Hey Everyone.
Wondering if anyone has had this experience?
I have calcified Stylo-Ligaments and it feels like the “bone” that is has become is curved to the shape of my neck (starting just under my mastoid and continuing downward towards my jaw).
If seen some images and having a hard time picturing this as it appears many styloids are just straight.
Thoughts?
Rachelle
Styloids come in all sizes & angles! It is hard to picture them, but many members have curved styloids, sometimes inwards, sometimes poking behind the tonsils…
@Shellymo posted some images of her daughter’s styloids which point a bit inwards:
New to forum, wanting help to view imaging and opinions - Symptoms and Treatments - Living with Eagle
If the stylo-hyoid ligaments are calcified too, they can sort of follow the jaw line & then down to the hyoid bone.
Have you got copies of your images?
@rachelle116 - Even though mine didn’t look curved, I could feel my styloid under my jaw on the left side where my neck meets my chin near the curve of the mandible. I thought it was a clogged salivary gland at first. It made the front of my neck hurt when I poked it.
I do - I’ll post them shortly.
Mine also hurts directly below my mastoid and follow it around towards my ear and down towards my jar. I wonder if this is the insertion point of the ligament.
The ligament is attached to the tips of the styloids & runs down to its attachment on the lesser horns of the hyoid. It may be that when it calcifies thus causing the styloid to elongate, the extra calcification “tugs” on the styloid causing skull base pain. I had terrible skull base pain from both of my styloids. It took almost a year after my styloidectomies for it to go away.
@rachelle116 - That’s a really interesting image. It looks like your styloids are actually resting on the transverse processes of your C1 (probably due to the angle of the image). I can see that they’re also squashing vascular tissues but can’t tell which ones because the picture is too zoomed in, & I’m not that anatomically savvy. Your styloids are definitely long & the left one is a very interesting shape. The right one is thick at the top & also is oddly shaped. You’ll most likely feel much better if you have both those styloids shortened.
I would guess those are all accurate statements @Isaiah_40_31 the insertion of where some of the pain starts is very close to c1 - maybe residual calcification of neighboring tissue/ligament.
Left one is definitely more painful at this point. Pursing all my surgery options - having several conversations before I select one.
They’re certainly very angled!
@Isaiah_40_31 @Jules here’s one zoomed out a bit - it actually makes me sad that the dr who ordered this 2 years ago thought nothing of it.
The vascular tissues that are front & center in your image are the internal & external carotid arteries. Was this image from a CTA?
Your IJVs may be the splotchy red areas that border each side of you neck, outside of the carotids. They aren’t clear enough to be able to tell if they’re being compressed, but I’d guess that maybe your ICAs & ECAs are, at least when your head is in certain positions.
Yes, I agree with @Isaiah_40_31 , so frustrating that it wasn’t noted, all that time wasted feeling rough!
I think so, yes this was a CT. I was told my eagles isn’t compressing the IJV or cartoid with great significance - just the pain from pressing on nerves.
That is good news! Non-vascular ES requires a more straightforward surgery. As long as you don’t have symptoms of vascular compression then you should be good to see any experienced ES surgeon for surgery.
@Isaiah_40_31 - at least that is one positive! I had an app to see my pain specialist to see if I was able to do an injection till surgery and the Stellate they had hoped to try was declined by insurance. BIG SURPRISE. Have you guys had similar resistance getting injections?
I have my discs into Dr. Osbourne (again), and Dr Constantino and Dr. Cognetti - I’m going to decide which one I proceed with based on how I feel with them on the calls 
The injection that seems to help the most for ES is an ultrasound guided combo of lidocaine/cortisone into the tonsil area of the throat. For a number of our members that has given good relief from a few days to a number of months. There are a few who had no help from it & a few whose symptoms were worse for a while. It may be more likely to be accepted by your insurance. It’s worthwhile checking to see if it’s covered.
I’ve never heard of the injections being declined before…quite a few doctors use them for diagnosis!
I’ve only had one - mild help for a couple weeks from a greater auricular nerve block - but insurance seems to have big issues with the Stellate block. I give up - it’s more frustrating battling the insurance than it’s worth.
I don’t know - the initially went after my mild c5/c6 issues - but cleary that did nothing. When someone listened - it wasn’t something they were familiar with so the greater auricular was close-ish.
