Hi & welcome!
You should be able to attach any imaging if you want? Just make sure it’s anonymous first…
The choke holds etc you’re doing in training could be quite risky with ES as there’s a chance the styloid could break, which could then damage nerves or even a blood vessel, so if you could avoid that I would, but it sounds like it might be essential for you?
The decision whether to have surgery is a personal one, weighing up the risks (as with any surgery risks of bleeding, & specifically with this surgery risks of nerve damage to the facial nerve, glossopharyngeal, hypoglossal and spinal accessory nerves). So for most of us, we decide that the symptoms are affecting quality of life enough to take those risks, but only you can decide that. But the risks are obviously minimised by choosing an experienced surgeon who monitors the facial nerve especially, and it sounds like you’re aware of this & you’ve done your home work! In case you haven’t seen it, we have a list of questions we suggest that members ask their doctor to help them decide about whether they are experienced with the surgery in this section:
ES Information- Treatment: Surgery - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
It’s also worth bearing in mind that sometimes even if only one side is causing issues, after surgery the other side can ramp up with pain & might need surgery too at a later date…
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