My neck is killing me and no one knows WHY

1. Signs and Symptoms: Neck Pain All the Time! The neck pain is constant, waking her up from the sleep constantly more than 2~3 times through the night, painful when she initiates any motion on her neck like turning to the left and right or looking up or down,

2. Type of Trauma: Cannot recall specifically but vaguely can remember had fallen from the playground and landed on her head and neck area when she was 6 or 7.

3. Imaging findings: Hypoplastic occipital condyles and hypoplastic C1 transverse processes and atlanto-occipital subluxation.

4. Outcome: Patient improved 90% by 5th visit in 5 weeks time and by the 6th visit, complete remission, no more S/S at all. Visited few more times to monitor the progress and she was symptom free until the very last visit which was 2 months from the 6th visit.

A female in her early 30s visited Silverdale Chiropractic for persistent, chronic severe migraines and neck pain. She reported a constant sensation as though her head was compressing onto her neck, often feeling the need to support her neck with her hands.

During the consultation, a cervical distraction test was performed, which provided immediate relief from both her headache and neck pain. However, once the distraction force was removed, the symptoms returned.

To further investigate the underlying causes, a Cone Beam CT (CBCT) scan was ordered, revealing several significant findings.

1. Elevated Schmidt-Fischer Angle (+127 degrees) indicating hypoplastic occipital condyles.

2. Hypoplastic C1 Transverse processes.

3. Anterior displacement of the atlas in terms of occipital condyle on the right side.

4. Anterior displacement of the atlas in terms of the occipital condyle on the left side. Also notice the flat atlanto-occipital joint is and the formation of the arcuate foramen.

A combination of instrument-assisted adjustments and manual techniques (without joint cavitation or typical rotational manipulation) was used to address the misalignments identified.

During the first few weeks of treatment, her symptoms fluctuated, but by the fifth visit, she reported significant improvement. By the sixth visit, her symptoms had completely resolved. She continued periodic visits over the next two months for monitoring, and remained symptom-free. This marked a significant improvement, especially after years of intense chronic pain and reliance on medication.

While this outcome was highly positive for this patient, it is important to note that results may vary, and further research is necessary to explore the relationship between this type of intervention and its effectiveness for similar cases.