Sorry to hear. Sounds like crepitation. I had the same thing that got much much worse afteer I foolishly let a run-of-the-mill chiropractor wrench on my neck for an entire year trying to get my atlas to hold. What’s the definition of insanity? 
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I am. I don’t remember seeing that story but that’s great that he was able to avoid the surgeries. Even though I have new instability, I’m super glad that I had the surgeries. My brain function has returned quite well.
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I found this to be an informative video:
Infectious or Environmental Causes of CCI: A Review of What we Know - YouTube.
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@Michael123 - I’m sorry your neck is crunchy. Once your other styloid is removed, it might help reduce that problem. I have that crepitus in my lower spine. It doesn’t hurt but sure sounds weird when I do an abdominal workout!! 
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Ty Isaiah yeah im a little worried what Dr Hernandez going to say about the right side even tho its still early in recovery.My head feels great .stll have face and ear issues.My neurosurgeon stoped once we seen the styloid he said that may becausing my neck issues.
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I would wait awhile before considering a second ES surgery. I had my second one about 8 mos after my first one. Unless your remaining symptoms are debilitating, it’s very worthwhile letting your body heal for some months before jumping back into the ring. Giving yourself extra healing time allows you to have a better idea of which symptoms your first surgery really helped & which might be coming from the second styloid.
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@PatientD I know this is an old post, but curious to know who you saw re the instability? Was this London? I’m seeing a Neurosurgeon called Vittorio Russo in July, but I have a feeling the unilateral styloidectomy isn’t going to resolve my issues. If anything I feel worse than I started. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I’m not I a good way at all.
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I assume that it has been talking about later on in this post but i’ll mention it anyway, i do too struggle with what i think is CCI and lower back pain.
I’ve not found anything that helps yet either, im schedueld to see a chiropractor and i have been going to a physician for these issues, wich helps right there and then.
So, my physician mentioned something interesting and very thoughtfull about CCI, she told me that it is almost normal that these issues will reaccure from time to time and you’ll have to readjust often, she then told me that in her experience with other patients it is very important to strech the muscles supporting your neck, and also maintain them when you first got CCI issues.
For me that made sense.
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Hi, sorry to hear of possible instability problems. My main UK medical help for this was Newport Chiropractic for Atlas adjustment and then c1/C2 fusion with Mr Timothy in Leeds in 2022 (when that stopped working). Also some diagnostic test help from Mr Lawrence Watkins at Queens Sq. I hope you find the help you need. D
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I saw some of these recent responses and wanted to update this post for others who come across it. I have been diagnosed with a tethered spinal cord which likely explains the increased instability after my styloidectomies. I just wanted to share in the event it can help someone.
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I had to google this. I must say wow, so much rare that can happen to us.
Hope you are doing okey !?
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@eaglebgone - have you seen Dr. Klinge for your tethered cord situation? If not, she’s the “go to” doctor in the US for TCS. She’s in Rhode Island. We’ve got a couple of members who’ve seen her for tethered cord surgery.
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Mr Russo profile looks impressive. Please let us know about him after your consult if you can. Help in UK is so hard to find so another medic to help us would be great. Take care. D
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Doing MUCH better compared to when I had Eagle syndrome. That was complete and absolute misery! I’m still not well, though. Praying tethered cord surgery will help.
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I have! Waiting to hear back surgery scheduled. Tick-tock… tick-tock…
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True words right there, ES aint no fun…
So how do they actually fix and how do they perform surgery for tethered cord? As i’ve read some case studies in Norwegian it explains that surgery is like the last resort, im just curiouse because that must be one complicated surgery.
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Let us know when you get a surgery date, will pray it goes well 
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Just reading this old post and something really resonated with me. Not always, but when I turn my head too often, say at a dinner table, I get this terrible rod like feeling up my c-spine that is beyond uncomfortable. It’s so difficult to describe, but it’s like a bolt that is electric and it threatens to burst my C- spine especially at the top of it if I continue to turn my head. What you wrote, especially the word squeezed and disruption of c- flow, resonated. Does my description resonate with the feeling that you had before you had your fusion when you were turning your head? (I do have mild AAI as confirmed on xray as well as digital motion X ray- but it’s not to the point where I would consider fusion. Having said that I revolved much of my life around my neck issues, using certain glasses that allow me to look down when I am actually holding my head straight, placing myself at the head of a dinner table as much as possible to allow me to not have to rotate much, et cetera)
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Hi, yes head turning & some other head/neck movements did trigger problems for me, esp turning head to right. A medic I trust said imagine an elastic band (Atlas bone) squeezing your brain stem, longer it lasts the worse it gets. Queens Sq tests showed that turning my head caused large spike in CSF fluid pressures in brain during ICP monitoring, a new finding for them. Sounds like you have some good management techniques in place already. Wish I had glasses you mention. Since fusion my brain stem/CSF fluid issues are mostly gone I believe, but my body is still guarding when I turn head to right. Take care. D
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Thank you so much for replying! I know you’ve been for so much but did not realize that CCI and upper fusion was a part of that as well. If the glasses would still benefit, They are super simple and easy to buy on Amazon. Just type in prism glasses and then keep searching until you find something like this (They are excellent to use while lying down, but I must admit if I use them for more than a few minutes when standing I do become aware that my neck is always a little bit out of line. Almost like I have to look a little bit up to see where I want to see down. Still, better for my neck than having to actually look down). When you refer to the ICP monitoring, are you referring to the slightly invasive ICP Bolt monitoring? Like the kind that we hear of Dr Bolognese doing as a part of his work up? It’s really is fascinating the impact that it was having on your CSF! I almost would think that this would be a common part of a workup now if that is a possibility.
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