[Logla]

I've been having this horrible pain in my neck for nearly two weeks now. Its not a stinging pain or a throb - more like a dull ache but it is really uncomfortable. It gets worse as the day goes on until it turns into a headache which I can't get rid of. I know that my chair at the pc is the right height and my desk is go so I don't think that its caused be the way I'm sitting.


Anyone else had anything like this before?

[Madgoat1979]

I had something like that.... cept mine turned into Migrains.....

Went to the doc and took some tests....


He said I had Small blood vesels in the back part of my head and the capularies couldnt keep up with the blood flow....



sooooo, He stuck me on a mild thinner for awhile, got lots of excersize ..... and Im good to go now....



yup,
MG

[Dyre Straits]

Originally posted by Logla
I've been having this horrible pain in my neck for nearly two weeks now. Its not a stinging pain or a throb - more like a dull ache but it is really uncomfortable. It gets worse as the day goes on until it turns into a headache which I can't get rid of. I know that my chair at the pc is the right height and my desk is go so I don't think that its caused be the way I'm sitting.


Anyone else had anything like this before?

It may be more related to how you use your mouse. Is the pain mostly on that side? If so, you might need to alter the location of the mouse.

[Logla]

Originally posted by Dyre Straits
It may be more related to how you use your mouse. Is the pain mostly on that side? If so, you might need to alter the location of the mouse.

Nah, its on the other side.

[Dyre Straits]

Is there a draft where you sit.....or on you when you sleep?

My son just went through a horrible pain in his neck last week. It was so bad it put him in bed for about 24 hours. He's all better now, though.

[Zardon]

(I know some of these you have already but).

1: good quality chair with ample back support (worth spending money on a good executive leather chair or equivalent)
2: desk/monitor height
3: Room temperatures/possible drafts
4: limit time in chair with breaks every hour, get up and walk around for a few minutes.
5: invest in a girlfriend to massage your neck and back with stilletos and warm oils.
6: sell your pc and become a monk.

[Logla]

)

Originally posted by Zardon
(I know some of these you have already but).

1: good quality chair with ample back support (worth spending money on a good executive leather chair or equivalent)
2: desk/monitor height
3: Room temperatures/possible drafts
4: limit time in chair with breaks every hour, get up and walk around for a few minutes.
5: invest in a girlfriend to massage your neck and back with stilletos and warm oils.
6: sell your pc and become a monk.

1. Chair was nicked from a managers office at my old workplace - they cost about 300 quid and are reasonably high quality.
2. Desk, chair and monitor all at the correct height and angles etc - I've had loads of training on how to sit at a desk from work you see.
3. Room temps are fine and cosy and the only drafts come from the huge amount of air being sucked through my case, although not directly at me.
4. Usually sit down for no more than 30 mins at a time before getting up for a cup off coffee, fag break (thats cigarette break before any of my american friends break into a sarcastic comment about my sexuality) or to answer the girlfriend who is screaming at me from the bottom of the stairs - which takes me onto...
5. Massage - I wish. Its usually her who demands shoulder/neck massage, indian head massage (at which I am told (by girls in the office as well as her indoors) I am rather good ) and the occasional foot massage. If I ask for massage, I get the female 'Dirty Look' and silent treatment for 5 mins as I don't perform it on her often enough, apparently.
6. The monk idea certainly appeals especially when you consider the girlfirend factor - maybe she is the cause and I need to be single again

If it hasn't gone away by the end of the week I think I will visit the doctors. I know my brother used to suffer from acute migrane when he was about 3 years old. This caused him to have hallucenations when he awoke from sleep in the middle of the night.
I've been really ratty all week cause of this (does the above rant reflect this?) and need to get it sorted soon.

[Logla]

It gets worse!!!

Woke up this morning with a scream, my neck muscles on the left hand (sore side) have gone into spasm and locked my head into my left shoulder. This is really painfull not to mention inconvienient (I'm typing this with my head more or less on its side).

I should have known the neck pain would end up like this as I've had this twice before when I was a kid and then when I left school. Its called wry neck (ridiculous name I know but thats what the doctor told me) and there is no treatment for it apart from rest. I could be stuck like this over Christmas. It also means that I can't go to work as I'm based from home and have to drive to all my individual jobs. I really dont want to take sick leave cos it'll look bad on my report.
If I can stand the pain, I may setup the camera and post a pic of how ridiculous I now look.

[kinetic]

Have you tried any alternative treatments such as acupuncture etc. I haven't tried it myself but I know people who have had some amazing results after exhausting conventional medicine!

[Logla]

Nah. It will pass in a couple of days (I hope) I just got to rest and have lots of hot baths to try to relax the muscles. It doesn't feel as painfull today but I still can't turn my head to the left yet. I just hope its ok for christmas.

