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Dr. I am a 51 year old male. I am very athletic and in good physical condition. About a year ago, my blood pressure spiked to around 200/100 and I’ve been trying to regulate it ever since with medicine. Since that time, I was diagnosed with a Chiari Malformation and Syrinx. I am starting to have symptoms like blurred vision, tremors, numbness in my left arm and left foot, terrible pain at the base of my skull and a “fullness” in my head. Two questions – is there any way this blood pressure issue could be related to the Chiari? And, in your opinion (given the symptoms I’ve described), would I be a good candidate for decompression surgery. Thanks in advance.

A syrinx is a cavity in the central canal of the cord. It can be connected to the fourth ventricle or not connected. If it is connected, it is called a communicating syrinx. If not, it is a non-communicating syrinx. Syrinxes are the equivalent of enlarged ventricles in the cord and consequently sometimes referred to as hydromyelia similar to hydrocephalus in the brain. The causes are unknown. My theory is the same as in the cranial vault. It has to do with obsruction to CSF flow. The obstruction can occur in craniocervical junction or it can be caused by spondylosis and stenosis in the lower cervical spine. Spondylosis and stenosis can also cause chronic ischemia and hyperintensity signals in the cord nearby.

I am currently consulting with a much more complicated case of Chiari, anomolous dural sinus driange system, bilateral faulty IJ valves, hemangioma of the fifth thoracic vertebra, tethered cord, kyphosis, scoliosis etc. That's the short list. Researchers are just starting to catch on. The best and most recent studies have been done supine. Everything will need to be redone in the upright position. There is a long way to go yet.

Hi Doc,

I have a reaction from the neurosurgeon; that they dont see a reason for surgery That's not my question!!
So i replied that it is a bit disappointing that they dont have an opinion about your opinion
And i also added that the mri from 2004 shows same kind of issues......dont know if there will be another reaction, we'll see..

Rgds,

Robert

uprightdoc wrote:Dania,
I would pull out every tool on the truck to work on you. The Cox 8 Table and the Triton DTS are both good for you. You need decompression from stem to stern and everything in between. After I would get a case like you under control I would set you up on automatic and leave you on for a good 12-15 minutes or so. It's not just the table, however. It's also how the doctor uses it. I own a hammer but it doesn't make me a carpenter and certainly not a master craftsman or cabinet maker.

Here is what I am thinking. I know I will not get the help here. So If I get a table that someone can strap me into and leave me there for 15 minutes, it would be better than nothing.I could have a few people trained just to do that. A medical/neuro/osteo doctor who rents my garage (practices as an osteo) and I know a few osteo's and could contact some local chiros and see if they would be interested in giving me a few treatments a week in exchange for them treating some patients on the table. So what table do you believe would be the best for me. Getting back and forth from any appointment is too difficult and takes me hours to recover to my crummy state. I need this done daily if not twice a day? I realize someone with your expertise would be the best but I must work with what I can get.

I think I have some better ideas for you Dania that will accomplish far more for less.

uprightdoc wrote:I think I have some better ideas for you Dania that will accomplish far more for less.

I just received a call from a chiro that uses a very old Cox table. He is coming to my home this Friday afternoon. And will be giving me a treatment for Only $50, bless his heart. I sent my mother to him in the spring and he helped her a lot.
http://www.chiropincourt.com/index_en.html

Good for you.

Dania,
If you don't have one already, get a transfer/gait rehab belt. It will make it easier for the chiropractor, care givers and aids to move you without hurting themselves or you in the process. More importantly, it will decrease the strain on your wrists, neck and back. Transfer belts are also used for gait rehab following strokes.

http://www.scanmedical.com/transferbelt.htm

Hi doc,

Question:

Why do you see the issues in my spine and the neurologists missed it?
In 2004 and i'm curious if they will see it now...

Rgds,

Robert

Robert,
I could spend all day telling you stories of obvious pathology and dysfunction missed by orthopedic surgeons, neurologists and radiologists. Neurologists have expertise in neurology and neurological diseases. They have no expertise in pathology of the spine. They have even less expertise as far as dysfunction of the spine is concerned. Nonetheless, despite their lack of expertise, even newbie neurologists could see the degeneration in your spine if you show it to them. The problem is that they don't see the degeneration in the spine as being relevant in cases like yours. I have waited thirty years for them to recognize the role of the design of the skull, spine and circulatory system of the brain and cord due to upright posture in neurodegenerative diseases. They are just starting to catch on.

Thx doc, i want to prepare myself as much as i can for the 'clash' with the neuro at oct 30th.
From the simple ms diagnosis in 2004, my doubts, the mental improvements after ccsvi treatment in 2010, the damage seen on mri 2013 and ofcourse......the 2004 mri.

Btw; i already made an appointment at the spine specialized clinic. I hope the neuro wants to sendme there, but there is a 2 month waitinglist.

Your welcome Robert. Prepare yourself for the worst.

Even if you didn't have MS, your spine could benefit from treatment. It doesn't make any sense to ignore the health of the spine. There are many reason to suspect that the spine plays a significant role in neurodegenrative conditions. I have a patient with possible or probable MS that has leg weaknesses, a foot drop due and difficulty walking and climbing stairs, as well as house work due to spondylolisthesis (joint laxity and instability) with bilateral stenosis of the intervertebral foramen in the lumbar spine that has nothing to do with MS. Treatments for diet, Lyme infection, hyperbaric therapy and MS did nothing to improve the strength in the legs, foot, climbing stairs or walking. Neither did upper cervical correction. While a partial foot drop remains, correcting and rehabilitating the spondylolisthesisis has helped significantly.

Well, same over here;
- 1 1/2 year no gluten, no dairy products etc etc....nothing..
- No Lyme

CCSVI treatment did help mentally...

Tests show my health is perfect...except my MS

Imagine that the cartilage in your knee looked like the cartilage in your neck. Do you think that it might cause some knee pain and possibly some immobility, maybe even a hitch in your get-a-along, also known as a gimp. Damage to the cartilage in the neck can have far greater consequences.

The damage to the cartilage in your neck affects the mechanics of movement in the cervical spine. More importantly, in your case the degenerated cartilage has significantly compressed the spinal canal causing stenosis. The stenosis is compressig the vertebral veins in the epidural space. The vertebral veins drain the spinal cord. The cervical vertebral veins also drain the brain in the upright position. Venous back pressure decrease perfusion pressure and and consequently arterial blood flow to the cord. It's basic physics. Chronic decreased arterial flow to any tissue, especially sensitive nerves like the spinal cord can cause neurodegenerative conditions and subsequent neurodegenerative cascades and conditions. The solution is to stop the process. It is my opinion that increased pressure and venous pressure in the epidural space also affects hydraulics in the spinal cord. The long motor tracts of the cord are located on the ventral (front) side of the cord close to the spondylosis in your case. I suspect that the spondylosis and stenosis in your case, Blossom's case and Dania's case are affecting the long corticospinal (pyramidal) tracts of the cord causing motor (muscle) weakness.

Hi Doc,

I do have upper motor nerve signs... (i mentioned this earlier, but i think you missed it)

Rgds,

Robert

I was referring to your upper motor neuron signs. UMNs are a sure sign that you have brain or cord problems. The corticospinal tracts originate in the motor strip of the cortex. Their axons travel down through the spinal canal to junctions in the spinal cord where they connect to lower motor neurons that become the peripheral nerves. UMN signs can be caused by anything that interferes with the communication of the 1st order neurons/tracts from the brain to the cord. You have possible compression in the cervical cord due to spondylosis and stenosis affecting the spinal canal.