my brain mri came back normal now what? I was in an accident the beginning of September and have had constant pain in my head ever since. The cat scan and mri came back normal. The pain has gotten worse in the last week and I am due back to work in a few weeks. I can't function like this much less work! I started acupuncture (2nd visit is today) and have a follow-up with the neuro the week before I am to return to work. What else can I do??

just wondering if they included at least the c spine in this scan? considering what triggered this,having a neck injury of some level could explain your head problems. there are certain cranial nerves that do come down from the head and into the c spine,then loop back up there agian. so it IS possible to have alot of different head/brain type symptoms that are actually stemming from the c spine area and not the actual brain,or head. then there are also very inflammed or irritated(usually from injury)nerves that send out signals to the surrounding muscles causing them to really overtighten themselves and cause whatare called trigger points. this can tighten up everything around the base of the skull, neck,shoulder and blade areas too.

if i were you right now,i would be asking about getting your c spine MRIed if it was not actually included the first go round. the mechinism of your injury would dictate thoroughly checking out at least the c spine and the upper T. they get a very limited view when they are actually doing your brain,so they are not really 'seeing" it the way it needs to be seen,really in depth and fully explored. this is just one possibility for your situation. i would push for that MRI with a contrasting agent too. good luck and please keep me posted,K? marcia

Thank you so much Marcia for the clear explanation and recommendation! Coincidentally, yesterday at the acupunturists, she said she wanted to focus on my neck to see if that was causing the head pain rather than the head itself. I must admit the pain seems slightly better since then. :)

My next question then is - I usually am too lenient on everyone and too patient with things so what would you do: wait until the next neuro visit (Jan. 6th) or call and request the neck mri? I would think he won't authorize more tests until I have a visit. I would think the insurance would want that too. Or am I just making excuses to be lenient again? LoL

Thanks again for the great recommendation with explanations!!

After my car accident (a loooong time ago) I suffered whiplash, smacked my head good and had this unrelenting headache that nothing seemed to help. Tried physical therapy, muscle relaxants, painkillers. Finally, my doc ordered an mri on my head, neck, shoulders. Yup, soft tissue damage. So I started a different type of physical therapy, stopped taking the pills and began seeing a chiropractor.

Made all the difference in the world! To this day, unfortuantely, I have arthritis in my neck and shoulders, but at least it's manageable by a trip to the chiropractor maybe once every six months.

As feelbad said, there are lots and lots of nerves that wrap around the spine, go up to the neck, and can cause head pain. So don't hesitate to call your doc and have him/her explore the possibility of getting a MRI.

Good luck!

just a really helpful suggestion for you hon with regards to just needing to feel more in control and less intimidated? bring someone with you who you KNOW will help give you the overall support and the strength to push you doc a bit to get the answers you need. this really is just a good idea anyway since you can miss somethig that a particular doc says but someone else would pick up on for you. i NEVER ever see any specialist by myself when it has come to hearing actual Dxes of something or the need for yet another surgery done on me. i usually have my mom and my hubby with me. they do help alot in just making ME feel a bit more powerful and less intimidated. this really would benefit you with what you are dealing with too hon.

alsdo,making a goodlistof questions to ask also helps tons. just leave a pice of paper or notebook out like on your kitchen counter or table at all times and simply go to it AS SOON as a good question pops into your head. don't wait or if you are like me,you will forget it,and its gone for good,lol. you can do these things to just empower yourself and not feel so overwhelmed or intimidated by any doc. they are only human like we are ya know? just bring your 'backup"along with you,they can also come up with their own good questions too. but this does help me ALOT. just make certain to actually write down the answers to those questions when the doc answers them too. good luck hon,and please keep us posted,Marcia