What does Craniocervical instability feel like?

Symptoms of craniocervical instability include occipital headache, neck pain and neurological abnormalities such as numbness, motor weakness, dizziness, and gait instability. Patients sometimes describe the feeling that their head is too heavy for their neck to support (“bobble-head”).

How do I know if I have craniocervical instability?

Diagnosis. Craniocervical instability is usually diagnosed through neuro-anatomical measurement using radiography. Upright magnetic resonance imaging is considered the most accurate method, and supine magnetic resonance imaging, CT scan or digital motion X-ray, or Digital X-ray are also used.

Does cervical instability show up on an MRI?

Conclusions: Magnetic resonance imaging is sensitive to soft-tissue injuries of the cervical spine. When CT scanning and radiography detect no fractures or signs of instability, MR imaging does not help in determining cervical stability and may lead to unnecessary testing when not otherwise indicated.

Is craniocervical instability common?

Craniocervical instability is common amongst hypermobile connective disorders such as Ehler Danlos Syndrome (EDS) that affects up to 1% of the population. It refers to an excessive degree in mobility of the joints and junctions in the craniocervical area, mainly due to a ligamentous hyperlaxity.

How do I fix craniocervical instability?

Most surgical treatments aim to correct dysfunction of the craniocervical junction, where the skull meets the upper spine. The most common surgical treatment options include: Cervical fusion spine surgery. Halifax clamp.

Craniocervical Instability - The 8 Most Common CCI Symptoms

Why does my neck crunch when I roll my head?

Very small gas bubbles can form within your synovial joints (joints, including facet joints, that have a lubricating lining and fluid). When the bubbles collapse, they are released, which creates cracking noises in your joints. In this case, these cracking sounds can happen during your neck's natural movements.

What kind of doctor treats cervical instability?

Oftentimes, they go from doctor to doctor, seeking some type of relief from the many and varied symptoms they experience. Chiropractors do a great job at not only assessing these problems but treating them.

How do I check my CCI?

The best way to diagnose CCI is imaging. But a standard, static x-rays or scans won't show neck instability. CCI diagnosis requires more sophisticated and specialised imaging, such as movement-based x-ray (DMX) and upright dynamic MRI. The interpretation of the imaging requires skills and experience.

Can cervical instability cause brain fog?

In our office, almost all the people who have upper cervical spine instability, who come in for our non-surgical treatments, have an amazing amount of brain fog, the inability to concentrate, anxiety, and depression. These are not the typical things that doctors look for in the neck.

What is Barre Lieou syndrome?

Barré-Liéou and Cervicocranial syndrome are due to cervical vertebral instability, which affects the function of the nerve cell aggregations located in the neck just in front of the vertebrae. Vertebral instability or misalignment occurs because the ligaments that support the neck become weakened or injured.

Can cervical instability cause shortness of breath?

Cervical instability created autonomic myopathy or autonomic neuropathy, that is nerve damage that blocks or interferes with the messages sent between the brain and the heart and blood vessels, can lead to a variety of serious symptoms including palpitations, racing or skipping beats, tremors, blurring of vision, ...

Can neck problems cause fuzzy head?

Well, when the neck is out of alignment then the information system from your brain to your body- your nervous system, can't do it's job. This can lead to poor circulation, headaches, brain fog, sleep apnea, jaw tension and tight shoulders.

Can tight neck muscles affect blood flow to brain?

Tense muscles in the jaw and neck cause headaches by constricting blood flow to the head and scalp.

What is fuzzy brain?

What is brain fog syndrome? Brain fog is characterized by confusion, forgetfulness, and a lack of focus and mental clarity. This can be caused by overworking, lack of sleep, stress, and spending too much time on the computer.

What is an NCCI edit?

The NCCI is an automated edit system to control specific Current Procedural Terminology (CPT® American Medical Association) code pairs that can or cannot be billed by an individual provider on the same day for the same patient (commonly known as CCI edits).

What are NCCI modifiers?

NCCI-associated modifiers are used to indicate the special circumstances such as when the procedures are performed at different anatomic sites, a separate procedure or repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test. If an edit allows use of NCCI-associated modifiers, the two procedure codes may be reported together.

What is CCI in medical billing?

CCI means "Correct Coding Initiative" and they are contained in the CCI Edits Handbook. You can find it online via an excel format on the CMS website or you can subscribe to the written texts that are for sale. Basically there are 2 colums which contain cpt codes.

Can cervical instability cause fatigue?

Craniocervical Instability is a medical condition characterized by injury and instability of the ligaments that hold your head onto the neck. Common symptoms of Cranial Cervical Instability include a painful, heavy head, headache, rapid heart rate, brain fog, neck pain, visual problems, dizziness, and chronic fatigue.

Does cervical instability cause dizziness?

There are a lot of people who have unexplained dizziness, balance problems, and other symptoms. We find that in a lot of these cases, the person is suffering from cervical instability especially upper cervical instability.

Why do I hear squishing in my neck?

Neck crepitus comes from worn-away cartilage or gas bubbles in small cavities inside your joints. Poor posture, injury, or arthritis may also cause it. Diagnosis is based on symptoms, a physical exam, and sometimes, imaging. Treatments include heat, stretching and strengthening, and improving posture.

Why do I hear fizzing in my neck?

"The noise is not from the bones or cartilage breaking or rubbing," Scott told Well + Good. "Most experts feel that this sound comes from gas pockets of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the synovial [joint] fluid that cavitate and pop as the joint is rapidly stretched."

What is the sizzling sound in my neck?

Neck crepitus is thought to occur when structures in the spine rub together and make sounds. One suggested cause of neck crepitus is the formation and collapse of tiny gas bubbles, caused by pressure changes within the joint.

Why does cervical myelopathy affect the legs?

These changes include disc degeneration, bone spurs, and thickened ligaments. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy, therefore, is myelopathy (spinal cord damage) caused by spondylosis (degeneration) in the cervical spine (neck). It affects the fibers of the spinal cord that transmit impulses to the arms, hands, and legs.

What are the symptoms of not having enough blood flow to the brain?

What is cervical dystonia?

Cervical dystonia, also called spasmodic torticollis, is a painful condition in which your neck muscles contract involuntarily, causing your head to twist or turn to one side. Cervical dystonia can also cause your head to uncontrollably tilt forward or backward.