I started prolotherapy for cervical instability but am now being told I have jugular compression from my styloid. I have constant tinnitus, double vision, unrelenting spasms and tightness in my upper back and chest among many other symptoms. I was told to get my right styloid removed even though my left is longer. Does anyone have experience with Dr Hauser and prolotherapy? Are the chest spasms and shoulder pain and whole upper torso pain and numbness and tingling typical? Is anyone familiar with the ENT from LA Ryan Osborne? I am so desperate. Often times I want to give up and end this all.
Hi Daniel,
We have many members who have been diagnosed w/ ES by Dr. Hauser. Many of the symptoms you mentioned have been associated w/ ES. The upper torso numbness & tingling are atypical but because you have chest spasms, I’m guessing your vagus nerve is very irritated. It can cause the feeling of spasms in the chest (I’ve had that problem) & I’m sure the torso as well. It’s our largest, most extensive cranial nerve (see image below). The upper back tightness/pain can be coming from your accessory nerve which affects your neck, traps & other upper back muscles, shoulders, & even arms.
Below are links to two posts written by our moderator Jules. They contain lots of good & helpful information. I’m also including a link to our category about Patient Self Advocacy. Familiarizing yourself with the info there will go far toward helping you get what you want & need from whichever surgeon you choose to help you w/ ES.
It’s not uncommon for the shorter styloid to be more problematic than the longer one. The physical features of the styloids themselves, apart from lheir length, can play a major role in causing symptoms i.e. thickness, how curved/angled, twisted or pointed they are. Your right styloid may be more angled or thick, & thus is causing worse compression of your right IJV which is why Dr. Hauser may have suggested it be removed first.
Vagus Nerve Image.docx (81.7 KB)
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Can prolotherapy make the vascular bundle more encroached upon?
All the best,
Daniel
OMG WHAT? This is my EXACT story!!! My right styloid is shorter but they want to remove that first. I have very similar symptoms to you, and I was referred to Dr Hepworth by Dr Hauser! My surgery is tomorrow morning.
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Also I had three sessions with Dr hauser for prolo. They didn’t do much, but that’s because of the styloid. If he says you should get it removed I would trust him! I will let you know how my surgery goes since we literally have the same story! And both went to Dr Hauser.
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My previous post in this thread was removed, perhaps because I shared a link to negative reviews of prolotherapy and caring medical. I would urge anyone considering prolotherapy to search for these testimonials on Google as well as educate yourself on the facts (these injections are typically a simple 5% solution of dextrose aka sugar water and have not been shown to be effective in any peer-reviewed publications). I am a biomedical engineer with a PhD in regenerative medicine, and would be happy to discuss the scientific merits (or lack thereof) of this approach.
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Can you send me your “negative review”
regarding caring medical? Why would it be removed? I spoke to several doctors who actually said that prolotherapy in the neck would worsen calcified ligaments in the neck via inflammation!
I don’t want to break any forum rules, but you will find it if you google Ross Hauser review.
What are the forum rules? Why can’t you speak honestly about prolotherapy? Is it true that it worsens Vascular ES?
Not sure about rules, but my post with the link was flagged and removed.
I don’t think anyone can say for certain time if prolotherapy can make aspects of eagle syndrome worse, because there have been no controlled trials or published studies designed to answer that question. We are all desperate for solutions to our symptoms, but untested treatments need to be considered with a hefty dose of caution.
The reasoning prolo would make eagles worse is because prolo induces inflammation which would cause the styloid to calcify more causing even less space in the carotid sheath and putting more pressure on the jugular vein and vascular structures.
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@coldbear - you are welcome to share the link w/ @Daniel via a private message. Click on his avatar or screen name as it appears over one of his posts & that will take you to a page where you can share the info privately. That is acceptable.
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@coldbear , thanks for posting that link.
I have to admit, in the moments of desperation I also wanted to go to FL for a check-up and possible injections, as many things sound very reasonable on their marketing material, but something was uneasy in the videos on YouTube about the practice.
After reading the article, I understand why. And I will stay away.
But if anyone gets better after the treatment at their clinic - please let me know, I might (reluctantly) change my mind.
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Hi Daniel,
Our members are allowed to speak honestly about their experiences but when a review is very negative, we request that the doctor’s name/clinic not be mentioned as every doctor has a “bad day” in his/her career & what one person experiences may be the total opposite of another’s experience. We have a private messaging feature which I mentioned above where the mishap details, doctors’ names, clinics, etc., can be shared. We just ask for them not to be detailed on this, the public forum.
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I went to Caring Medical out of desperation. I had heard about Prolotherapy years ago but due to the out of pocket expense decided to keep trying traditional methods. During 2020 my work was pretty much shut down and I figured that would be my last effort to try to get well. I had watched all of the Caring Medical videos and they seemed to explain every symptom I had. My hopes were high. My first visit to Caring Medical wasn’t great. They had a difficult patient and they kept me waiting most of the day. I think I was there about eight hours and had little attention to my case. It was frustrating after spending the money on flights and hotel stays but I figured as long as they fixed me it’s fine. I had my first prolotherapy there and then had 3 more treatments in Chicago. The Chicago doctor quit and they closed that facility so I had to go down to Florida again. They called me a couple a day before my appointment and said that Dr. Hauser needed to cancel. I decided to see the other doctor and the chiropractor since all of my plans were set. They decided to discontinue prolotherapy and suggested I try neck weights. I tried those for over a month and didn’t notice any change. I don’t think the neck curve can correct itself if you’re dealing with dystonia in your neck. I went back again and saw the original doctor. He didn’t do much to help and said if I had neck problems I should have seen him and not the other doctor. He came off as very arrogant and still didn’t seem to care about my case. I had around 7 visits total with Caring Medical racking up pretty sizable bill which was all out of pocket expense. I told them I was frustrated by the care I was receiving and then they referred me to Dr. Hepworth. I was supposed to have my first appointment with Dr. Hepworth on Monday but he canceled on me and has pushed back my appointment. I met with his NP a couple of months ago and was impressed but he is very difficult to schedule. Based on posts here and meeting with his NP I do feel that he will do a better job for you than Caring Medical. Good luck.
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Good input, stuuke. Thank you for sharing your experience.