Syringomyelia and Chiari malformations are relatively rare, closely related, neurological conditions that may be congenital but also may be caused or severely aggravated by trauma in an accident such as head or neck injury an automobile collision. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT (computer tomography) scans are essential to the diagnosis of both.

Physicians accustomed to dealing with musculoskeletal injuries such as fractures, disc herniations, and whiplash, often completely miss the diagnosis of these extremely painful and debilitating injuries. They may even accuse the patients of exaggeration or malingering.

Chiari malformation is a little-understood condition in which the lowest