REAL HELP
I know this is years later than the original post, but try this.... I have arthritis at c5/c6 from forward head position due to a posterior tongue tie. so over the years, the way that I would tilt my head backward was like this: leading with the upper back portion of my head and bending my neck at about the c3/c4 vertebra, putting the weight of my head on the very back of my spine. What helped to lessen the pain was to first stretch out the lower neck which had been taking the brunt of the force. I did this by holding my neck and head completely still and in alignment and only bending backwards at the lowest joint of my neck, that joint should be THE ONLY part of your head/neck that moves. You will hear a ton of adhesions popping, don't be scared, it doesn't hurt and will make you feel a good deal better. from then on, just be aware of the need to slightly bend every joint in your neck when tilting your head instead of just severely tilting one joint.
I had similar problems and had also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia in the past. I saw a great doctor who ordered a positional MRI of my neck. It was normal in the flexed forward and neutral positions but in extension (tilted back) my spinal cord was being pinched to a diameter of 4.6mm. It is called positional cervical cord compression. I had it surgically corrected. You may want to research this and ask your doctor about it.
Yes, you need to go see your doctor and get an MRI done. I had this exact situation happen and it wasn't until they saw on the MRI that I had a compressed spinal cord. Which is that sharp pain you're feeling at the base of your neck top of your spine. If I were to guess I would say vertebrae C4C5C6… in also explains the tingling of your arms, when your nerve is pinched the causes tingling, when your spinal cord is compress a can cause paralysis. I urge you to get checked. I waited around and by the time I found out what was going on I am now waiting to go into surgery on the 23rd of this month. Do not wait I hope you feel better good luck :)
I've had this problem for the past 3 years. One morning, I woke up, and had a sharp pain in my neck, exactly where you described. At first it was any time I moved my head, now it's whenever I tilt my head back. I've been to numerous doctors and spinal centers, some are clueless, some suggested it's a form of arthritis. One doctor even said that it could have been as simple as a fan blowing air on me in my sleep, and I just slept at the wrong angle. None of the pills or medication they gave me helped in the slightest.
I'm also 26, was 23 when it happened, and it's been a constant struggle every single day, every single moment since then. I'm never not in pain. Like Sharbee said, at times it's so unbearable that I now understand suicide. I don't know how I'm going to live the rest of my life with this chronic pain.
I've had this problem for the past 3 years. One morning, I woke up, and had a sharp pain in my neck, exactly where you described. At first it was any time I moved my head, now it's whenever I tilt my head back. I've been to numerous doctors and spinal centers, some are clueless, some suggested it's a form of arthritis. One doctor even said that it could have been as simple as a fan blowing air on me in my sleep, and I just slept at the wrong angle. None of the pills or medication they gave me helped in the slightest.
I'm also 26, was 23 when it happened, and it's been a constant struggle every single day, every single moment since then. I'm never not in pain. Like Sharbee said, at times it's so unbearable that I now understand suicide. I don't know how I'm going to live the rest of my life with this chronic pain.
I am having a similar experience, please if you see this comment, tell me the diagnosis and prognosis
I've experienced this pain for 2 1/2 months. It's the worst pain I've ever had. I can only sleep with sleeping pills. It takes everything I have to endure a day at work. I finally got an MRI and learned I have a herniated disc between C5 and C6. Like you, at times it's so unbearable that I now understand suicide. Please seek out a neurosurgeon for the correct help! Hang in there!
have the same prob just thought id google it and it seem there is no diagnostic..... i have seen an osteo as i had back problems a month or so after, she didnt fix it on either visit, back healed tho...... the pain hurts when i tilt my head back and more so the more i tilt my head back to the right, pain is in the same place had it about 15 months maybe more.... i knw this isnt serious cuz the time frame but its still annoying as hell..... lemme knw what u find..........im male, age 21.
I'm in so much pain every day, to sleep I have to sit in the bathtub, holding the shower head on my head spraying hot water on my head and kneck, i suffer chronic migraines every day of my life. Tilting my head backwards is the only way yo lessen this headache. I sleep every night in the bathtub full of hot water spraying a shower head on myself.
I find the heat helps lessen the pain, but it doesn't stop the pain, as soon as I stand up or straighten my head I am in ago and feels like my head I going to explode. I cry every single day, I left my job, my partner left me because she cannot see me like this. Watching or hearing my crying every day 9-10 times a day for a long time, I don't know what else to do, frankly if I had the bollox ir the means I would kill myself. I cannot cope anymore and the reply for the docs is , take some paracetomal. I'm sorry but I've been buying under the counter morphine and although i am out of my mind, the pain is still thier, it never stops I shake my head when it feels like it has gone, but I can feel it I can feel the headache at bay ready to start again please someone help me please I'm begging you I'm begging for help. Something must be be done. I haven't slept in a bed for 2 years, I sleep in a bathtub clutching the shower.
I have the same problem of the first gu,but mine happened cause I was playing football and some guy hit me through the back,and I heard a pop on my neck,it's barely been like 3days,but when I'm standing straight and tilt my head back it hurts
Hello Ryan, I see that you are following up on a post you left a three years ago.
I don't quite understand what happened between 2012 and your truck accident, but I do understand that chiropractic care and swimming you have been doing for 6 months is helping your pain. This is good.
Many mild spine syndromes improve with exercise, and soft tissue manipulative therapy.
Perhaps that truck accident was a blessing in disguise?
Best wishes.
