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Avatar universal

???? Immense Neck ache/ heavy head feeling ?????

I’m 19yrs old and have never had the problem described below before, or anything similar.
I was working on my computer during late January of this year and most likely as a result of bending over the computer for 10min+ increments on many occasions throughout the days of 1 particular week, I later began to realize that my head felt heavy.  
I have not experienced any of the tingling feelings in my hands or blurred vision or dizziness. It is very difficult for me to turn my head to the right (left hand side muscles feel very tight), but not as hard to turn it to the left. My head basically wants to face diagonally downwards (slightly to the left) and it’s a 24/7 struggle to keep it up. The intensity can very from day to day with no discernable pattern ever being noticed. Generally it will range from an almost tolerable ache (which would be 5-7 out of 10 intensity) mainly in the left hand side of my neck, to an extremely unbearable ache whereby I cannot go for very long without some support under the neck such as a folded cushion (suffice it to say that when it’s 8+ intensity that I don’t get out and about much, if at all). For the first few months it was varied in intensity, then as of June-August it was more often a 6 or 7 intensity and just recently as a result of a pulled deltoid muscle from playing golf (think that’s what I did) the intensity has climbed to maximum intensity and has stayed there for a couple of weeks. It just seems as if the body is reluctant to heal this problem once it’s reached the mildest intensity (which has been 5/10 but never seems to last very long).I have tried my best to keep exercising the neck muscles and ensuring that I keep my head upright for as long as I can, but frankly it hasn’t helped in the last 3-4months I’ve been trying that. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like someone has strapped a set of weights to my head and that the neck muscles feel stretched or very week.
I generally find that it’s even more intense when I sit down (especially at the computer).


So far I’ve tried;
Seen Physio- neck exercises and massages (massges helped a tiny bit, but nothing noticeable)
Heat packs (slightly helpful, but more so when ache is near maximum intensity)
Pain killers (no help at all)
Acupuncture (no help at all)
Changing Sleeping arrangements- pillows, mattress, body position (no help at all)
Improving Posture (even over prolonged amounts of time there was no difference)
MRI scan (bones seem fine)

I’m not going to go on and on about how disruptive it’s been and how it’s ruined everything for me, but I am desperately seeking any relevant advice that may at least partially if not entirely alleviate me of this problem.

I have a hospital appointment with a specialist very soon, but until then I’d really appreciate any suggestions you have to offer. I’ll respond to any suggestions or questions within a few hours maximum.

Thanks
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Avatar universal
I have a question back june 19 2013 I had what is called radio frequency done on my right side of my neck on c2 and c3 and on july 3rd 2013 the left side was done few weeks into haven it done on my right side was great no problems then on july 3 when the left side done two weeks into it I was haven pain in my chest like heart burn went to the doctor for it which I didn't have then the pain moved under my left boob and moved to my arm pit then my lower back I have never had pain like this ever im a 43 year old woman aand im in pretty good shape then the pain decided to go down the back of my neck into my spin so I decided to look up what radio frequency was and it did say it could cause all these side effects I was so upset the doctor didn't tell me this so I went saw the doctor told her I think my nerves are pissed off from being burned and its send mix signals threw my body. she tells me has nothing to do with it because the area you had it done it be different if it was the top of your head then yes so I left and I delt with the pain for a long time then a few weeks later the top of my head felt like something was craweling on it and my eye lid and eye brow started twitching so went bk and told her she gives me a drug called gabapentin 100 mg I started taken it and it worked I started feeling great so then I stopped taken it cause I had no more pain.then a couple days ago I got a sharp pain in my back so I took a gabapentin and my the bk of my neck was hurting so I put my stimulator on my neck on each side on the bk by your brain stem seemed to help.was getting rdy for bed I took my bata blocker which is for the fluttering of my heart and about 4 am I went to roll over on my side and got really dizzy the room was spinning I could understand why I was feeling this way laid in bed all day cause inway I would move I get dizzy and when I would rub the bk of my neck were I had the radio frequency done I would start spinning so what I was wondering was now is the nerves messing with something in my neck in the area causeing my dizzieness or putting the stimulater on it please help me I just don't know anymore im gona lose my job because of missing work cant drive to dizzy please help me how long does it take for theses nerves to die its been two month on sept 3 for me thank you for listening
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Avatar universal
And adding on to that- what of neck support (folded cushion behind the head, high back camping chair with comfy head rest) ????
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Avatar universal
Oh and one final question
Is it actually possible for you to relax in a chair or bend over without worrying that it could trigger the original problem again?
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Avatar universal
..... will be appreciated
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P.S- any final info about the exercises, what pages to look in the books etc
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Avatar universal
It's a shame there’s nothing I could take that’d provide guaranteed temporary relief. I'll report back to you within the next few months after I've given those exercises a fair go (surely I'll notice some improvement after 2). Hopefully you'll still be posting on these forums and can respond to any questions I have (most likely about the books and which specific exercises you did and how long etc. Until then I thank you and hope for the best.
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Avatar universal
(if you did it loads then I'm surprised you'd have had the time, cause even the ones I do take 20-30 mins).

i made feeling better my # 1 priority. i worked on it 3 hrs a day for a few months before i even started to feel better--- but my problem seems like it was alot worse than yours.
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Avatar universal
why is it that my right muscle doesn't feel stretched at all when I do them for the right hand side?

perhaps your tightness is more on one side than the other-- everyone is different.
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Avatar universal
for me it was 45 minute session 3 times per day.. plus 10 miutes of hear before, and 10 minutes of ice after.
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If I present a physio therapist with this information about the possible cause then hopefully he or she will be of more use this time and help to ensure Im doing the exercises correctly.

