Bloomin Neck!

angie1973

Hello everyone,

Been a couple of weeks since I ventured on. Was having a good run of things, but the last week I've been having real issue with my neck again. When I had my car accident, a chiropractor did a scan which showed all my muscles pulling to one side as my spine was out of alignment. Since then I've had arthritis develop at the top of my neck (the bit you naturally rub at the back), and it crunches and grinds all the time.

I also get the muscles go into knots because they get tense and then that makes the whole top of my neck and across my shoulders feel like it's one big hard knot. If I try and touch my chin to my chest, I almost feel winded it's that tight.

The tension then causes tension headaches, and I do stretches and things as given by my physio, but it isn't half giving me some grief!

I did a school trip yesterday. 90 odd children on the beach, my son included, but it was 8 hours all in on a coach and I am so stiff and sore from sitting still for so long.

Just wanted to vent a bit of steam as I would like to donate my head to a cushion for a while to give my neck a rest!

Hope everyone else is not suffering too much, sending virtual but gentle hugs to all.
Ange..xx

frogmorton

Hi Ange

l totally 'get' your neck issues myself as my neck does the same. I think it's c5/6 :sad:

I have a heat thingy l use for my neck (or back whichever is the biggest pain!) especially on journeys. l think it's called a clickheat and you click a metal button in it and it warms up on it's own.

When it has cooled down you boil it in water and it is ready to be used again.

I think you can probably buy that sort of thing online easy enough but l got mine in Dundee a couple of Christmases ago.

Hope things ease for you soon

Love

Toni xx

barbara12

Hi
It must be so painful, like Toni say says there are heat pads and cushions, but I honestly physio could help..they give you exercises to do while lying down, then you dont have the weight of your head on your neck.
You go and see your GP and maybe he will refer you.
Good luck...and dont apologise for having a moan..it will do you good.

paulch

:sad: hI Angie, i sympathise with you as i too suffering with ( i posted about it few days ago) i too have a type of whiplash after a fall in garden putting me in hospital, like others have said i use soft cushins and take co dymol i do still have some morphine which stops the pain , also i getting cracks and grinding now too do you have the same?

suzygirl

Hi, I have to sympathise as I have neck pain. As the others have said heat really helps. I take amitryptyline and muscle relaxants to ease the spasms and muscle stiffness. The amitryptiyline helps the muscles to relax enough so you can sleep.


A good pillow is important as well. Physio can be very good, it may be worth asking for a referral.

angie1973

Thanks you lot, you are wonderful.

I have a gel pack at home I can either freeze or heat which I use on my neck for some relief. I did try amitryptilyne (sp?), but it made me really, really woozy and I felt slightly detached, and I felt a bit out of control so I stopped taking it, even on a low dose, which was a shame but not worth the risk with my job.

When I first had the accident in 2001 I had a lot of physio for my neck as it got stuck and I couldn't move it. I had a year of chiropractor treatment too, but the relief was only ever temporary with the chiro.

Do you think I would qualify for more physio? I haven't had any for years since the accident as I was certain they would fob me off with 'get over it' type attitude.

I've had a fair bit of that since being diagnosed, despite a long history of neck issues along with knees, fingers and toes. I do take co-codemol when it's really playing up which does help. I've also tried voltarol gel too which seems to help.

I've tried firm pillows, memory foam and buck wheat pillows all of which I seem to find wake me up as I try and mould them round me. I'm an awkward so and so!!

Anyone recommend anything to try pillow wise?

You know, I'm not a bitter person, but the person who hit my car was drunk and gave false details. I wonder if he would even bat an eye lid knowing he's caused me 10 years of pain and issues? I doubt it!

Anyway, you are wonderful as always, thank you very much

Stu69

Hi Angie,

I offer you my deepest sympathy. It's blooming awful isn't it. The knotting thing is generally reactive in my case so exercising does sort of help. I got given a 'helpful' sheet of neck exercises from my GP for arthritis sufferers with neck problems, which do sort of help, but - and I don't know whether this is the same for you - the knotting up can sometimes come back worse after stretching.

