Aside from neck and back pain, people can suffer numerous types of auto injuries.
If you’ve been in a crash and walk into any clinic or hospital and describe symptoms of headaches, dizziness, vision problems, balance problems, ringing in the ears, or sensitivity to light/noise you will be diagnosed with a concussion. “You’ve had a traumatic brain injury.”
But what if there are other medical conditions that can be initiated by trauma and they also cause headaches, dizziness, vision problems, balance problems, ringing in the ears, or sensitivity to light/noise? How can we be so sure that you’ve had a brain injury if we have not worked up the condition and ruled out the other competing diagnoses?
At Portland Whiplash and Spine, we specialize in identifying other unique types of injuries that can cause these symptoms and more. This can include evaluation for:
- cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks
- upper neck instability (atlantoaxial instability, craniocervical instability, occipitoatlantal instability, cervicomedullary syndrome)
- skull base deformities that may include congenital odontoid malformation
- ectopic cerebellar tonsils
- Chiari Malformation (CMI)
- medullary kinking
- brain sag
- obstructions to CSF flow
If you have been referred to our clinic for evaluation of these symptoms, be prepared for a longer visit (about 2 hours) in order to evaluate the numerous systems adequately. Please bring any medical imaging you have to your visit so we can consider it in your workup.
Here are just a few examples of cases that were misdiagnosed, causing these patients to suffer for much longer than they needed:
Figure 1: After a slip and fall injury, this patient suffered a “brain injury.” She hadn’t even heard of the correct medical term for her condition for years. Even when she underwent the correct form of imaging for the first round of investigation, it was missed by doctors. Can you see it? After pointing it out to the radiologist, her MRI report was changed to include the diagnosis that explains her symptoms of headache, brain fog, dizziness and more.
Figure 2 and 3: After having a serious motor vehicle crash requiring surgeries to his neck and low back, this patient unfortunately was involved in another crash. He was suffering from headaches, dizziness, balance problems, brain fog, and other typical “concussion symptoms.” He was told by one neurosurgeon that his brain injury symptoms were permanent, and nothing further could be done to help him. Even after showing the imaging to a different neurosurgeon, he was told the symptoms were “all in his head.” We were able to get him the correct diagnosis and connect him with the right doctors. His recovery began with one procedure that resolved almost all of concussion symptoms in 2 hours and lasted for a couple of weeks. Later, he underwent a different procedure to permanently fix the issue. Can you identify the problem?
Have questions?
If you have been in an auto injury and are experiencing headaches, dizziness, vision problems, balance problems, ringing in the ears, or sensitivity to light/noise, contact us at Portland Whiplash & Spine and let us help you.
