any suggestions bad neck pain....

If anyone has any advice i would appreciate it, i have had severe neck pain and upper back pain for the last week and a half, this is not new to me , i often suffer from this along with continous headaches and feeling light headed and just not with it when i have this pain.,hard to concentrate is what i mean., i also feel a bit sick in the stomach as well.

However despite pain meds which are prescription meds, i have had no relief,usually this works for me in a few days, but not this time, i don't know if tension is contributing to it, but probably, but i feel it is more muscular and my bones,my neck always crunches when i try and move it in a circular position to relieve tension, my neck feels like it is in a vice to be honest and it is really getting me down, i don't know what to do, i have tried neck exercise, heat packs, resting, pain relief etc etc,i can only think of visiting the doctor now, not that i really think they will help much.

Any ideas, i should not even be on here right now, as it is aggravating the condition,but i just needed to get any advice if possible, thanks.

I had a pinched nerve in my neck a few years ago, it was the worst pain I ever experienced. I swallowed handfuls of motrin and it did no good.

I finally went to physical therapy and found relief, my physical therapist gave me this bungee cord thing with a towel in a loop at the end to attach to a doorknow I would lay on the ground and my head would rest in the loop, this would pull my neck so the nerve would get relief...I know it sounds wierd but it worked.

He also gave me an excercize that worked well, sit up straight and picture a pole going down from your head down your neck, now picture that pull pulling your head up and pull your head up, at the same time pull both shoulders down.

Sound to me Carole, that you could have one of a number of things.

Tension will definately cause upper back and neck pain, the only thing that will help that is to somehow try and relieve the tension with perhaps a mild sedative.....maybe try some relaxation techniques such as yoga.

You could also have a chill. Do you sleep at night with something that is more high collared ???
I used to get chills all the time, and was told by my doctor to always wear something that protects my neck from temperature variation at night.
You would be very surprised to know, that since then I have never had another chill. Thing is, when you go to bed at night the temp may be warm, and maybe you have a T-shirt or something like that on....during the early hours of the morning as you sleep, the temp drops and your muscles in your neck and upper back which are exposed, actually shrink...so when you turn in your sleep, you slightly stretch the muscles and they tear a little. The pain usually stays for two or three days.
Try sleeping with a pajama top or something that covers the back of your neck and upper back....and turn the collar up.

You could also have calcium spur growths in the upper part of your vertabrae. These will press against your spinal cord perhaps where the nerve is situated for your neck and upper back. I have such spurs, but they are a little lower and affect the nerves in my arms at times. Sometimes my arms ache for no reason, and it is because of these spurry growths in C5 and C6 of my vertabrae. The only thing that has fixed that is Fish Oil....I take a capsule of that every morning....it is very good. You can get that at any health food store.

But see your doctor first, try and get an answer from them as to exactly what it is that causes the pain....and go from there.
Wom

A deep tissue massage and/or acupucture has helped me w/this, Carole. Good luck. I feel your pain.

Caseysmom I think is onto something. I also have a pinched nerve in my neck as well as arthritis. I use moist heat. Feels wonderful and dulls the pain (along with the pain med).

Feel better, Carole!!!;)

Have you had x-rays done? That would help determine a course of treatment and/or exercises.

If I had that, I'd be straight to my chiropractor. If you have never seen one, they will want xrays done first before they touch you.

If it's tension - maybe a stress management class available in the community.

I carry all of my stress in my neck and shoulder area...it got to the point where I was crying all day because of the pain. I finally couldn't take it anymore and went to a chiropractor.

It was the best thing I've ever done for myself. The pain went away in the first week. For my body, it's best that I go once a week- but unfortunately, due to financial issues, I can only go every other week. Man, I can really feel it when I lose the adjustment because the pain creeps back.

I have to second the chiropractor - things were really out of wack after a nasty fall off Scooter, and the chiro fixed it. My neck is messed up as well (they thought I had a pinched nerve from aforementioned fall but I guess not...but my neck is too straight, doesn't have the normal curve) and it always feels 20x better. That doesn't help with my headaches, but those are still quite a mystery.

I too have a pinched nerve and the only thing that helps is continued PT exercises which I have to do. Find a good PT and let them show you the exercises relief is not far away. Best of luck.

thank you all, it was really bad yesterday and is still not good but not as bad as yesterday, i know being on here is really bad for it, so i am only responding and then i am off, hubby has also lowered my screen as i was tending to have to look up at it, that sure did not help, i also think reading my books is irritating it, i cannot seem to get comfortable when reading,also remember i do have fibromyalgia, but this does feel different.

I would dearly love to try acupuncture,physio or other treatments, i just don't have the cash for that ,as it is too expensive.

Yes i would like an xray done, i have had trouble for some time now, and although some of it feels like tension, a lot of it does not either, more in the bones.

I think i will have to head off to the doctor,believe me you just about have to drag me there, i never go unless i really have to, but i feel it is time, as i am sick of the pain and misery i am feeling right now.

Wom sorry i cannot take fish oil as i am allergic to fish, but thanks for all the other suggestions, i will keep them all in mind, i am prepared to do whatever it takes to get rid of this.

Well must go, thanks again everyone.

It definitely sounds like more than just tension - more like arthritis if you're getting a crunching sound when you turn your head. Sounds like x-rays are in order to rule out anything too serious.. I've been down a very long road with neck issues, and I know that they are no fun. You need to get checked out before it gets worse.

Lowering the computer screen is a great idea...you should be looking across at it, not up. (My chiropractor told me this.)

Also - I have the computer mouse close to my right hand so I am not moving my arm forward and holding it like that to use the mouse. Changing the mouse position really took a lot of tension out of my right shoulder! I noticed it at the chiropractic session that followed the mouse position change.