[Veridian3]

Does your girlfriend know you massage the girls at work? lol

[Logla]

Originally posted by Veridian3
Does your girlfriend know you massage the girls at work? lol

lol - hell no! Don't think I would be able to explain that one.

Just got home from the doctors this morning. He suspects I have torn a ligament in my neck. Has prescribed 2 weeks off work (Merry Christmas Doc) and plenty liquid painkillers I have to go back in another 2 weeks to get it checked over and if it isn't any better after that, then I have months of physio in the future.

Could be a lot worse though so I think I'll stop whinging about it.

[BWX]

Originally posted by Logla
lol - hell no! Don't think I would be able to explain that one.

Just got home from the doctors this morning. He suspects I have torn a ligament in my neck. Has prescribed 2 weeks off work (Merry Christmas Doc) and plenty liquid painkillers I have to go back in another 2 weeks to get it checked over and if it isn't any better after that, then I have months of physio in the future.

Could be a lot worse though so I think I'll stop whinging about it.

This is the first I've seen this thread, or I would have responded earlier. I know exactly how you feel, I've had a long history of lower back problems (3 major surgeries since may 2000, broken titanium pedical screws, removal of those screws, etc..) But my neck has also bothered me just exactly how you describe in the exact place you describe for the past 5 or 6 years. I also get those nagging headaches that come and go with the neck pain. With me, my neck will be OK for a while, then all of the sudden it kills me for 2 or 3 months at a time- day and night, with no relief- then it will go away for a while, and seem fine- only to come back in a few weeks or a month if I'm lucky. Last year I got fed up with it and finally told my doc about it, he scheduled an MRI, it turns out I have a bulging disk pressing on my spinal column- (disc C5-7 I believe) and a few other discs that are also questionable. A few weeks ago my outer fingers on my right hand went almost completely numb which was pretty scary, and they still aren't normal yet, making ducking and walk toggle in FPS games incredibly difficult, among other things.

My older brother, a few months ago, suddenly out of nowhere had severe neck pain and also lost some of his feeling in his legs, hands, fingers, and other places (some minor bladder control, and crazy shit like that), and started having trouble walking, standing, going up stairs, etc. He lost the feeling in mostly all of his fingertips and was a real wreck. The weird thing is, we aren't really old, or overweight, or unhealthy- We're both actually pretty athletic, and have played many sports -including hardcore mountain biking, basketball (him, not me on the basketball), soccer, baseball, lacrosse etc... and he was playing basketball and golfing right up to the point where he started going downhill. I also used to lift weights on a regular basis until my back got messed up. Anyway, I'm just 31yrs old and he's 3 years older- just turned 34 in October. The point is it's probably some kind of genetic thing, maybe aggravated from past car accidents or something. He was in a military truck accident when he was in the army and broke his collar-bone, and I was involved in an accident at UPS (in 1995) which I attribute all my back and neck problems too , but with no injury to my neck I knew about at the time. These kinds of neck disc problems can happen to anyone at any age.

Anyway, when my doctor saw my MRI, the first thing he asked me is if I have had pain and/or numbness in my hands and arms, which at the time I hadn't -unless I slept on them wrong or something like anyone else, and then I would have some numbness or tingling in my hands for a few seconds. He scheduled physical therapy but I never went because a month later I woke up one day with half of my right hand going numb and severe pain on the left/back side of my neck. My brother on the other hand, had the same bulging disk, but it was worse, and could have possibly been life threatening if it applied to much pressure- no nerves to the lungs and heart and you got big problems, not to mention the nerves to the rest of the body used for walking and whatnot. He had to have emergency neck fusion surgery to basically avoid permanent and severe injury and complications. This was just a couple months ago- He now has titanium rods and screws in his neck and is slowly recovering, I'm going to see him in 2 days and I'll know how his numbness is and other problems are coming along, hopefully he's getting better and there wasn't too much nerve damage.

The funny thing is, I found about my discs in my neck right before any of that happened to him, and my doc told me the only real solution was that neck fusion surgery my bro just had. I've about had it with surgeries , I don't want another one for the rest of my life- no matter how many pain killers you take, it's not fun at all, but sometimes necessary. Anyway, I have an appointment Jan., 9th, and I'm getting another X-ray and maybe try therapy again- I'm afraid to go to physical therapy now, because something obviously changed and I want my doc to tell me exactly what happened before I do anything strenuous with my neck like physical therapy.

