Question
Hello,

When I was eleven years old fell on my head not once, but twice while practicing gymnastics.   Since that point I have had chronic pain in my neck.  Throughout my teenage years I was able to maintain it, but in the past few years it has gotten quite worse.  I am now 28 and the pain is worse than ever. I have found that I am never fully NOT in pain; I only have periods of time where experience LESS neck pain.  I occasionally am required to sit motionless and upright with a neck brace on, to alleviate the pain.

In addition, in the past few years, I've found it impossible to be a passenger in a moving vehicle unless I am the driver.  If I am a passenger, even for a few minutes, I get terrible headaches and slight vertigo which effectively incapacitates me for hours to a full day (this includes transportation by trains, boats and aircraft).  Even when I do drive myself around, there is only so much  I can withstand -- even a couple of hours can be quite taxing.  

I am also subject to random spells of vertigo, which can last for several hours to days; sleeping upright seems to help, and sometimes lying on the edge of my bed with my head tilted back and to the right -- followed by rotating to the left -- alleviates the dizziness.  

I've seen a couple of specialists over the last couple of years; the first one said that the inability for me to be a passenger in a vehicle is due to damage to my neck stabilizers --  that I can't compensate for the movement unless I anticipate it myself (hence being able to drive but not be driven).  He also said that there was nothing they could do...
I had an MRI taken last year, and results were inconclusive; the specialist could not see anything from the imaging.
I am exhausted and frustrated looking for answers, and the constant ordeal is draining my sanity.  Any help or insight would absolutely fantastic...

Thank you very much
Simone

Answer
Simone,
First of all take a big deep breath for me, actually take three right now, in through the nose and out through the mouth.  Go ahead, I will wait for you.

OK, now, I want you to know that everything is going to be alright.

The head and neck injuries from gymnastics are probably what sent your destruction into motion, and it will ultimately be the correction of that Upper Cervical Neck Injury that will help you to get well.
We see people in your condition quite often and we also find the cause of the problem although many other health care practitioners are not even trained to look for it.  We also have the ability to correct the cause of the problem without the use of harmful drugs, radiation, or surgery.
The next step is just to get an evaluation so that we can show you the problem and get started on correcting it so that you can get well.
Are you able to get to St Louis?  Please reply with your geographical location and your availability in coming to St Louis.  If you would be travelling we would need to see you for at least a week, although 2 to 4 weeks would be ideal.

Try and remember that we are interested in the cause of your condition while your other practitioners are merely treating effects, the only way to get well is to correct the cause.

Yours in Best Health,
Dr Rob Arnone