Benefits from Chiropractor or Accupuncture?

[mbf]

Hi All,
I am 1 yr post-op and started suffering from headaches/nerve pain/muscle spasms about 3 weeks after surgery.  I had no symptoms prior to surgery except for sudden hearing loss.  I have been reading many of the posts regarding headaches many of you suffer from and some have recovered from, and feel that I am reading about my symptoms, which has been validating, as doctors and others have told me that I need to breathe through the pain, and relax. . . and as I am sure you know, I could go on with what I have been told.  Anyway.  I have done the wait a year to see if they go away, and well they are not, and the quality of life I have as an at home mom of 3 small children is unacceptable.  
 
Symptoms in a nut shell:
Head pain/ache which is constant throughout the day.  The pain is usually caused by my daily household duties of making beds, bending up and down, taking laundry out from the washer/dryer, etc.  I find that lifting, bending down, leaning forward, looking down to read or write and doing anything with a cross over action of my arms aggravate the symptoms to bring on the pain.  It can also spike due to a sneeze, cough, laughing too hard, driving over a bump in the road or having to turn my head to look for on coming traffic when making a turn while driving, or speaking in a normal or raised voice when the pain level is at a 7 or above.   It can also spike when I move walk too fast or what would be a normal pace, turn my body too fast, or have to hustle after my children.
 
I find that heat and rest (little to no movement) help relieve the pain, or prevent the pain from coming on.  It can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours to recover from an episode, depending on how far it has gotten.  
 
I struggle to understand the origin of the pain as well as the right treatment for reducing the source of pain.  I typically get pain in two main areas; one is in the back of my head going across the base of the skull.  The other is on the left side, which travels down the left side of my face, side of my head and back of my head/neck; it often feels like shooting nerves and muscles spasms in the upper left neck and under the ear on both side of my head.  In all of this, movement seems to be the common theme that aggravates the level of pain.
 
As of now I am on 1200-1400 mg of Motrin (not having any luck of cutting down further, although trying); 100mg of Topamax, with several side effects; Weekly massage therapy, with craniosacrial therapy every other week.  It is being recommended that I see a chiropractor, wondering if anyone saw a true benefit?  Also wondering if anyone saw benefit from acupuncture?  

Any additional suggestions/recommendations are welcome!!!
Mary Beth

[GeorgiaMei]

Hi Mary Beth.  I am sorry to hear about your ongoing suffering.  I can relate as I have daily headaches as well.  I have found acupuncture to be one of the best parts of my treatment regime. My head/neck/shoulder pain drops significantly within a few minutes of having the needles in.  I think it must in some part, have to do with the drop in my blood pressure.  I spoke with my therapist first about having a very gentle approach and she goes very slow with me.   She also massages my shoulder and neck every sessions, which as really helped. She leaves me with teeny acupressure stickers in my ear for the week that I can press on as I'd like.  An added benefit is the quieting of tinnitus too!  I have been going once a week since my surgery. 

I would highly recommend trying acupuncture for a few weeks and see what happens.  I love it!!!

Karen

[staypoz]

Mary Beth, I tried acupuncture soon after I developed the headaches and didn't find the treatments to be helpful.  But it was encouraging to hear that Karen has had good luck with them.  It is certainly worth trying, since we each respond differently.  I hope it is helpful to you!

staypoz

[Janet]

Mary Beth,

Your symptoms sound very familiar. I found massage and physical therapy to make the pain worse, since my nerve was being irritated by movement. Any traction put on my neck resulted in a huge headache that evening.  It makes sense now, but at the time, it was very discouraging and baffling.

Janet

[Captain Deb]

I started accupuncture about 8 months post-op when my headaches were becoming unbearable and trips to the ER were becoming regular occurrances.  After a dozen sessions and the last session triggerring a massive migraine, I decided that this treatment wasn't helping me one little bit.  Also it was not covered by my insurance either.  You may, however, have better luck than I did and if you can afford it it may be worth giving it a shot. After 6 years, I still have nasty headaches so I may just be a really accupuncture-resistant case!

