Anyone here diagnosed with CCI who had any sort of treatment done to the injured ligaments?
At the moment I’m thinking of PRP injections though my doctor is only able to do these on the back of the neck. Since my problematic ligament is the alar ligament, there are only a few specialists in the world who do the injections through throat (to be able to directly inject into alar or transverse ligaments).
I’m just wondering whether it makes sense to try the less invasive method first and if it can give any good results or if it’s not worth it.
Currently I’m also in conversation with Dr. Rolandas Janusas, the only European specialist trained by the Regenexx team who do the PICL procedure. Do any of you have an opinion on this doctor?
This doctor does injections through the mouth. I have had extensive PRP at Caring Medical, Florida to stabilize CCI which worsened after a styloidectomy and subsequently requires further PRP.
Thank you, I already know about Centeno, but it’s not available for me since its US.
From what I read, Rolandas Janusas has been the only EU specialist certified by the Centeno Clinic to perform this type of procedures.
Hi all, as a newbie to all this, could you advise how cci is diagnosed? Ie. if a full spine mri has been completed, would the results recognise/diagnose cci if it was evident? Or does an X-ray best show it?
@BraveKat DMX (digital motion X-ray) can identify cci. It record X-ray images as you move your neck through a range of motions and on playback you can see where there is instability.
Thank you both @Chrickychricky@Jules for letting me know. I have reseached dmx a few times in the past as I saw it mentioned on the Caring Medical Florida site. I found there is one chiropractor in a smaller town here who has one. I might look into this more post surgery if I find I am still having issues. Much appreciated
I am waiting for a consult with Dr. Fraiser Henderson in Maryland for a CCI diagnosis study. From what I can gather on my own an FONAR standing MRI in flexion and extension are needed along with a possible Cone Beam CT Scan. The issues is that a supine, or laying down MRI doesn’t show the movement of the bones of the neck that are involved in CCI, although in my case they were bad enough that there was enough irregualites of the measurements from the supine MRI that a referal was made to a CCI Specialist. CCI is determined by the measurement of the angles and distances of the bones in the c0-c2 upper neck in flexion and extension and an in office assesment of symptoms/history etc.
Thank you very much for the helpful info. I’ve since had surgery and now 3 months post-op. At first I was having a kind of rattling of the brain whenever I walked but that has since gone. My symptoms generally feel quite es related (common nerve pain symptoms) so I’m hoping for the time being, no cci investigations are required.
I hope you can get all the assistance you need. All the best
Agnes Stogicza. She is a Hungarian doctor who offers the PICL. Looks like she did a fellowship in Washington, USA for interventional pain. Went to Centeno Schultz clinic and watched him do PICL, and then took it to Hungary.
Thank you for the information, @MaxFrance. Washington University’s medical program has a great reputation in the US as does Dr. Centeno so she’s given herself some quality education.
Also heard about her. I can’t recommend as I don’t know anyone who did transoral injections at her place, but at the moment she seems the most qualified for European doctors.
There’s an interview with her here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGM9B8xYZEE
Also there’s more info about her on cervical instability Reddit
Thank you for the link, @mist. Honestly, PICL, like prolotherapy is inconsistent with whom it helps. For most people with ES who haven’t yet had surgery, prolotherapy in particular, has proven to be a waste of time & money.
PICL shows promise for CCI/cervical instability problems, but again, results are inconsistent. Some of our members have had good results w/ PT helping to improve their cervical instability by strengthening key neck muscles, but it’s a slow process. It’s so hard to know what is the best course of action for these difficult health challenges.
I guess it boils down to trying what seems best to you, & if that doesn’t work, then try something else. As always, the key with any treatment is patience. Almost all things take time to create a solid & enduring results. There are no quick fixes w/ ES or cervical instability.
