HEADACHES:

• Orthostatic Headaches – Pressure headaches that are worse when upright (or after being upright for a period of time), and relieved from laying down. Headaches typically start within 15 minutes of sitting or standing up, and get a measure of relief after lying down for 30 minutes. However, when it comes to cerebrospinal fluid leaks (the most common cause of Intracranial Hypotension), the orthostatic component varies significantly on how long the leak has been present. When a leak first begins, the loss of intracranial pressure has not yet been fully established, and headaches tend to be non-positional. As the leak continues and the intracranial pressure continues to drop, the positional element usually becomes more noticeable. Leaks that have been leaking for a long period of time, tend to have a delayed orthostatic headaches (so the orthostatic feature is easy to miss) or the positional aspect may seem to disappear – headaches take hours to worsen or improve with change of position. They will often wake up in the morning with no headache and get one later in the day when they have spent hours being upright. Likewise, it takes longer to get relief from being supine.

NECK/BACK PROBLEMS:

• Neck pain/stiffness
• Interscapular (between the shoulder blades)

EQUILIBRIUM/BALANCE PROBLEMS:

• Balance impairment
• Unsteady gait
• Incoordination
• Clumsiness
• Dizziness
• Vertigo

COGNITIVE PROBLEMS:

• Memory impairment
• Brain fog

EYE/VISION PROBLEMS:

• Sensitivity to light
• Double vision
• Nystagmus

EAR/HEARING PROBLEMS:

• Tinnitis (ringing in the ears)
• Changes in hearing (muffled sound)
• Sensitivity to sound(s)

SENSORY PROBLEMS (touch, taste, smell):

• Metallic taste (leaks from nose)

PROBLEMS WITH EXTREMITIES:

• Movement disorders, such as chorea or Parkinsonism
• Tremors
• Slow movement
• Stiffness of extremities