Hi there! It’s Monica again!
I posted my story and symptoms on another post.
This is imaging I got done may of last year from my chiropractor and I’m wondering if you think the red circled areas may indicate eagle’s? I’ve looked at them so many times I think I see a problem but I’d like to get a more informed answer before I dive into this world again…thank you all 
Welcome to our forum! I must say that you have a good eye, @Monica! It looks like your left styloid is long & has grown very angled in toward your jawline. It’s also a somewhat irregular shape. All those factors could be contributing to your symptoms.
Here’s a good post that our other moderator @Jules wrote that will be helpful for you plus there are many others in our Newbies Guide which you can find under the welcome category on our home page (accessible by clicking on the butterfly avatar in the upper left of this page).
Uuuuuughhhhh I knew it! Thank you Isaiah for this validation. I looked at these photos and it looks like my styloid has legs or something or it’s splintered!
It looks like my next step is to get a form diagnosis. Would you recommend sending all the imaging I’ve already had done to a specialist (since I’m in Montana I’m not the most confident) on the list and have them diagnose and schedule surgery? I have gotten a cone beam scan at my dentist, brain MRI, CT angio (when I suspected eagles last year but the ER doctor told me everything looked fine) and sinus CT and the x rays you see here.
any other input from other members is appreciated too! This validation is everything to me though…
It’s certainly worth looking into getting a diagnosis I’d say, some of the doctors you can send your scans to for an opinion…Where you’ve circled the styloid in the first image, I’m not sure if it’s an artefact or the right side styloid you can see behind it as well? I can’t see the right styloid on the other images… certainly the left is elongated , angled & pointy!
I don’t have the images from my right side but I have no symptoms whatsoever coming from my right. But it doesn’t look like my right side is the problem child if we’re looking at the 2nd image…it kind of seems to not be visible on the right side where I can plainly see it on the left. At least I think! @Jules
Actually I think I see my styloid on the right, too now. It’s just closer to my spine. But I don’t have any real symptoms coming from that side…
I believe your styloid runs to parallel to the pink line I’ve added to this image, but I’m not positive.
Our rule of thumb here is - “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” i.e. since the right is symptomatic leave it be until such time as it’s causing symptoms. That said, we’ve noted that with bilateral ES once one styloid is removed, the symptoms caused by the remaining styloid both become more recognizable & can worsen but this doesn’t always happen.
Since I discovered that my right styloid is normal, what shape do we think this is? To me it looks long and jagged and maybe even like fractured??
@Monica - I’m glad it’s been confirmed that only your left styloid is elongated. It’s very difficult to tell from a CBCT/panoramic x-ray exactly the shape, angle & length of a styloid. Yours looks like it’s a bit irregularly shaped but seems to be growing at a fairly consistent angle w/ a very slight outward curve toward the bottom. It doesn’t look broken to me.
Sometimes the styloids grow with what looks like joints in them, like you see with fingers in an x-ray, it doesn’t mean it’s broken or has been broken…was that what you were thinking of?
I believe you should send those pictures to Dr. Ryan Osborne in Los Angeles. He is a specialist on Eagles Syndrome and he did my surgery on April 17,2024. I flew back to Dallas on April 19, 2024. You can call his office at 310-657-0123. He will be able to tell you if you do have Eagles Syndrome.
@Cheryl48 - How are you doing since your surgery w/ Dr. Osborne? He has a good reputation so I hope your outcome is really great.
It’s funny you say that, because he diagnosed me based on this imagining and others only a couple weeks ago! Debating to see if I should go with him or wait for Hepworth. I called his office and the receptionist said to call back Mid August to see if he’s accepting new patients. It’s very uncomfortable to live with this everyday though so I’d love to know your experience with Osborne as he’s my 2nd choice!
When I met with Dr. Osborne he told me that he doesn’t work on C1 at all so just keep that in mind if you think C1 is involved you may need to look elsewhere.
I’m still recovering from surgery which was done on April 17, 2024. Dr. Osborne told me it might take up to 2-3 months to fully recover. I am 75 years old, so he said the older u are, the longer recovery may take. I’ve had no headaches, no dizziness, no trouble swallowing, no left sided facial pain like I did before, and I’m breathing better, no ear pain like before. I still have trouble closing my left eye and blinking it. He said it will take time to recover. I do have Eagles Syndrome on my right side but no surgery is scheduled as of now. He said to wait til I fully recover from left sided Styloidectomy.
Hope this helps you.
I don’t know much about the other doctor. I had been diagnosed with TMJ since 1985 with many types of treatment for that but to no avail. Symptoms continued. In November, 2021, CT of facial bones was done. Results mentioned Eagles Syndrome. I didn’t research that at that time. In August, 2023, I saw a TMJ Specialist in Grapevine, Texas who did lots of different tests on me and results mentioned Eagles Syndrome. Searched Eagles Syndrome and Dr. Ryan Osborne’s name popped up. Read his testimonials and called his office. In my own opinion, i wouldn’t have anyone else do that type of surgery. He is very compassionate about his patients and knows how much pain patients suffer. He specializes in treating Eagles Sundrome.
Hopes this helps.
The X-Ray image here is unbelivable accurate i must say !
As far i can see, the styloids looks nasty. There migth be som extra calcification going on on them ? 
Yeah that’s what I was thinking of. Looks like my styloid has legs or fingers. Such a weird bone. I’m going to try and upload my CT angio onto that 3D rendering thing so I can get a clear visualization.
@Cheryl48 - Dr. Osborne’s slated recovery time of 2-3 months is a bit short. It will take up to a year for your nerves to fully recover. You’ll likely feel pretty great by 6 mos post op though.