yes hopefully
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Avatar universal
so long as there aren't any drastic side affects


the possibility for side effects is very real when you allow someone to stick needles into your spine

drugs also have side effects.
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Avatar universal
so long as there aren't any drastic side affects


the possibility for side effects is very real when you allow someone to stick needles into your spine

drugs also have side effects.
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Avatar universal
Obviously I'm going to try everything available,

i wouldn't
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Avatar universal
Besides, surely you went through the same options I did before you were fortunate enough to find the solution. How long did you actually have the problem before you embarked on the months of exercise (if you did it loads then I'm surprised you'd have had the time, cause even the ones I do take 20-30 mins).
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Avatar universal
Apologies for the excess questions ,but I keep forgetting some. We talked about which side of my neck it was and you said probably both, but with differing intensities. When I try the neck exercises that I was given ages ago (presumably some of them are included in the books you recommended) why is it that my right muscle doesn't feel stretched at all when I do them for the right hand side?
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Avatar universal
How much time did you need to set aside for all of these exercises because I have plenty of time in the evening, but not so much in some of the mornings?
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Avatar universal
If I present a physio therapist with this information about the possible cause then hopefully he or she will be of more use this time and help to ensure Im doing the exercises correctly.
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Avatar universal
Obviously I'm going to try everything available, but at the same time I'm going to do the exercises from the books you recommended. I've already had an MRI scan remember. Personally I don't care which one helps me, so long as there aren't any drastic side affects and the problem is solved. I'll be looking for those specific muscles groups and exercises in those books.
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Avatar universal
He was unsure what upper crossed syndrome was ---told ya

possibility lead to him giving me Diazepam ---do you think this will make you better?  taking a drug will make your neck muscles feel good again???

to be given an injection that will attempt to reduce the pain
(possibly it's a muscle relaxant injection or something similar). dont even ask me about this-- you know what i will say.

He seemed to think that the primary problem could be the trapezius (after making me look up down and feeling my muscles etc)-- how bout that !!

neurologist was not necessary-of course not

There is still the possibility of doing a scan to look at the soft tissue and discs as well.---OF COURSE--MORE TESTS.

--look-- i am not your doctor, i am not even an MD as you know I am just a well read dentist who has been thru this **** and has done your research for you and given it to you graciously;. Go ahead and have a an MRI-- there will probably be some sort of finding(s) like herniations, stenosis, bone spurs, bulges, but unless you have DISTINCT symptoms (pain, numbness or weakness in a particular finger or in a particular nuerological distribution that correlates with a specific obvious finding on an MRI that affects a specific correlated nerve root and unless this can all be re-confirmed by EMG studies and other neurological tests.......then my advice is to try and fix this yourself with a few books, some reading, and alot of time on the stretching table and in the gym........

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Avatar universal
Well I finally had the appointment and what I can say is this. Spine is definitely ok, the muscle spasms possibility lead to him giving me Diazepam and I am also scheduled to see a pain clinic (or something like that) to be given an injection that will attempt to reduce the pain (possibly it's a muscle relaxant injection or something similar). He was unsure what upper crossed syndrome was (but there are hundereds of syndromes in the back) and suggested that I might also need to revisit the physio and address the muscles more thoroughly. He seemed to think that the primary problem could be the trapezius (after making me look up down and feeling my muscles etc) and decided that referring me to a neurologist was not necessary. The trigger points statement you made was also helpful because that led him to believe that I was re-referred from the physio too quickly. In the mean time I'm going to buy one or some of those books you recommended and give them a go. There is still the possibility of doing a scan to look at the soft tissue and discs as well.
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Avatar universal
my problem is isolated only to the neck so why would I need to strengthen my mid back (never had back issues)?

good question. If you have rounded posture 2 things have happenned-- a weak, rounded back with stretched out mid back muscles,, and a forwardly positioned head. in order to stand up straight and have your head positioned correctly over your spine, you have to standd stragiht-- to do this your mid back needs to be strong. you also have to wok the trigger points in your neck--espec scalenes, upper traps, and scms, and stretch these muscles. In other words, you have a front to back imbalance. the front is short and tight, the back (mid back) is weak and loose. so, to fix it you have to straighten back up-- you do this by loosening the neck and astrengtheneing the back. it is a front to back imbalance you need to corret. it has a name too-- Upper Crossed Syndrome.
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Avatar universal
Yer I'll send the personnel messages next time, I know how now.
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Avatar universal
I can understand the need for posture improvement (although I have had bad posture for many years and have thus struggled to improve it) my problem is isolated only to the neck so why would I need to strengthen my mid back (never had back issues)?

I know that there are many possible causes, but don't you think that since I went many years without any problems with my neck that this was a one off and was resultant of prolonged bending over in very difficult positions for one intensive week (I'd so like to maintain the belief that if I had never have spend days over that damn computer that I never would have been in that rare position which was possibly the sole cause of the problem)?
I'll look into the personnel messaging thing cause I'm not certain either.
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Avatar universal
your problem sounds rerkably similar to mine. I would venture to say that mne was perhaps worse. I had pain in the neck (couldn't turn it at all) upper back and chest. couldn't raise my arms. everything was just ridiculously tight. all better now. tennis on the weekends, golf on fridays. you've got to get your body back where nature intended. lose excess weight, build your core, strengthen your mid back. release those nasty neck muscles. try it-- be diliginet for a few weeks nd do the stretches and exercises as often as you can.GET YOUR HEADS OVER YOUR SPINE AND KEEP IT THERE !!!!! Have good posture, like Jolie Bookspan says, ALL THE TIME-- not just when you exercise or remember it. Post any time -- i think you can send me a personal message thru this ste somehow--others have done it but i haven't figured that out yet !!
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