3 years later 90% better, what’s worked
I’ve been a long time lurker of this sub and thought I’d come back and share what has helped the most throughout my journey and what didn’t.
TLDR;
Good:
prolotherapy, steroid nerve blocks, botox, excellent PT that specializes in upper cervical, acupuncture, xanax as headache abortive/reset, amazing osteopath, Yippo Labs cervical spine pillow, Apothecanna body spray (basically CBD icy hot)
Bad:
gabapentin, pre-gabalin, chiropractor, migraine abortives (don’t help with mechanical issue), average PTs, average acupuncturists, car rides, THC, stress/anxiety, poor sleep, tracking pain days/symptoms, alcohol, pain management apps, stretching
Average:
massage therapy, pain theory therapy/psychologist, muscle relaxers, magnesium, lidocaine infusions, nerve blocks without steroid, meditation, Pilates
The journey:
This all started with a MTBI and whiplash from a ski accident when I was 26, but turns out my spine is hypermobile which made the injury more difficult to recover from.
Initially I tried PT, chiro, and migraine meds. Migraine meds (CGRP, Ajovy) helped with the initial injury + concussion inflammation and got my nervous system to calm down slightly. This eventually lead to it narrowing down to more of a mechanical issue versus migraine (which needed to be treated). Took 2+ years to even get to this point.
Chiro didn’t help at all and PT was not specialized enough to help. Saw 5 PTs and they all were a waste of time.
Started getting steroid nerve blocks in the occipital region, helped a ton over the course of 18 months. Got them every 2-3 months to get the inflammation to calm down. Also started getting Botox for migraines.
Found an osteopath that specialized in brain injuries that also helped a ton with both nervous system recovery and my neck. She really kickstarted the beginning of actually healing from my injury.
Then did 2 rounds of prolotherapy to stabilize my upper cervical which reduced my pain by ~60%. Found a PT that specializes in upper cervical and helped a ton with at first pain management, then strengthening my neck and helping stabilize and get my muscles firing correctly.
Now I’m at the point where I’ll flare up sometimes from planes, bad sleep, and can’t really go more than 45 mins in a car from vibrations but I mostly live my daily life with minimal headaches, especially compared to what it used to be. Hoping to eventually solve the car issues with more prolotherapy!
Also, I qualified for an ablation but decided not to and opted for prolotherapy instead. Glad I did, find a pain doc who you trust because I did not trust my initial one. It would have made the mechanical aspects harder to recover from and potentially made it worse. It’s still in my back pocket as the nuclear option.
I’m in Seattle, WA if anyone is ever looking for doctor recs.