“The role of 3D printing technology in the diagnosis of Eagle Syndrome.”
Journal of Medicine 2018
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5895411/
Eagle syndrome, or Stylohyoid Syndrome, refers to a process in which the Stylohyoid ligament, which extends off the Styloid process at the base of the skull, below the ear, can harden and calcifi into bone. This syndrome was first described in 1937 by an Otorhinolaryngologist, Watt Weems Eagle, which is why it’s called Eagle Syndrome (If you were wondering). Why are we talking about this paper? Eagle syndrome is not well understood. Basically, Eagle Syndrome is diagnosed when a patient describes dizziness, throat or jaw pain, problems swallowing or speaking, and a hardening upon palpation of the Stylohyoid ligament. If you, or someone you know, has been diagnosed with Eagle Syndrome, an Upper Cervical Chiropractor is a specialist that can take a look at the relationship between the symptoms and the structure in the neck without invasive drugs or surgery. Call to set up an Upper Cervical Chiropractic examination today.
Upper Cervical Chiropractors specialize in balancing the relationship between the skull the atlas vertebra. What we find is that the Atlas or C1 vertebra sits directly behind the Styloid process and can compress nerves and blood vessels when it is out of alignment. Upper Cervical chiropractors work to balance C1 so that the pressure from misalignment pushing on soft tissue in-between C1 and the styloid process is released. As upper cervical specialists, we look at how the structure can be causing problems in the soft tissue. This can be helpful, as Eagles syndrome is often looked at as more of a genetic problem, or one that demands surgery to remove the elongated styloid, which may not even be the problem. In the paper above, a CT scan was taken of a patient’s head and neck, to then 3D print the structure so that the surgeons could study the position of the calcified ligament before they cut it out. This is a very interesting use of 3D printing. Surgery and medications to relieve dizziness, and jaw or throat pain, can have negative side effects. So, if you are looking for conservative options and you have been diagnosed with Eagle Syndrome. give your local upper cervical chiropractic specialist a call today.
