Can bad back/neck posture cause head problems?

G

Gigglygyal

New member
I have the exact same postural problem you describe and all the symptoms you have (except for slurred speech) in addition to about 30 more of them. The longer my problem goes on, the more symptoms I get. I really don't want you to end up in my state. Please get this checked out. I'm not saying it's anything serious, just that it would be better to find out what's causing it, rather than think "it's just anxiety" like most doctors would have you believe.

It all started with head pressure--that was the first symptom. Then add about 30 more symptoms throughout the years and no signs of slowing down.

It's possible I could have the same problem you have, maybe further along than yours. Please let me know if you have any developments on your case...
 
Hi-I am having a lot of problems in my head. It feels like a constant pressure/tingling in my brain, from the front all the way to a little behind the ears. It is pretty constant, but worse at times. I also get headaches, feel dizzy, and just feel a little bit out-of-it and mentally off (difficulty concentrating). I went in for a brain MRI, and it turned out normal. I am starting to think that maybe it is caused by my bad posture. I tend to slump my head forward, and I have noticed that my head bothers me worse the longer I have been slouching, or the worse my neck bothers me. I play the drums, and my posture is VERY bad when I play them, and last night I had a band practice, and afterwards, I felt VERY out of it. I felt like I couldn't concentrate, was slurring my speach, and it really felt scary. My neck and back were really hurting from my posture. Is it possible that I have some sort of problem that is affecting my head? Could it be pinching a nerve or something in my brain? Would you suggest that I go see a chiropractor, or any special type of doctor and explain my situation? Thanks in advance for the help.
 
this could easily be related to your postural problems its not unusual for people with scoliosis or kyphosis to suffer from such symptoms doctors largely overlook these problems or are dismissive of them however it would be wise to get it checked out from a conventional point of view such as an MRI before seeing a chiropracter who is supposedly trained to deal with these type of problems if you do see one find a good one some who mainly concentrates on musculoskeletal issues.


Good luck timtim
 
This sounds pretty serious! It could be realted to your cervical spine-the upper part that goes to your neck. It could be pinching your nerve, could be a slipped disc,scoliosis, could be lots of things. I would personally avoid the chiropractor and let a fellopship trained spine specialist-Neurologist or Orthopedic-take a look! Please don't wait on this-go the the emergency room if you have to the next time you are out of it and dizzy after sitting for a while.
Keep in touch with us and let us know what is happening! We are here anytime to help or just listen to what is going on,

Blessings,
Michelle :angel:
 
Thanks for all of the very helpful feedback. I am going to talk to my doctor probably today about seeing a specialist about my problems, since the MRI came out negative. I have been trying to make a conscious effort to sit up as straight as possible the past few days. Of course I still have all the symptoms but it seems to help a little bit.

Another thing worth mentioning is I am experiencing a weird feeling with my ears. I feel like they are clogged slightly. I had them checked and they are clean (no wax buildup). My left ear feels more clogged, and it's almost as if sounds come in kind of strange, and my hearing just feels a little off-centered or something. I also experience a mild soreness in my ears at times (never too bad, just pretty slight). Any chance this could be contributing to the problem as well....some sort of ear problem? I'm also thinking the ear thing could just be another side effect of all the problems in my head from the posture (if that's what is causing them)

I'm going to mention all of this to my doctor and see if he thinks I should just go to a spine doctor, or maybe go to an ear specialist too.
 
Hi!

I am experiencing something similar. I have lumbar spondylolisthesis (in my lower back). The bone that is supposed to hold my L5 vertebrae in place has a fracture, which is causing the vertebrae to slip forward. I am currently awaiting surgery. Anyway, over the last month or so I have started experiencing bad left sided only headaches. (The majority of my sciatic nerve pain in the lower part of my body is on the left.) I am also having very bad dizziness, to the point that I shouldn't be driving. It comes and goes as well, and is the worst in the evenings. Today my neck has locked up twice. I truly believe that this is all related to my lower back problem. I must be compensating for the pain by using a different posture, or carrying myself differently, which is causing problems in my neck and head. I also notice that I walk completely differently. I drag my heels very badly and nearly trip all of the time. I was actually going to start my own thread about this! I probably still will.
I think you should see a specialist. This sounds too serious to be simply posture related. There could be something happening in your spine. I also would skip the chiropractor. If you don't know what the problem is, the chiro could make it worse, like I believe mine did.
 
Hi timtim, I really feel for you. Certainly worth getting checked out, but it will hopefully not be anything too serious. I don't know about the ear issue, but I have had similar symptoms in the head and feeling out-of-it from about the age of 32, and yes my posture was shocking. I did have some stiffness in the neck too, so your situation may be slightly different. An MRI scan on my neck revealed some discs on my cervival spine were bulging. A combination of postural training through some alexander technique lessons and regular pilates, plus some chiropractic treatment has really helped improve matters over the years, without having to resort to surgery or medication. Massage and cranioscarial treatment also helped to reduce symptons on a regular basis.

