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Posted 11/14/2010 11:43 AM (GMT 0)
I have many back and neck issues. Including a history of severe whiplash pain on my right side. I was in an auto accident 15 years ago and my neck has never been the same. Somehow 3 days ago I tweaked it out again in my sleep - I'm starting to think sleep as the enemy! I can't turn my head, I can't lift my right arm, I haven't been able to sleep much for 3 days because it hurts just to lie down...heck it hurts no matter what I do. I seen my chiropractor yesterday and he said somehow the vert in my neck got twisted and pinched. He adjusted me and told me to use moist heat. It still hurts extremely bad. I am taking Tylonel Arthritis and a muscle relaxer (I think the prescription expired though and is not as effective).

I am thinking I need to go to the doctor the get this under control but I am not sure what they can even do for me. I am severely allergic to codeine so trying narcotic pain meds can be tricky. All I know is that I NEED to sleep! I am so tired but I am in so much pain too that I need some sort of relief. If I do go to the docs, do you have any suggestions I can ask them for?
Posted 11/14/2010 12:44 PM (GMT 0)
The type of PT we have used (and between my DH and me we have used plenty) is from someone who uses "trigger point" therapy. It is similar to rolfing" massage but performed by a registered PT. My PT first starts with using a machine to warm the muscle area up by attaching wires to gently contract the muscles (can't remember what this is called right now) then he uses his elbow to push into the area and hold until the muscle releases.

I have used chiros, acupunct.'s and many other types of muscle therapy but this is the one that WORKS, if you can find someone who knows the technique. I even bought a book called "The Trigger Point Therapy Workshop" by Clair Davies. Once you have experienced the technique your partner can do much the same at home for you.

It may takes several appointments to get the muscle back to normal. It usually takes me at least 3. It is covered under my insurance (once deductible is met) but I pay it regardless. I just had an old upper back injury come back and Pete fixed it in 3 sessions.
This is not hocus pocus, it's a real therapeutic therapy but not every therapist knows how to do it.

Hope you feel better soon. Pain meds will dull the pain but you need to go to the source and get your body out of injury.
Posted 11/14/2010 12:47 PM (GMT 0)
Gosh, Sherry , I'm so sorry!
All I can add is to say I think you're doing the right things. When I cracked a few ribs in a fall from a horse once (on the day before hosting Thanksgiving) my GI prescribed muscle relaxants to take with Tylenol, thought it was the safest thing for me. It did take the edge off.
That and the moist heat....

With my hip stuff, I've done fine on percocet. Actually, I've pulled a muscle in my leg this week and am limping around.... and wondering what to do about it! I'm sure the other tensions in my life (my kids' college issues, etc) have made me physically tense and therefore more likely to pull something.

So as we sit here at HW, heating pads plugged in..........


Feel better soon!
Posted 11/14/2010 12:57 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the suggestions. I had a friend recommend 10 mins of heat (to relax the muscles), 10 off and 10 with ice (to ease inflammation). I used my muscle relaxer Skelaxin last night (didn't help) so this morning I used Flexeril. It is sort of helping but I only took 5mgs - feeling quite out of it at the moment.

This is the 3rd time this year that I've had such severe pain in my neck. This time being the second worse.

Songlady, I can't take percocet. If it has a "CO" in it, it contains trace or derivatives of codeine.

Ima, does this trigger point therapy help keep these things from happening?
Posted 11/14/2010 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
I had a pulled muscle in my shoulder, I couldn't even lift my arm completely. So, I went to my doctor and he sent me to physical therapy. Maybe you need to see the doctor so he/ she can send you to physical therapy. It sure helped me.
Posted 11/14/2010 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
oh gee Sherry..I feel for you truly! I hope the Flexeril helps...it would maybe be a good thing to have your neck imobilised for a short time?

Do you sleep on a shaped pillow? If it's too high, maybe just using a towel or a grain heating pad or a soft pillow that can be tied in the centre to add support around your neck and head?

Did the chiro adjust your upper back as well? sometimes that can be part of the culprit.

When/if you lay on your side, make sure you hug a pillow and have a pillow between your legs.

I hope you're able to get this eased.

There's always the Dr. Ho's air pumped up neck thingie....

q
Posted 11/14/2010 5:16 PM (GMT 0)
I live with almost constant neck pain, my GP is a D.O. so he does manipulations...it's the only thing that saves me. That & the naproxen, which is not good for me now w/ UC..sigh..but yes, I have the heating pad perm plugged in by the bed. I am often worse after an adjustment, though it resolves itself in a couple days..all the muscles are screaming at you for a bit. I find I'm best when I'm active, exercise really does help it, but you've got to get it rested enough to start working it...you can't work it when it's so flared.

Oh...wanted to add, the thermacare heat patches really do work wonders if you need to be mobile...

Posted 11/14/2010 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
Well I had to go to urgent care because this pain was very unbearable! I have a high pain tolerance but this just threw me for a loop. It feels like I have someone repeatedly stabbing me in the neck and shoulder with a knife.

So he gave me a pain shot (Toradol) - yes it's an anti-inflammatory but I have no choice really and he figured a shot would be easier on me then pills, 10mgs of Flexeril (all I had was 5mg doses) and Darvocet. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to get some sleep tonight!

Q - I have a soft cervical collar I can use. I always use a pillow between my knees because it makes my hips (sacroiilitis) feel better. Yes, my chiro adjusted my lower and upper spine.

The last time I threw my neck out this bad, I was down for the count for 2 weeks. I think I am going to call up my primary to see if I can start going to P/T for my neck. I've done P/T for my neck once before and it really didn't help much but it was very relaxing when they used the TENS unit with heat. But it wouldn't hurt to give it another go.