Capt Deb P-)

[cin605]

I am 8 months post op & have all same symptoms dailey..making me nauseous.i have an appointment w/ neaurologist 2 weeks.
Toady is bad had to make app. w/ primary care head /neck spazing out shaking.Told me DO NOT GO TO CHIROPRACTOR.
I feel like if i could just get on good crack w/ a forced tilt of my head the pressure will be off.
i regularly saw a chiropractor before surgery & would feel better temporarely.Just not a good feeling.
I am due back at dartmouth next week.
On heating pad 24/7

[Joe Meehan]

Your symptoms sound a lot like mine only a bit worse.......sorry you are going through this it sounds miserable. I’m miserable right now I just sneezed three times. Instant spasms in the back of my head and in my temples. I’m icing and have the Ten’s unit on full blast which usually does the trick.

I way over medicated with Tylenol for the first 7 months and I worried about long term damage to my liver and kidneys so I cut way back last month. Now it really hurts and I'm looking for alternatives and identifying the problem.

I have bad neck spasms that lead to muscle tension headaches late day/eve and while sleeping up until breakfast after which I feel better. I ice 3/4 times a day with gel packs on my neck and try my best to refrain from meds during the day until the end of the day or before a workout. I’m in front of a computer or on the phone w/a head set so nothing strenuous going on. If I had a physical job I’d be homeless. Heat doesn’t seem to work.  My neck head and temples knot up and its excruciating. Every afternoon like clock work @ 5 just below the incision my neck knots up and if left unchecked will spread to every part of my head on both sides. That unchecked is brutal.

My bedroom is affectionately referred to as my chamber of horrors. Its like a box of chocolates you never know what you're going to get sometimes 6 solid hours with a mild headache in the AM or an off the charts bell ringer. Lately its been waking twice a night w/some pretty intense headaches due to the drop in meds. I'll take 650mg of Tylenol if the pain is too much w/a ¼ tab of Diazepam and ice up. I take Naproxen at night, and Ibuprofen during the day as needed. as well as antispasmodics a ¼ tab of Diazepam and ¼ tab of Cyclobenzaprine. The Cyclobenzaprine is taken only at night because of the grogginess, dizziness and blurred vision. 

After clearance from my surgeon I tried both acupuncture and a Chiropractor. I was very skeptical about the acupuncture after the treatment which was expensive, I felt worse coming out. All the needles where put in my legs and feet. I know I didn’t give it a chance but I’m going broke w/all these freakin medical bills.

I moved on to my Chiropractor who helped me with a neck injury about 15 yrs ago. He adjusted my neck and due to the stiffness and spasms in my neck it was toe curling experience but I did feel I got more movement in my neck and I did feel better. X-rays showed a pretty normal neck. After about 3 months my insurance ran out and I elected to cease treatment. I felt that my problem was not going to be resolved with neck adjustments. He also gave me oxygen therapy and cold laser for my facial nerve and for overall healing $75 a whack. Hey if the NFL uses it why not give it a go. Not sure if that helped but my face is much improved. 

Looking back on it I do think it helped a bit but I was on a lot of OTC pain meds and higher doses of the antispasmodics. I'm coming off them and I'm realizing I've got to look for other solutions. I'm not sure if this is all part of the healing process and I have to be more patient or isomething isn't right.

I'm seeing my surgeons next week. I'm going to do some research on alternatives to my OTC pain meds and treatment options that won't do damage to my organs. I'm reading every post regarding treatments and drugs taking notes etc off this board. I'm keeping a journal. I'll order some of the lectures on headaches through the AN Association. I'll know more about this condition than my PC before I'm done.

Thank God for these people on the board that share all this info it will make my journey through this maze much easier. I hope to have a clear plan of action once I finish. I'm also going to ask for a referral to a specialist dealing w/headaches. I'll share what I come up with what is/isn’t effective.

There is a great thread by Syl on Pamelor an OTC pain relief alternative which sounds promising. I may ask for a prescription for it next week. I’m just not sure how to treat these spasms. I need more info on the causes and go from there. Capt Deb also has a great thread on Topamax. I think I'll try the Pamelor first.

After reading through this board on Neck & headaches it is very complex. There are so many things that can go wrong. There could be several things occurring to cause your headaches nerve damage is very tricky. Empowering yourself with information is your first step then putting a plan into action is the next. I’ll keep you posted. Best of luck and God Bless.

[Joe Meehan]

Hi,
Have you tried ice? I have an Ace neoprene Velcro wrap I got at CVS. I bought it for my knee which fits perfectly around my neck. They sell gel packs that fit inside it. You wrap it around your neck and you are mobile. I find it good for inflamed nerves. It has allowed me to stay off all meds during the day on most days. I wear it everywhere people ask what happened to me I just say sore neck and leave it at that. I don't care what it looks like it works.

