abbyw Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Hi,I have read several posts here about neck issues. I know that my POTS symptoms started at the same time as I had terrible neck pain. I still have some neck pain and lots of clicking. But I always thought that they were 2 unrelated issues. I am wondering if any of you heard of anyone who resolved their neck issues and their POTS at the same time?Thanks!Abby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMG Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Abby,I wonder the same thing. My neck is a major source of trouble. Many of my migraines originate from the neck.I had two cases of whiplash from car accidents and one was a short time before POTS. I had many chiropractic adjustments and thought I was doing ok until one last adjustment and one major migraine and I haven't been ok since.I am looking into cranial sacral therapy, going for acupuncture for months, and now am considering physical therapy. Nothing seems to put a dent in the neck soreness and migraines, which seem to trigger POTS symptoms for me. I am considering anti inflammatory supplements like Curcumin or Fish Oil as nothing else I have tried (Magnesium orally and injections) has helped. Also would consider nerve block or trigger point injections. Am hoping our fellow forum members have some ideas..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 It's not a cure but it helps me to put a gel icepack wrapped in a light towel behind my kneck/head. Also helps calm down my nerves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 It is sort of like the chicken and the egg for me. I am not sure if POTS causes neck pain or if me k pain is a symptom of POTS. "Coat hanger" pain is common with POTS. I do know that I feel better when I do things to help my neck pain like , exercise, do yoga, etc. I have improved my posture through yoga and I think it helps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeSprings Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 I have improved my posture through yoga and I think it helps a lot.Yogini - can you talk more about this? I have terrible posture, although some of it is compensatory. Rounding my shoulders and hunching forward relieves some of the chest pressure. What symptoms does your improved posture help you with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leydengs Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 I have HUGE tension lumps in my neck so I have a lot of neck pain too so like Angela I use a heating pad but I have to be careful with that because sometimes I will overheat and start sweating really bad so I can't use it for very long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashelton80 Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 A good cranial sacral therapist and atlas orthogonal chiropractic can reduce my symptoms by a lot. The problem I had was that neither held and the pain and tension would always come back. Cranial would come back in two days and the AO adjustment would last about a week. When I started exercising I was holding longer and could stretch it to two weeks. So I think it must have something to do with lack of blood and oxygen because the exercise increased both of those the neck pain wasn't as bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 I think yoga helped me out of my second flair. I didn't know I had pots back then so couldn't understand the lightheadedness (esp. in down dog) I was experiancing as well as the shakiness trying to get ready for work after doing 45 minutes of yoga but I pushed through and gradually my symptoms went away, took about 3 months. I was on no meds. This past (and worse) flair started back up after I had stopped doing yoga for about 2 months, as I was house hunting. Now I do 30 minutes of gentle yoga every night and it's mostly floor excercises but i believe it has been helping my symptoms. IDK why....maybe because stretching and the controlled breathing helps with nerves and circulation which us pots people have issues with. I believe good posture increases circulation too but I could be wrong on that.I know this question was for Yogini but thought I would tell you my experiance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 Not to take things too far off topic, but Yoga has marked effects on the ANS, and specifically the parasympathetic nervous system. Both the lengthening and strengthening of muscles AND the relaxed, slow, and rhythm based breathing are why. Bringing stimulation and tone to the parasympathetic helps balance the ANS as a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtra52 Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 I think I have a good answer to this topic. For starters I have heart failure, autonomic dysfuction (POTS exactly), and a headache and blurry vision in one eye. All of this started after a flu shot.So for the longest time I had no idea what was causing the headache or blurry vision until a Dentist showed me a medical book called Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction. I got the book and read the whole boring thing (well it's not all boring). It's essentially about trigger points, which are knots in muscles. I'm thinking my headache is caused by some really strange knots that I have. They're not rounded or ball like they're more like firm hard wires. Well the section of this book covering the Sternocleidomastoid muscle which is in the neck says that trigger points in that muscle can cause autonomic symptoms. In the book they describe a symptom that sounds a lot like POTS but maybe the authors weren't completely familiar with it. They also say the full extent of autonomic symptoms that can occur aren't known. Knots can be in different parts of the muscle and from person to person there's a variety of different ways the nerves could have grown through the muscle (just as we grew and developed). With all of the cranial nerves running through the neck it certainly seems possible that trigger points in the neck could cause POTS. I have a PDF copy of that book too if anyone wants it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue1234 Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 My upper shoulder muscles feel like cement as they are always so hard, all the time. They never relax. I have noticed when they are extra tense, I get more dizzy-headed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alex Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 I did notice at times some extra tension in my neck and shoulders, but I blamed my poor posture.A while ago I even tried seeing a chiropractor - he mentioned that I might be having some issues with my lower spine, yet proceeded to adjust my neck. I stopped going as his manipulations felt uncomfortable.To answer the question...no, I haven't seen any relationship between my occasional neck issues and the rest of my symptoms.Midtra, I'd be interested in a boring lecture so I'd appreciate if you could share the book you're mentioning. I'll PM you my email address if that's ok with you. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 Angela, I really agree with your answer. And ashelton I do agree it has to go with blood flow in a lot of us. I think coat hanger pain is because the body takes blood away from the neck/shoulders to make sure the brain gets enough.Naomi, in yoga they say hunching forward closes prevents your lungs from expanding fully. I noticed that when I am in positions that open up the chest it is a lot easier to breathe. Since a key part of dysautonomia is getting oxygen to the brain, breathing is important. Also, the body is most efficient when it is in perfect alignment. When you are aligned, your bones support you. Like when you do a handstand it is a lot easier if you are straight. Otherwise your muscles hold you up, which is much harder on the body - it's like exercise, which is hard to handle for POTSies. I can tell that when I hunch forward my legs fall asleep faster. So I think it doesn't help with the pooling and closes off circulation.And Zap, Yoga does have an overall calming effect on the body and mind. I am sure it's not for everyone, but I really love it, so it works for me.Midtra, I too have trigger points in my neck and will pm ou about the book. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbyw Posted October 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 Interesting answers, everyone! But I am still confused about cause and effect here. Meaning- do we have POTS, which is causing the neck pain and then the yoga helps for various reasons, or do we have some pressure point or narrowing of passageways in the neck which are causing the POTS symptoms. Is it really possible that with some neck adjustments and stretching, this could all go away ?!?!That would be pretty sad that such a simple thing could cause the last year of my life..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mattgreen Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 Interesting to see so many with bad posture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maia Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 matt, very interesting indeed.I have scoliosis and often wonder what part that and the years of bracing played into this. now with bad posture also and wondering which came first as i now have to stand rounded over in the shoulders to lessen the chest pain and shortness of breath also-which causes/is caused by? neck issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 I didn't know that slouching fwd helps with chest pain, that is interesting. I am not sure that bad posture causes POTS, but it probably doesn't help. Neck pain is a symptom of POTS. There are also coconditions like EDS that could cause POTS or neck pain. It is all very complicated, and personal to each of us. I don't have EDS, so not sure why I have bad posture or POTS. I wish the answer were so easy as having stretching/yoga cure POTS, but that isn't the case. Even my yoga teachers that have been doing it for decades have knots, posture issues, etc. I think some people here have seen improvement with chiropractors, but others have gotten hurt/worse. So it all depends, but unlikely to cure. Wish it did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maia Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 Yogini, i didnt either, except that its involuntary most of the time because i cant stand up straight and breath at the same time usually. when im slouched i can breathe easier, and it helps with the pounding and pain at the same time...Does a chiari malformation play into this at all? I havent really read up on it in a while, but if i recall correctly, its a narrowing of a nerve pathway that causes issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 I actually have always had very good posture, yoga just makes it even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashelton80 Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 So I thought I would share before I forget. Yesterday I went to get my atlas adjusted by an AO chiropractor. I hadn't been in months and I could just tell it was starting to get bad. I had begun to want to sleep until 10:00 am and when I would wake my head felt like it weighed a ton. When standing I had lots of pain and pressure in my head. Felt like it would explode. So post adjustment today, I woke and got up at 7:30 am with no heaviness in my head. After several hours today Overall feel more calm and much less pressure and pain in my head. This isn't just an oh it's coincidence type of thing, I have been doing pattern for almost 2 years. It's not perfect, but it's definitely helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMG Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 Ashelton,Is your adjustment gentle by the OA or is it a typical kind of crack the neck adjustment? I would love to go to that kind of chiropractor as I really feel it is the neck in my case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashelton80 Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 LMG, no its not a rotary adjustment. It's a very precise atlas adjustment by a machine. The part that makes contact looks like a skinny ink pen. Sometimes I don't even feel it and I am amazed at how effective it is without me even feeling much. They can be a bit hard to find depending on what part of the country you're in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maia Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 Wow! sign me up! and its done by percussion, how cool is that. i had an adjustment ages ago that i swear tweaked my atlas and instantly a 2 inch knot i had on one side of L1-which had been there for 20 years and is hard as a rock when you feel it, it actually feels like bone-a doc x-rayed it once because he wouldnt believe me when i said its a muscle and been like that as long as i could remember- disappeared. and i mean disappeared, instantly. i felt it just disolve as soon as that little spot cracked. poof. gone. in all the years of adjustments before and all after, no other adjustment has done the same. off i go to find one of these chiropractors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 What is an atlas? Part of the body? How is it adjusted? Sorry if this a stupid question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alex Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Yogini,the atlas is the 1st cervical vertebrae. Chiropractors adjust it by "cracking" your neck manually, or by using an activator - a device containing a spring that can deliver small impulses (taps) to whatever parts of your body (vertebrae) they want to correctly "reposition"/adjust.Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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