I'm sure your symptoms aren't that uncommon, but do get it checked out soon so you can work out what to do. Good luck
 
did they also happen to do your c spine when they did the brain MRI? if not you really do need to get the spine checked out,this doesn't sound like 'just" a posture issue alone. alot of problems within the head can be stemming from problems within the c spine. its the way the nerves run and also muscle/fascia as well. as stated above tho,i would stay the heck away from any chiro adjustments til you at least have had that MRI which would show whether or not it is even safe to see a chiro. some problems they can really help with,but on that flipside they can create much bigger ones depending upon what is actually wrong in that c spine. not knowing just what IS really wrong is a big problem with chiro adjustments. once you know what is or is not going on in the c spine let that be your guide as far as trying a chiro.they can really help in some cases,but not with everything. this IS your spine afterall,so you do need to be very careful about just what you do with any treatment options right now.
just obtain that MRI with contrast on your c spine at least or even down thru the entire spine(might as well get it all since your going to have to be there)and see what is up in there for now. did they use contrast with that brain MRI? FB
 
Thanks. I spoke with my doctor about it, and he referred me to a physical therapist who I am going to see next week to work on my postural issues. Do you think it's concerning that he doesn't want to have an MRI of my neck/spine done, just to see if there are any big problems first? It seems to me like that would be a good place to start, but he said that he thinks I should go in for some therapy.

Either way, I'm hopeful that the therapy will start to help my situation.
 
There may be a couple of things to consider when experiencing back/neck/head pain...and little shows up on the tests.

1. If you are taking any kind of medication for another condition, check the side effects...and look more than one place. A commonly used medication for hypertension was the cause of my "back" problems...the symptoms were severe enough to consider spinal tumors...but when I disco'd the offending medication, the pain disappeared and hasn't returned now in over 4 years. Back pain is listed as a side effect of MANY medications...and just for your info, my doctor denied the medication could be the cause of my problems. I didn't make the connection until I was off meds because I was blaming my symptoms on an old back injury.

2. If you live in states along the eastern coast,the upper midwest, or Canada, you might want to consider learning more about lyme disease because it is reaching epidemic numbers in some of those areas of the country (this despite the numbers being grossly underreported). Lyme disease is a multisystem disease (it can affect blood, bones, joints, organs, brain, etc) that is difficult to identify and often overlooked.

Bethsheba
 
unfortunetly,docs like to do things a little differently than we would like and in some cases,depending upon your insurance,they have to follow kind of a set type of protocals for certain symptoms. but i would keep pushing for that MRI. depending upon how some PT goes would kind of tell whether or not things get even a little better of worse. THEN you really push for that MRI. just obtaining even a c spine series of x rays would show how well aligned your c spine is(when my primary did this at the beginning for me,he said my c spine looked like a train wreck,then the MRI happened). it would show things like bulges in the dics that could be impinging upon certain nerves. its a starting point anyway and its not as expensive as MRI. depending upon what shows in the x rays,you can kind of tell alot about the dscs anyways. if something really looks out of line,THEN you would have cause for the MRI just to look more in depth at that area to see whats going on inside the spinal column. it would give a solid reason. there just are certain ways to get around certain things when it comes to the need for more in depth testing. i would definitely ask your doc about a c spine series x ray on that neck area since most primarys offices DO have an x ray machine right there anyways. THAT much he should have done at your visit with him just based upon your neck complaints,ya know?

if i were you,i would ask for at least that basic c spine series be done before you do any PT. your doc CAN do this much for you ya know? this doesn't show the inside,but it can show the column really well enough to see bulges,disc dessications or nonalignment of your vertebrae,thats alot at least for now. its just one step closer to that MRI. ya just need to know whats going on in there to really get the best overall therepies for your particular problems. in some cases,therepy can help,in others it comes down to some level of surgical intervention to really get things 'fixed". it all comes down to just what is the reasons for your problems up there.

i just wanted to mention that i too,as the above poster does,recieve the same crainosacral therepy. great therepy along with myofascial release too. these two therepies combined together is what my PT does that has helped me sooo much with my c spine mess i have and just getting rid of the overly tightened muscles that can cause trigger ppoints to develop when any nerves are inflammed up there. it just sends signals to the muscles that cause them to just wad up into little knots in the back and under shoulder blades. i can really feel the difference when i get this weekly and when i have to miss a week or something. everything just tightens backup on me without that release. i just have ongoing inoperable issues from other surgeries(and deterioration of my c spine too) that keep creating the problems. your situation is way different. but these therepies can help. but first you just need to find the source of your issues. i would talk to your doc about at least the c spine series x ray. its a start. please keep us posted, FB
 
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