If you like heat you might like a rice sock. Fill an athletic sock with uncooked rice and tie it off. Heat in the micro for 5 minutes. It comes out piping hot and stays warm and moist which was a surprise for quite a while. You can drape it around your neck. You can moisten the sock w/water to if you like.

The Ten's unit is great too. My insurance pays for it. I put the pads on my neck right at the hair line and it sends out electrical impulses that confuses the nerves/muscles I love it. I had an OMG episode the other night and it was the first thing I reached for. It held me over w/the ice until the meds kicked in.

Have you tried to gradually up your dose of Topamax as Capt Deb has suggested? Pamelor might be a good substitute for the Motrin.

[Patti]

cranial sacral therapy saved me from head and neck aches!

[cin605]

I have rsorted to the chiropractor,If it works yay if not i can saqy i tried it.I am hoping & praying something will bring back the movement &take away the muscle spasms.

[mbf]

I did use the chiropractor.  I went for 2 months, starting 2x a week then dropped to 1x a week.  By the time I went to see him I could hardly move my neck it was in such spasm and was very dizzy.  It did improve my range of motion, lessen my muscle spams and I was no longer dizzy, so I did see benefits.  I did have some negative head-pain episodes, and the Chiropractor and I disagreed as to the cause of them.  So after 2 months I stopped going, I do keep the idea of going back in the back of my mind, but I have not regressed to where I need to go back.  For now I continue with craniosacral massage and body massage.  Mary Beth

[salamander]

I am a big believer in massage, and specifically cranio sacral massage.  It focuses on your spinal fluid flow, which makes sense given the type of surgery most of us have had.

I have also been going to a chiropractor who specializes in NET, which goes beyond the traditional alignment.  The Doctor feels that, like my massage therapist, that it is uneven spinal fluid flow that is causing my headaches.  It is definitely a treatment that is "out there" as an alternative, but I am starting to get some relief.  I have been going for a month, and have committed to regular visits through June, when we'll see where I am.

http://www.netmindbody.com/patients/index.asp Is a website if you want to find someone in your area.

Samanatha

[lcav61]

Hello,  I'm 2 yrs post surgery.  Reading your comments prompted me to sign up on this site.  I was on the site often right before and after by surgery but never signed up.  After reading about your problems I had to respond.  It was like reading my own story.  I did fairly well right after surgery, however managed the pain with OTC medications, which eventually lead to rebound headache pain.  A long story short, after being off work for a year I'm finally feeling better.  I'm back at work, pain management is going pretty well.  I have tried PT, Acupuncture, Chiropractor tx, RX medications (multiple side effects).  Ice has become my best friend.  I can sneeze now without having a muscle spasm in my neck, very few migraines and less neck pain.  I went to a neck and back clinic for strengthening exercises after being very disabled from the pain.  That helped a great deal.  Now I see a neuromuscular therapist.  I'm hopeful that I will regain even more strength, reduce the pain and get my life back.  Tomorrow I have my two year post op appointment at the Mayo Clinic. 
I hope you find the right therapy for your symptoms.  It seems to be winding road to better health, but eventually I found my way.

[Alchemist]

You might be on to something here. In December, my college aged daughter complained of severe headaches & neck aches, as usual. After trying the chiropractor and a couple of doctors, I took her to Emory University's ER. Her cerebral spinal fluid was not draining from her brain. She had surgery for a shunt implant in her brain. However, the pressure of the fluid has left her legally blind. Imagine having to take the car keys from a 21 yr old and having to make the adjustments to her life. I will tell you that this happened about two weeks after we buried my mom who died very suddenly on Thanksgiving. She actually came to help me as I am still dealing with effects of my AN surgery. This is the shortened version of a very long, sad story. Yes 2008 was a very rough year!

Ronnye

I am a big believer in massage, and specifically cranio sacral massage.  It focuses on your spinal fluid flow, which makes sense given the type of surgery most of us have had.

I have also been going to a chiropractor who specializes in NET, which goes beyond the traditional alignment.  The Doctor feels that, like my massage therapist, that it is uneven spinal fluid flow that is causing my headaches.  It is definitely a treatment that is "out there" as an alternative, but I am starting to get some relief.  I have been going for a month, and have committed to regular visits through June, when we'll see where I am.

http://www.netmindbody.com/patients/index.asp Is a website if you want to find someone in your area.

Samanatha