Cloudy Vision on Long Rides in Aero Position?
Has anyone else had a problem with temporary blurred or cloudy vision in one eye after about 2 hours in the aero position? By temporary, I mean it lasts for about 6 hours or so after the ride. Could this be vertebrobasilar insufficiency? I'm wondering if the prolonged cervical spine hyperextension in the aero position is leading to a vascular or perhaps neurologic syndrome.
0
Comments
Marianne,
No headaches, spots, or floaters. I have once or twice gotten bilateral finger numbness. My last eye exam was a couple of years ago. I guess I'll have try a different ophthamologist. I went to her office in the off-season and they had me wait more that 45 min - so I left before seeing her.
ART providers can work the involved muscles out, which probably will not be limited to the RCP maj/min.
Staying aero is hard on the neck and I try to keep my head down most of the time and look up every 6 or so pedal strokes to look for road/car conditions. The line between safety and comfort is a foggy one.
BTW: vertibral basilar symptoms are nothing to mess with. Cerebellar irrigation is likely an issue with your symptoms Olivia. I would recommend you possibly consult an Atlas Orthogonal (AO) upper cervical specialist. The treatment modality is extremely gentle (often my patients ask "That's it?" after their first AO adjustment). I've seen things from bladder control issues from aeroposition to migraines and balance disorders improve with very few treatments. It is what I use in my wife and children for their primary spinal care in addition to ART.
Vince
interesting hypothesis regarding cause of blurred vision after aero position. consider this one...
cerebral perfusion pressure has a very narrow range. this means that blood flow to the brain is strictly regulated by your body. a drop in perfusion pressure would result in much worse symptoms than blurry vision. for sure arthritic changes in vertebral anatomy or stiff muscles could cause neurological symptoms like numbness, but vascular insufficiencies produce much more serious symptoms as, Vince alluded to.
my vote is that the cause of your transient blurry vision is a mechanical one indeed, but not at the cervical spine (actually, maybe indirectly it is), rather it's an effect on the eyeball itself!
do you have astigmatism? no need to answer here, just consider the following:
-when your head is down looking in aero position and you are looking up the road, your eyes are technically parrallel to the road and your face is pointing down. this is a position that your eyes are not used to being in. if your cervical spine is arthritic or muscles tight in cervical region, then this face down and eyes up position is accentuated even more, since you cannot lead with your chin as do people with more flexibility. in the latter case, even though in aero, the person's face is facing forward and eyes are facing forward normally.
-with eyes parallel to raod and face down AND with repeated blinking, you actually can massage the cornea in to a transiently different shape. the cornea's job is to bend light so that after passing thru the lens, the light can focus on the retina properly. in order to do this, properly, the cornea must be round. people with astigamtism have corneas that are more coned shape. this is why they have vision problems that are often resistant to corrective lenses. the most extreme example of this is a condition called kerataconus and studies have implicated forceful repeated blinking in exacerbating this condition, due to the resultant change is the shape of the cornea.
-so, my hypothesis is that your transient blurry vision is a result of the cornea getting a bit mishapen from 2hrs of repeated blinking, while being in an 'unatural' position. after a couple of hours, everyhting goes back to normal. if you have astigmatism, this is probably accentuated even more.
-treatment: diminish the difference between the face down and eyes up position. if stiff muscles, then have a PT work on them as Vince suggested. once loose, work on leading with the chin. if already loose, then try leading with the chin while in aero. if arthritic, then get less aero. better to see then put on the wrong shoes at T2!!!!
this was fun. let me know if your condition improves.
Gilberto (MD, finishing up PHD headed to Orthopaedic surgery residency)
Nice assessment Vince. Thanks. I tried to see an ART last year but had trouble finding one in my area. Is there a database of ART practicioners that I can access online?
Gilberto,
Yes, I have a stigmatism so your assessment seems right on. I had suspected arthritis in the C spine. At age 49 my neck has been through alot of gentle trauma, MVAs, football, etc. Perhaps old injuries have led to arthritic changes affecting the left side.
Good luck with your dissertation and Ortho residency. Are you sure you don't want to do Opthamology?
George (DO, private practice radiology)
Vince
Dear George and Vince: Yes, this was a fun exchange and I learned a lot too. Until the next case!
GH
Gilberto,
Just a bit of feedback. Today I did my Big Day, 1 hr OW Swim, 4 hr bike, and 1 hr Run. On the bike I concentrated on occasionally looking down when in aero position in standing up on the pedals to look ahead. It seemed to help. No clouded vision today.
Thanks again.