Mri Scan for `chronic whiplash pain`

[pictishblue]

I was in a car accident in 2005 and since then I have been treated for `chronic whiplash` pain to my neck, shoulders and head.
I have a lot of pain and a very heavy sensation to my shoulders and a tingling burning pain to my neck and head. This has been getting a lot more intense. I take 4 x 2 50mg tramadol and 2 50mg  amitriptyline per day.
I have recently had an MRI scan and all that was noted was `Mild degenerative change in C7/T1 facet joints bilaterally.
I feel I cannot move on and find a way to treat this until I know exactly what it is.

Can you please tell me if this is enough to cause me all this pain and discomfort for the past 2 years and 6 months?
I am male aged 39.

Many thanks
  

[pictishblue]

Thank you very much for all your advice and extensive explanation to my condition. You wont believe how much it helps me to hear an educated opinion about treatment and from someone who thinks out side of the `box` `top`!
This has never been explained to me in this way by any of the `boxtop experts` lol that I have seen but your explanation makes complete sense to me.
I feel that because I live in the UK and have an insurance claim against the other driver I do not get treated correctly for my pain and condition.
I am treated as someone who has a claim and who may have injuries.

My accident occured when I was travelling at 60mph on the main road and a car without warning pulled out of a side road and I went straight in to his passenger side with out me having the time to apply the brakes.

I will certainly be passing on this information to my Doctor and Consultant so I can see what there reactions are to your advice. In any case I will be pushing to try out all of the recomendations that you have been kind enough to send me as it is the only sensible information that I have heard since my accident.

Do you think I should also find a good chiropractor?
At the start I had extensive physiotherapy, chiro, accupuncture and cranial sacral treatment but none of these made me feel any better and my consultant suggested that I have no more manipulative treatment.

Many thanks!

[Jaybay]

LOL!  I love the comment about the doc and the box tops!  He's in good company I think, as I've met several just like him.  :-D

As for your advice, I agree with you 100%.  After getting rear-ended, two neck surgeries complete with plates and screws, I was in worse shape than ever.  I was stuck in the "It hurts!  I can't do that exercise!" mode, so of course, never got any better.  I had to totally chuck that attitude, and 6 months in a gym with a personal trainer got rid of all the neck pain within a month.  Truly miraculous, and it's lasted for 10 years.  

I have to ditto your disclaimer too.  LOL!  I did all that without a doc's advice, because I wasn't getting anywhere with the advice they gave me, which was, "Live with it, and don't come back."  So I did.  ;-)

[caregiver222]

Also get some steroidal cream (now non-prescription) and rub it into the back of your neck twice daily.

[caregiver222]

I am very hesitant to provide specific medical advice, however I am going to make an exception. You need to get the inflammation down and permit healing. If those nerves have been mashed up long enough this may not be possible, but I am optimistic. The axial traction device fits around your chin and the back of your head. Throw away the water bags and hook the unit to a support in the middle beam of a door between the rooms. Get a chair and set it up so you can lower yourself and have your head pulled upwards. The idea is to stretch the vertebrae apart so the swelling can go down and the cartilige return to it's natural position.  The first day five minutes per hour every other hour. Not too long. A suggested protocol is for a 150 -200 pound person is presnisone 5 mg first day, 10 mg second day 20 mg for day three through 5, 10 mg next day, 5 mg the next day plus 400 ibuprufin, 5 mg next day plus 400mg ibuprufin and thence for the next month 800 mg ibuprufin in two divided doses daily, continueing the traction. After two weeks "range of motion exercises" are indicated, involving rotating the head completely through the limits of pain. The head is moved 340 degrees to the right and left. You can't move it 360 degrees. This will be VERY painful. Throw away the neurontin and the inappropriately prescribed amitryptiline. Drink lots of water and electroylytes. During this month avoid riding in an automobile or bus that will impart an "up and down" motion to the body. The second month you can get away with two doses of 200 mg of ibuprufin daily. Continue the traction. Under your current medication protocol this injury will not heal and the pain will get progressively worse. Here's the disclaimer: "Pay no attention to anyone posting advice on this board and Med Help accepts no legal responsibility for any injury or damage from listening to advice". Good luck.

[caregiver222]

Has your doctor prescribed an axial traction device? If not get another doctor in the morning. You have a physician who recieved his M.D. by sending in boxtops.These injuries are terribly painful and patients are often unjustly acused of faking. Instead of tramadol and amitriptyline you need anti-inflammatories. Ibuprufin comes to mind. Prednisone is often recommended initially. Also hydration, hydration and hydration. An axial traction device costs about 35 bucks without prescription and must be used initially about six to eight times a day for about five minutes each session. What you have is a subluxion injury. Now I insist you see a physician before following this advice, but listen carefully. Normally pain means you will damage something by moving. With subluxion injuries the head must be flexed through the limit of pain, or the range of movement will get smaller and smaller and the pain greater and greater. This is contrary to all common sense. But it is how subluxions are treated. Because there is a possibility you can cause damage consult a specialist in subluxion injuries before initiating this regimin. Naturally my opinion does not reflect in any way the opinions of the people sponsoring this board.