I've been seeing a chiropractor for the past 6 months since I was in car accident. A truck rammed me from behind at traffic lights. It didn't seem to make my problem much worse but the insurance paid for the treatment. I've also been swimming in the ocean during spring break with my son and summer with my club. The problem seems to have got better with this life style. I don't know if it's the doctor or the swimming but it's doing the trick. I hope this update will help people with the same problem.
Same issues except mine is tilting left to right & turning head too far. It's been over 6 months. I've done chiropractic massage steroids & now have an mri on Thursday. Ido what else to do. Pain is in both sides of my neck identically but right side is way worse. Have heat/tingling/numbing in right arm & pinky. Please please if anyone had anything to add please let me know!
The inflammation would 'drain' down my arm, through my elbow (which seemed to sell and open to allow this, and down through my second finger. I spent years spinning my wheels with doctors before finding something that helped. Everything I am reading from you all is familiar. The trigger points nearly made me suicidal. I almost can't believe the daily pain I was in. Good luck...
It is inflammation. I had the same exact problem. After a while the inflammation caused the muscles to lock, but the primary issue was removing the swelling. I also had a knot under my scapula that seemed to be "locking" all the swelling in. I got a strong anti inflammatory to clear the knot and have been able to push the swelling out with lots of icing and stretching.
I hate to sound like a broken record here, but I too have the exact same problem - extreme pain/stiffness in the top of my spine and neck area that is very irritated by looking up. It also keeps me up at night and hurts so much when I try to get up out of bed, that I literally use my hands to hold my head to alleviate the weight stress on my neck. Chirp was useless and x rays came back negative. I start PT in one week, but wonder is there any relief in sight???
I to have same problem with my neck I had philosophy after two sessions it was a lot better neck stretches help I was doing ok till two days ago spent 20mins on my rowing machine and the pain is back I allso do a lot of knitting,
I realised I need do do neck stretches first .
Stretch out fully I find swimming front crall is the best for me as breaststroke throw you neck back I am a great swimmer and I am going back swimming next week suffer ed most of last year with my neck , I am not letting myself get like that again Hope this helps other people to find a
Elaine
my hypothesis is that it is all due to muscle weakness and poor posture and the sensitive place people are finding themselves these days. Luckily there are many posture correction techniques and strength training exercises. A combination of the muscular strength and knowledge about posture will give you the basic tools to avoid becoming slouched over your mobile device while your back neck and shoulder muscles slowly deteriorate with every cup of coffee, exposing your weak and maligned spine to the pain that comes from vertebrae stacked on top of one another with no muscular support, and in many cases an actual pulling downward of the head for extended periods of time, over and over again, neck bent the wrong way as it should remain in an upright position with a slight curve back in the opposite direction. The discs between each vertebrae that keep things cushy start to get compressed and put pressure on the nerves inside the cord! Love the cord people please. Many adjustments, electronic devices, balls, rollers, chair lumbar supports, yes yes yes whatever it takes. But workout the back like 2 - 3 times a week and become a strong person. Otherwise, you can stay very weak but you will likely have to live with bony shoulders and very gentle activity. One night of drinking and sleeping on that neck wrong could throw you into a fizzy and you will be fighting with your friends and neighbors and coworkers. You will only want to sleep and then when you are away you will likely only want coffee. You will go to yoga which will work, but seems like you are still very sensitive. I think the only true way is to develop back muscles and a strong core to give you that killer posture. Then you need to maintain that and get over the whole tight little girl muscles that you probably have (somewhere in there). Speaking to myself here, not anyone in the forum in specific. Hope this helps.
I have a simler problem. It changes a bit everyday actually. The pain feels like soarnes. But I have no reason to be sore. I haven't been working out (lazyness). The pain is in my shoulders, back, and neck. It gets a lot worse at night, which is very annoying. When I tilt my head down the feeling is simler to pulling of hamstrings. I don't understand what's wrong since I'm only 14.
I have a simler problem. It changes a bit everyday actually. The pain feels like soarnes. But I have no reason to be sore. I haven't been working out (lazyness). The pain is in my shoulders, back, and neck. It gets a lot worse at night, which is very annoying. When I tilt my head down the feeling is simler to pulling of hamstrings. I don't understand what's wrong since I'm only 14.
I was dusting the overhead fan, I tilted my head back and had the biggest badest headache in the world, and it went behind both my eyes what on earth is happening, I fell in my bathroom last year and cracked my head on the cabinet it took weeks to get better and now this.
is this related in any way?
I have the same problem also. pain just wont go away took advil, ty, aleve. still
didn't work for me. So one day I visit my mom she said what's wrong with you, then she said go see your dad which he's a doctor. buster. j/k. so I went to see my dad and he just says lay down front forward and acupuncture me told me to come back every week same day i was there. so it worked NO MORE PAIN. So try it see if it works for you. never trusted my dad so now i do. took me 7 years. don't wait. so don't be going and getting surging done to your neck or spinal cord in till you find out what it is. or you're regret it
I had many of the symptoms described here and had occult tethered cord. It took 3 years to get the diagnosis and I did a lot of physical therapy, massage, and chiropractic/osteopathic manipulations with no results. Was told it was a muscoskeletal issue or a whiplash injury or a mental illness. Nothing explained how it moved from being a shoulder problem to a full body problem.
I had full body spasms when I tilted my head back or look down. I still have it to a lesser degree as I am 2 months post op and theres still much healing to do (nerves heal slow). So anyone in here, with clean cervical MRI but still have neck pain, try a thoracic and lumbar mri to see if you have a tumor or tether or any other progressive disease!
You could have a Cervical Herniated Disk, chiari, or a tethered spinal cord. Get an MRI!