness. You want to make sure your vertebral arteries are patent (open) and there is no C1-2 instability to cause vertebral artery syndrome (Bowhunter’s syndrome).

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

anniebobba
Participant

July 1, 2017 at 9:34 am

Post count: 4

#25366

How would I go about getting these tests ordered? I have seen 3 different neurologists and I have mentioned both of those things to the and bone of them seemed to think that had anything to do with my problem. I recently had an MRI of my brain with clear results. I asked about having a MRA, but the neuro didn’t think it was necessary and my symptoms didn’t fit.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

July 2, 2017 at 6:26 am

Post count: 8660

#25370

You have to find a neurologist who feels that the symptoms could match with a vascular syndrome such as Bowhunter’s syndrome or vertebral artery stenosis. If your physicians feel that the test won’t be productive, they will not order it.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
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Donald Corenman, MD, DC

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81 reviews

Eric S

Sep 26, 2021

by Eric S on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

Successful pars repair at 46 years old

Back in November of 2018 (at 46 years old) I came from Vancouver BC to have a pars repair done with Dr. Donald Corenman at the Steadman Clinic in Vail Colorado. I'm finally posting this review nearly three years later in late 2021. The reason I waited so long was I wanted to know the final result before I posted my review. Unfortunately in that time Dr. Corenman has retired. Nevertheless, I want to post this review of Dr. Corenman and his staff at the Steadman Clinic in their excellent treatment of my L5 pars interarticularis.

I fractured my pars at age 42 back in 2014 when rolling on the gym floor, and was denied treatment by the Canadian healthcare system, probably due to my age. First my GP told me there was no surgical option for a pars defect, which was quite incorrect! I tried to live with it, but the symptoms worsened (periodic random spine slippage and weeks of resultant pain after just bending over to tie my shoe, so I eventually learned to mostly squat and hardly bend). When I finally consulted with Canadian spine surgeons, I was told they believed my pars defect had been congenital (since birth). This was absurd, considering I had done extreme martial arts (including jiu jitsu) for years prior, as well as 5 years of reinforcing steel full time in my 20s, probably the hardest job on the back you can find. No pars defect like mine would possibly have allowed this--ergo it was impossible that I had had the defect since birth. I did however have an asymptomatic congenital spina bifida occulta that made me more susceptible to a pars fracture. In 2014 in one instant, I went from having the strongest back people I knew said they'd ever seen, to being unable to safely bend over and tie my shoe without a non-negligible risk of my spine slipping randomly (which would lead to weeks of pain after each occurrence). This was due to the unilateral L5 pars defect, otherwise known as spondylolysis. It was when lying in pain on the floor 4 years later after maybe the 6th spine slippage event post injury, that I had had enough, and resolved to have surgery. If Canada's "universal health care" said no, I would make lemonade from lemons, and find the very best surgeon in the world at pars repairs. That was Dr. Donald Corenman. Dr. Corenman back in 2018 ran a website https://neckandback.com/ that dedicated many pages to the science of every aspect of pars repairs, from eligibility (good discs on MRI), to best surgical techniques (minimal open compared to minimally invasive), best imaging to use (i.e., O-Arm with Stealth imaging vs. older fluoroscopy), the ideal amount of BMP to use and why not use too much or too little, and much more, all to do with pars repairs, pages upon pages of his site just on the pars, with scientific references and his own extensive expert opinion. As a health research statistician, I was very impressed with this. It was in stark contrast to the websites of other spine surgeons which barely gave the pars a word or two, focusing almost exclusively on fusions. I had found the best surgeon in the world for pars repairs, and so after Dr. Corenman personally screened my MRI to ensure my discs were healthy, I booked the surgery.

Being 46 years old at the time of surgery in 2018, with a 4-year-old pars fracture from 2014 combined with a congenital SBO meant my pars fragment was somewhat atrophied, but it was "very solid", said Dr. Corenman in the operative report. Nevertheless, it was challenging with two things to fix, the pars and SBO, and OR time was around 4 hours. Recovery over the following months was guided by a very clear "Spine binder" from the Steadman Clinic with strict rules of "no BLT" (no bending, lifting or twisting), and illustrated physiotherapy guidelines. They even warned patients to avoid fish oil supplements, which could excessively dampen inflammation and hence slow bone healing. They answered many questions I had during months of recovery, with responses coming from the very supportive Lori Fugate (then director of Dr. Corenman's practice), and Ehrich Bean (then physician's assistant at the practice), as well as a couple calls with Dr. Corenman himself after two of the CT scans. Ehrich Bean offered great advice for taking the spine binder conservatively due to the nature of pars repairs vs. fusions. The final post-op CT scan I had was a couple weeks ago at 34 months post-op, and Dr. Corenman had retired, but I got a very positive and informative call from Eric Strauch (current PA at the Steadman Clinic under Dr. Corenman's replacement there, and who had also worked with Dr. Corenman previously). The staff at the Steadman Clinic were extremely supportive all the way through the process. I should mention, the local Canadian spine surgeon did offer me very good post-operative support including antibiotics as needed to deal with a mild surface incision-site infection early on, booking numerous x-rays when I felt something was amiss, as well as booking all four of my post-op CT scans. I am very grateful for that support also.

My final result shows plenty of solid bone across the pars and a healed SBO, with my vertebral body now a solid bone ring instead of being broken at two places as it was pre-op. Does my spine hold up in the real world? You bet! I have recently dug and moved several yards of dirt and sand and gravel by myself (shovel and wheelbarrow!) to fix our water main, pulled roots from the yard, moved several "portable" (these are HUGE) air conditioners up several flights of stairs my myself, and lifted weights. I now run 2 miles (3.2 KM) several times weekly with a hard 100 meter dash in the middle. I bend deeply before each run I go on, with no spine slippage. My spine feels amazing. I can bend over to do exercise, or real word tasks, with no risk of spine slippage.

My sincere thanks to God, Dr. Donald Corenman, Lori Fugate, Ehrich Bean, Eric Strauch, and the Steadman Clinic, as well as the Canadian spine surgeon who offered me excellent post-operative care back in Canada. You have all given me a new lease on life.

Sincerely,
Eric S

Robert S

May 11, 2021

by Robert S on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

Back Fusion Surgery

I had my entire lumbar spine fused in November of 2018. I had scoliosis , with pinched nerves that were so painful I could hardly walk - and standing for more than a few minutes was impossible. Even sitting was painful.
The fusion surgery produced immediate relief! And the recovery was much easier than I expected.
To this day I can do all the activities I love from hiking, to standing in a stream fly fishing to riding my bike long distances - or just walking down the street with my wife.
Kudos to Dr. Corenman and his staff, (including the two Erics) for taking such good care of me!

Leslie R

Jul 9, 2020

by Leslie R on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

TLIF

I had my TLIF surgery on 6/24/2020 by Dr. Corenman, I can not say enough good things about the Dr or his staff. I was always treated with respect and explained everything throughly, that made it easy for everyone to understand. I highly recommend Dr. Corenman and the Steadman Clinic.

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