Hello everyone, it’s Costantino here.
I was finally diagnosed with the jugular variant of Eagle Syndrome couple of weeks ago. I do promise I will give you a full narrative of my journey, deeply determined to raise the awareness for this condition and willing to help all of you. But first, I need your support!
They suggest me to undergo stylodectomy + C1 shaving: I’m not worried for the procedures itself, but mostly the outcome of the C1 shaving in terms of stability, strength and sensitivity of my neck. You know, I’m 21 yo and I’m pretty sure I can get rid off this awful 24/7 pressure in my head, but I want to get fully back to running, weight lifting, swimming and so on. No compromise on this. That’s why I’m asking all of you who had C1 shaving if you got back doing physical activity eventually, without any major or permanent complication. I want the surgery to be relieving for my symptoms, but not causing my any other long-term harm of thins kind.
Hi! The C1 shaving is fairly new to us on here, so you may not get the answers you hope for about long term neck stability, but hopefully some members can give you their experiences. It also depends how much is shaved off as well, I guess. How experienced are your doctors? How much will they shave? Some doctors just make a grove to make more room, & others trim more off…
It’s not that clear from the image you posted how much the compression is from the styloid & how much is from the C1…
I hope that you get some clarity to help you make the decision!
@Costantino - We have a member from Germany, @TheDude, who had C1 shaved a bit on each side to open space for his IJVs, & he has been able to go back to exercising since he’s recovered. There are probably others as well.
As @Jules said, how much a C1 shave affects a person has to do with how much of C1 is removed. I will add that there can be other factors such as is craniocervical instability (CCI) or Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hESD) or other problems present which are also contributing to neck instability besides a C1 shave. If you haven’t been diagnosed w/ other causes of instability, & your surgeon cuts the styloid back as close to your skull base as possible & removes as little of the transverse process of C1 as possible, you will probably have no trouble getting back to your active lifestyle.
