I completely agree w/ Jules. The ligaments need to be able to move freely to do their job. When they become even partially calcified, that tethers them (ties them down) to some degree so they can no longer move freely. It also creates a hard area that can rub against nerves & blood vessels & cause pain & other problems.
We have links on this forum to some published research articles that mention ligament calcification as a cause of ES apart from elongated styloids. I’ll try to find at least one & send the link to you.
Exactly, @Jules is right - healthy ligaments, tendons are flexible and not calcified. Worth mentioning, though, that calcification sometimes might act as a response to injury in tendons (maybe in ligaments too?), and some of these calcifications can disappear later – the body can “reabsorb” the calcium deposits ( Calcium Deposits on Tendons (Calcific Tendonitis): Symptoms, Causes, Treatments ).
I couldn’t find any information on whether that’s possible in case of stylohyoid ligament, though.
Thanks @Jules. I didn’t know about this.
Is it mean if we have mild Calcification, is that ok?
One of the member seen an eagles provider in my state and he dismissed her symptoms. She has calicified ligaments. He said her symptoms should not be from this level of Calcification. But he didn’t explain how much calcification is ok.
He worked on few ES patients but easily dismiss the symptoms.
I have constant feel of something poking through in the spots as shown in the above pictures. It hurts and feels like heavily bruised inside the throat. Not able to swallow.feels like It has to pass through something to swallow. I am hoping that amitriptyline will work. It just makes my body heat and nothing so far. I circled the spots which hurts.
Is there any level.of Calcification considered ok? Any thoughts on this anyone.
Thank you @Isaiah_40_31.
What’s ligaments do? Like they have to move freely and do their job. If we remove it during surgery, will something replaces the ligaments ?
My calicified ligaments are measured and 0.8cm. And the radiologist report says mildly calcified on my right side. So, does the mildly calcified cause the symptoms too? I am trying to understand about this.
It makes sense that it becomes hard and affect the surrounding areas.
I will search the forum for the article about it. If you find one , please send it to me.
Thank you!!
Thanks @vdm for this information!!! It means a lot.
I do read that calcium deposits absorb on their own. I will find if any article about calcified ligaments case if it’s absorbed.
Do you know why this calcium deposits occur? I have noticed some white deposits in base of the my teeth recently. I didn’t go for cleaning for an year since this pain started…my dentist said those white spots or patches at the base of the teeth are calcium deposits. He said it will go off with cleaning. And it’s normal.
So, calcium deposits are absorbed in it’s own sometime? I will find some information about Calcification if stylohyoid ligaments.
As vdm said, calcification on/in soft tissues is a protective measure the body takes if the area has been stressed or injured. The body tries to strengthen the spots it thinks are weak to help them be stronger. This is sometimes done by laying down calcificium in soft tissue (i.e. calcification of the soft tissue). Sometimes we know when we’ve had an injury which can explain unusual calcification, but other times we have no idea what caused it.
Ligaments attach bone to bone i.e. the stylohyoid ligament connects the styloid process to the hyoid bone. A tendon connects muscle to bone. Cartilage is more of a friction reducer & is mostly found in joints so that the moving parts of the joint glide past each other rather than scraping against each other. Your question about the necessity of the stylohyoid ligament is a good one and the answer we have been given by doctors who do ES surgery is that the s-h ligament plays a minor role in swallowing. Because there are other more important swallowing structures in place, our bodies don’t miss the stylohyoid ligaments when they are removed. I think most of us who have had them taken out have not missed them.
The amount of calcification (i.e. mild, moderate, severe) is possibly less significant than where it is located. Because the stylohyoid ligament is in a very nerve-dense area of the body & is very active/mobile (it moves up & down & perhaps a little side to side) during swallowing, talking, coughing, sneezing, singing, breathing, etc., there is a greater possibility of it causing irritation to nerves & other soft tissues that are in your neck than a calcified ligament in a less “busy” area of the body.
Yes, calcium deposits are sometimes reabsorbed by the body but I would expect that to be less likely in an area like the neck because of the higher activity level of all the tissues there.