Anyway- the reason I went through the trouble in describing this whole mess, is because I was about your age (25 right?) when my neck started bothering me, just exactly like yours, and it was when I was in a sitting position. At the time I had a job drawing signs and doing other artwork all day long in a seated position, about 1/2 to 2 hours at a time- then I'd get up and walk around and then go back, and it always started bothering me when I was sitting for some reason. I actually had to quit that job that I had for about 3 years because of this. I never got an MRI for my neck back then, because I just thought it was some kind of stress from lower back problems I had at the time. The pain I was having back then FELT exactly like some kind of ligament or muscle pain, but the whole time it was actually my discs starting to bulge I'm sure. Anyway- I don't know what kind of insurance you have, or even how exactly your heathcare system works over there, but I would talk to your doctor about an MRI. I would do it even if your symptoms go away, because it's possible you may have what my brother and I do- Bulging and herniated discs are a common problem, and it's much better to know that you have one if you do, then you can protect it much better, and maybe avoid surgery or possible complications later on. My MRI cost more than 900 dollars, but I had my workman's compensation insurance pay for it, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford it. I have been taking Tylenol (acetaminophen), for years, and that never really helped that kind of neck pain. All acetaminophen and narcotic painkillers ever did was treat the symptom (pain) not the cause, bulging disc and inflammation. I have never liked taking anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen because they are really hard on your liver and stomach, but lately along with my regular Tylenol/hydrocodone, I've been taking a 600mg ibuprofen a couple times a day - always with food, and it seems to be helping more than all the narcotics in the world. Even better than getting pissed drunk- I've found that actually makes it worse sometimes for some reason.

Sorry for the mile long post and I hope you get better and it's just a ligament or something. but I strongly suggest you get it checked out more, and also try to get an MRI if you can, just to be on the safe side. I don't mean to scare you or anything, but those symptoms sounds all too familiar to me. When I read your first post, it sounded like someone describing myself about 5 years ago.

[Zardon]

Originally posted by Logla
)
5. Massage - I wish. Its usually her who demands shoulder/neck massage, indian head massage (at which I am told (by girls in the office as well as her indoors) I am rather good ) and the occasional foot massage.

Does your boss not mind you massaging girls feet in the office? im getting quite a good visual image of this one

[Asmoday]

Originally posted by Zardon
Does your boss not mind you massaging girls feet in the office? im getting quite a good visual image of this one

[Logla]

BWX - thanks for the mile long post as you make some very interesting points which I have taken on-board, especially about the bulging disks. I tend to get a stiff neck and then, stupidly, roll my head to stretch my neck. This has the interesting effect of things "crunching" in my neck. People look at me absolutely horrified but I always thought nothing of it as all my joints crack and crunch - they always have done since I was a kid. Anyway - if cracking my neck bones could cause the disks to bulge then I reckon I may be in real trouble. I've got to go back to the doctors in a couple of weeks anyway to get check out so I'll mention it then.

Zardon - I only massage my girlfriends feet - not the girls in the office - I would be fired on the spot for that! I have massaged their heads at work though, but we all got split up and sent to new firms when our contract was upin the summer. I now spend all my time on the road in my little van with no human contact but that of the customers - and I doubt I could massage them. Although this paints a very interesting picture in my head now

[BWX]

Originally posted by Logla
BWX - thanks for the mile long post as you make some very interesting points which I have taken on-board, especially about the bulging disks. I tend to get a stiff neck and then, stupidly, roll my head to stretch my neck. This has the interesting effect of things "crunching" in my neck. People look at me absolutely horrified but I always thought nothing of it as all my joints crack and crunch - they always have done since I was a kid. Anyway - if cracking my neck bones could cause the disks to bulge then I reckon I may be in real trouble. I've got to go back to the doctors in a couple of weeks anyway to get check out so I'll mention it then.

YUP!! I did that my entire life too- AND so did my brother- I can crack every joint I have- and I'm kind of double jointed-
I never thought twice about cracking my neck either- but I do know- I still crack it, I just don't don't use my hands to manipulate it and "stretch" it beyond what is normal. I just kinda move my head from side to side like a normal person to stretch it out and sometimes it cracks. My neck crunches loudly too- my doc said that is actually normal, but the bulging disc isn't.. Definitely take it easy on you neck until getting it checked out. I bet you do have a bulging disc- which sux, but better to know about it than not.. Good luck at the docs.

Oh, also ask your doctor about something you hang from the door and put your head in it, then you sit down and your head is supported, kinda like you are in traction, but you only do it for a few minutes a day to release pressure on your neck- My dad has one (surprise- his neck is messed up too, just this pass year too ) But I tried it out last time I was home and it really helps.. I also got a visco elastic memory foam mattress pad and pillow that help too- Just some ideas to run past your dr. or to try out.

I got this great deal- maybe you can find something similar where you are.

http://www.smartbargains.com/prod.as...v=0&s=CA3&evn=