Jyoti
Senior Member
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I tried a traction device and it gave me relief from everything for a few minutes. Then another type of pain appeared. So I took the device off and the old symptoms came back. Does anyone know what it may mean? Does it point to cci? But why didn’t the relief last for longer than a few mins?
Obviously there is no way for any of us to know what is happening in your neck/craniocervical junction/brainstem without imaging and skilled interpretation. But... we can surmise a little. What kind of traction device did you use and how long did you use it for? That might offer some clue. In addition, there are variations on the instability. It can be vertical, horizontal, rotational or some combination thereof. So tractioning might relieve one but exacerbate another--that is my understanding. In my case, as I think I mentioned, a hard collar did stabilize and traction to some extent my CCJ. Which felt really good and reduced my POTS symptoms somewhat for a short period of time. But apparently, the pressure of the collar on my thoracic spine caused another set of problems within about 15 minutes. Sounds sort of similar to your experience, actually.
Some relief for you in using a traction device would seem to point to a situation where there is compression that is causing part of your difficulty. But I am increasingly aware of both how complex the various elements are in that region as well as their interplay. As you relieve one mechanical problem, you may be activating another. Hard to know without the imaging, though your felt experience is central. Young is good--at least if you ever want to consider surgery. You will heal faster in all likelihood and possibly have a simpler situation (like no arthritis in the facets perhaps) to work with, to 'fix.'
I am so sorry that you are so severely limited at this point. Being flat all the time is a real drag. Even if it is preferable to being up and dizzy and in pain. I hope you can find some way forward; I'd be cautious, though, until you do get an MRI because it sounds like you may have a complex situation.