Neck Spasm - wow, have never felt pain like that before.

[Clobbersaurus]

I have been having problems with my neck for a couple moths now. Just general stiffness and reduced mobility. Usually a good sleep would fix it right up the next morning.

Saturday night my neck, where it meets the base of my skull went crazy. I’ve never felt pain like that before, ever. It was grit your teeth, tears in your eyes pain, that would come in waves.

I went to the clinic first thing yesterday and the doc said it is a neck spasm. He prescribed anti-inflammatories, a muscle relaxant, a neck brace, and physio.

I had a couple more instances of very painful spasm’s last night, but this morning I am feeling not too bad, but still have limited movement. The meds seem to work for a couple hours, at least. I still can’t wear the neck brace, too painful.

Has anyone else here had this happen to them? I’m Just curious what you did to ensure it never happens again.

[RoyGBiv]

MRI and a spine doctor. Your PCP may refer you to a "Pain Management" specialist....

My limited experience is that some sources of this type of problem can be solved with surgery, some can be solved with epidural injections of steroids (shrinks swollen discs that are pressing on nerves) and some causes can be solved with PT. Depends on the cause, which can usually be determined from an MRI.

I suppose drugs (prescription NSAIDs, opiates, muscle relaxers, etc.) is another option, but last on my list. Well, last on my list as a long term solution. I've found NSAID's (acetaminophen and ibuprofen) helpful for the short term. YMMV.

My first PT session is Wednesday. I feel your pain. Literally.

Good luck!

[Clusterfrack]

Wow, that sucks dude. I had a BJJ neck injury that was pretty bad, but yours sounds even worse. PT from an experienced provider would be my suggestion. Therapeutic massage was a big help for me. Do not trust Chiropractors. There are many examples of Chiro making things worse.

My neck got better, but it took patience and hard work.

[donlapalma]

Many years ago, I had severe neck spasms along the left side. I woke up and tried to get out of bed and my neck just said, "Fuck you!" I was immobilized and needed assistance to sit up and stand. I saw a chiropractor that day who gave me an adjustment and electro-stimulation treatment. I followed with ice, heat, stretching and anti-inflammatories over the next few weeks. I missed several days of work.

That incident was most likely the result of years of athletics, including football, and long hours working at a computer/laptop with poor ergonomics. Today, I try to keep up with stretching and I try to stay mindful of my posture. I sure hope I never experience that again.

[Larry Sellers]

Been there and done that. Injured when a sheetrock ceiling came down on my and a partner at a fire about 5 years ago. MRI, xray etc and it turned out that it is attributed to the reduction in the "S" curve the spine normally has. Did the chiropractor thing, ortho etc and they all want to see my all the time to manage the pain and not truly fix the issue.

I used to be at a point where any exercise above my head would give me terrible headaches the next day and I would be eating advil like candy. I powered through a lot of the pain and found that a pretty good solution for the pain is pull-ups. It has strengthened the muscles in my upper back therefore making my next stronger. No chiropractor in about 6 months, and only the occasional Advil.

I paid a lot of money for massages, chrio appts, acupuncture, sports massages you name it. Making my body stronger has alleviated a ton of issues.

reach out if you need some more info, neck pain is horrible.

[BehindBlueI's]

Yes. I had a feedback loop in my nerves due to a pair of slipped discs in my c-spine. This caused my muscles to contract, which put more pressure on the nerves, which caused them to get more aggravated, which caused the muscles to contract, repeat. I was a reverse hunchback, one shoulder significantly lower (like 11" or so) and my neck and back arched backwards.

Medication, including muscle relaxers injected into my back, helped short term. Physical therapy (and actually listening to the PT and not doing more on my own because I'm fucking retarded) was the long term solution. Surgery was on the table, but my opinion is it's worth it to try literally everything up to an including an exorcism to avoid surgery.

[helothar]

Had a pretty bad neck spasm that lasted a month, got some anti inflammatory medication but it didn't really help. Going to physical therapy for a bit worked really well, after some manipulation of the tissue in my neck I could start to turn my head again.

Good luck

Edit to add: my issue originally came about while I was doing an overhead press at the gym

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[JHC]

Wow, that sucks dude. I had a BJJ neck injury that was pretty bad, but yours sounds even worse. PT from an experienced provider would be my suggestion. Therapeutic massage was a big help for me. Do not trust Chiropractors. There are many examples of Chiro making things worse.

My neck got better, but it took patience and hard work.

Similar injury from similar activity way back in the early 90's. PT is a good idea. I traveled a lot for work then and skipped out on the PT plan. Bad move. Took many years to get beyond it being a recurring problem.

Clobbersaurus - can you recall an injury that might be related?

[MGW]

I've dealt with the same thing off and on for the last 7 or 8 years. My original neck issues go back much further than that but the spasms that completely lock my neck up are more recent. Similar situation as yours the first time a had a really bad episode. It hit me in the middle of the night and I couldn't get out of bed. The next day I couldn't miss work as it was state high school tournament time. Muscle spasms felt like someone had hit me in the neck with a bat and would put me on my knees. Fun stuff.

A local sports chiropractor with a background in kinesiology has actually done me a lot of good along with stretching movements that he recommended. I only go to him when I have too. I've seen some chiropractors in that past that were complete quacks and only wanted my money. There are actually some really good ones out there that can help. It's more like physical therapy with adjustments as needed. Do some homework, talk to local athletes, and don't be afraid to schedule an appointment. If they go right to adjustments without doing other things like stretching and stimulation first run away.

I still have issues from time to time. Shooting lots of shotgun rounds will guarantee an issue the next day.

[Clobbersaurus]

Clobbersaurus - can you recall an injury that might be related?

About a month ago I may have injured it when tearing down some office equipment. I spent a bunch of time on my back with a power drill unscrewing table tops from their bases. My neck was sore for a few days after that, but nothing like yesterday. The stiff neck thing has been going on for a while longer than that.

I will be making appointments for physio today. Hopefully that will keep it at bay.

Thanks to everyone who responded here. I’m sorry to hear this is such a common thing. I don’t wish that kind of pain on anyone, and I can’t imagine having to live with it as a chronic condition. It would be very tough to function normally.

[Clusterfrack]

Oh yeah Clobbersaurus, I forgot one thing that made a YUGE difference for me in recovering from neck stiffness: my pillow and sleep position. I am a front-sleeper, which apparently is bad. I would fall asleep on my back, and then wake up on my tummy with a cranked neck. Solutions include a body pillow wedged in to prevent turning over, or (as I now have) a thin pillow that is compatible with front-sleeping.

[Clobbersaurus]

Oh yeah Clobbersaurus, I forgot one thing that made a YUGE difference for me in recovering from neck stiffness: my pillow and sleep position. I am a front-sleeper, which apparently is bad. I would fall asleep on my back, and then wake up on my tummy with a cranked neck. Solutions include a body pillow wedged in to prevent turning over, or (as I now have) a thin pillow that is compatible with front-sleeping.

I’m a back sleeper who occasionally rolls over on his side. If I do, I end up being pretty stiff. That’s a good point about the body pillow. I will give that a whirl. Thanks!