Meemers, I thought about the Thermacare patches but I am afraid to try them. I am allergic to the adhesive in bandaids and other skin patch adhesives. So a while ago, I bought a full neck, shoulder and upper back rice and lavender wrap that heats up in the microwave. I have been using that and it seems to help.

Thanks everyone.
Posted 11/15/2010 8:04 AM (GMT 0)
How are you feeling since the shot? Hope that and the flexeril will get you back to functioning better. Remember to hug a pillow when you lay on your side too...

q
Posted 11/15/2010 12:52 PM (GMT 0)
Well I was able to get some sleep last night even if it was drug induced. I only woke up a few times when I rolled over. The Toradol shot didn't have any affect on me but then again, I haven't gone to the bathroom yet because of the Darvocet. The shot was rather nice, I felt no pain elsewhere in my body for a while; something that is hard to attain on a good day. I'm always in pain to some degree so that was a nice break.

Normally 10mgs of Flexeril makes me a zombie but for some reason this time around it's not. The docs instruction is to take 1 - 10mgs of Flexeril 3 times a day and at first I thought he was nuts! But it seems to be working. I still hurt today but not as bad.
Posted 11/15/2010 4:29 PM (GMT 0)
Good to hear your pain is less. Yeah, amazing what meds can affect us differently at different times...I think it depends on how much pain we're experiencing as well.

Hope you continue to feel better...keep us posted please!

q
Posted 11/15/2010 6:32 PM (GMT 0)
FYI
Be very wary of epidural injections as their complication rates are VERY under-reported even by the best clinicians; most radiologists won't even report it on mri's unless it's severe due to the consequences it can cause the physician. Even if you have had success with these in the past all it takes is one to pierce the dura allowing the depo medrol to enter your CSF which can cause arachnoiditis. Google the Burton report and arachnoiditis from epidural injections. Cortisone injections are not recommended/approved for use in the epidural space by the manufacturer and is always done off label; it's supposed to be used in the joints only. Arachnoiditis can paralyze you not to mention cause debilitating pain. I learned all this the hard way and have consulted with the top experts in the country: Aldrete, Long and Burton.
Posted 11/15/2010 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
Bbc, I haven't had any epidural injections in nearly a year and I seem to be doing fine. I'm confused though why you brought this up?
Posted 11/15/2010 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
To protect you and others here in the event they/you are thinking about getting one or in your case more.
Posted 11/16/2010 10:35 PM (GMT 0)
Over about the last 24 years, I've had a fall, struck in the head (with nunchuks), and several car accidents. Over the last, about 22 years, I've endured periodic back and neck disabling pain of varying intensity.

Been through chiro, and I have attained some degree of relief through chiro. However, even with a good chiro, I find a lot of chiros want to try and talk one out of seeing an M.D.--and try to sell me vitamins, supplements, etc.

I think there's a place for both because about the only thing I get out of M.D.s on back/neck pain is more meds.

Worst most persistent pain culminated in a herniated disk, which may have been brought on during martial arts. Was treated with meds alone. He kinda suggested maybe I wanted to set that aside given the wear and tear it takes. [I was doing FMA and the school was pretty hard core full on.] I did.

Acupuncture can work, but I think it's often overhyped. Good PT works to an extent.
Posted 11/16/2010 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
I guess I found a gem of a chiro then. :) He doesn't deter me from seeing doctors nor does he even hint of using any vitamins or supplements. I never tried accupuncture on my neck but I have with my legs. My legs felt like lead weights and I was having a hard time walking. The accupuncture eased that and to this day I don't have that feeling anymore - not quite sure what it was though. The only thing that is holding me back from seeing the doc that does the accupuncture is because it can get rather pricey - $65 a visit. For my legs I was going in twice a week.
Posted 11/17/2010 1:11 AM (GMT 0)
Sherry, I'm so sorry that you're having so much pain. :-(

I had a lot of trouble with a pinched nerve in my neck for almost five years -- off and on with no real warning. Flexiril really helped me, as did Voltaran at times. But the thing that I *think* has cured the problem or at least kept in abeyance for the last several years was buying one of those Tempur-pedic pillows. In fact, I now have three. Two of the regular neck pillows and one of the side sleepers. I sleep on my back or my side on any of the pillows, and I switch them around from time to time.

I gave one to a friend who had neck trouble himself, and he didn't tell me, but he didn't use it for several years and then one day he decided to try it, and almost immediately sent me an email apologizing for doubting me and saying that he's a convert. LOL

They take a little getting used to, especially if, like me, you were accustomed to down & feather and lots of fluffy pillow around you. But I'm completely sold on these pillows.

I'm a big fan of acupuncture, as well, and I've had mainly bad or ineffective experiences with chiropractors, but if you're ever feeling like trying something new, I have found Alexander Technique to be very helpful for many back & spine issues, in part because the teacher doesn't "put" you into alignment, but rather s/he works with you so that your body knows what it feels like to be in alignment and so naturally gravitates there.
Posted 11/17/2010 4:38 AM (GMT 0)
Noah..this is why I see a D.O., they can do manipulations & prescribe medications, best of both worlds.
Posted 12/7/2010 11:46 AM (GMT 0)
@bbc- Hey bbc, i have seen your posts and our conditions seem to be very similar. I have a bulging disk at L5-s1, mild UC and now PN and i feel PN has been the most challenging. It's also hard to pinpoint the cause when you have multiple conditions.. I can relate UC wit the use of accutane long years ago and maybe PN from too much exercise. How have you been coping with all this?
Posted 12/7/2010 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
Aisha, welcome to Healingwell :) I suggest you create a new post with your questions to Bbc or to anyone, also to introduce yourself :)
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