It's a pain, quite literally. I'm off to see my GP this avo as it's driving me bonkers. I'm waiting for an appt with the ortho team - they're going to knock me out and give me traction under anaesthesia... can't wait!! After that I'm heading back to Chiro sessions for some alignment work so fingers x'd I can just go back to moaning about the RA

My prob is with discs C5 to C7 and assuredly I have pins and needles in the thumb and forefinger and also the middle finger (left hand) along with stupid shooting pains and spasms which also make my hands sweat too which is weird.

RE pillows: I use one rolled up ander my neck to support that and a small cushion a couple of inches thick to support my head. It's the only way I have found that works - keeping a natural straight line of my spine when sleeping as I always do, on my side.

Also, I found by pure chance that the Arcoxia cox2 inhibitor works well for back pain. Tramadol or coco or whatever else (apart from diazepam for muscle spasm) just don't work.

I was going to ask about amitriptyline this avo actually.

The other thing my GP has suggested, as you have mentioned, is more physio and pain clinic attendance, so I think I'll take him up on that later.

angie1973

You must let me know how you get on with that. My doctor just dismisses it as wear and tear and I have to get on with it and exercise more etc as they say being a bit overweight won't help.

I did tell him I had a rough couple of years during one major flare and fibro as well. I walk an hour every day now, have done for months, so it's not like I'm not trying for sure.

My knotting is the same too. My neck starts kicking off then all the muscles tighten up and go off on one, then I have to put up with the tension headaches on that.

My chiro treatment was supposed to get me back in line as it were but it was getting stupidly expensive and the chiro said it might not be a permanent solution since your muscles may well pull everything back again.

The traction thing sounds interesting though. I really hope it works for you, so you get some relief. I currently have one slimmer pillow and a second one which I then mould round my neck to support me. I only lie on my sides since my back is a no no and front is an ever bigger no no with neck issues. I find I wake up a lot in pain and then have to rearrange my pillows again. Still, makes for some interesting evenings!

Sounds painful with the spasms and pins and needles though. I hope the traction will help relieve that if it's starting to trap nerve. Not sure which of mine are affected (a bit higher up I think). Either way, like you said, a pain, literally.

Why didn't we evolve to have detachable heads?

mellman01

I have very deep sympathy with you on this, I had an RTA in 1980 and from that day on my fecking neck was a right ****, totally horrible, when it's bad my ears go red, anyway I kept on being told it's wry neck etc all the normal crap, in the end a few years ago I got so pi**ed off I thought **** my GP and went and saw another one got an X Ray and lo and behold they called and said theirs somthing wrong with your neck!, no s**t Sherlock had an MRI and they told me I have cervical spondylosis only took 25 years to find out.
So if you don't agree with your GP rotate through the ones there,or bette still try and get some info on who's ratted as a good one then book to see them, don't suffer use your rights, also how can carring a bit of weight cause yuor neck to hurt anyway for Gods sake!?.
Oh forgot to say Nortriptyline is good for mine works better than all the pain meds I use for me knees.

angie1973

Mellman,

Thanks for the reply. Really appreciate it. I will have to hunt a new doctor. The last time I went I had this doctor with a student and he was all for showing off. At my expense unfortunately, kept going on about my weight and how I should be more active.

I wouldn't have minded but I explicitly said I've had a bad neck for a very long time, ever since an RTA. I was x-rayed at the time, but nothing was found, however this was only a few weeks after the accident when the doctor was surprised I was still bad (as obviously all whiplash victims just want compo don't they!).

If you heard my neck there would not be much doubt. It grinds with every turn, pops, clicks, cracks, when it's really bad my entire neck and shoulder area feel like they are literally on fire and the pain is something else, and that's before the knots and tension headaches turn up.

I can't believe it took you 25 years for someone to believe you though. That's truly unbelievable. My weight is not the issue, I'm overweight, but I'm not obese at all, a size 16. I walk an hour every day so you can't blame it on inactivity either. I just wish they would listen, not hard is it!

Thanks for the reply though

julie47

hi angie

lots of people have given you advice so all I can say is ask your gp for a xray. Or if no joy there ask your rhummy dr.

I totally sympathize with your problem and do urge you to make that appointment.

Take care
Juliepf x