>:|

[sophinisba]

My neck hurts! It's been been hurting since Sunday! It moves around my upper back and my shoulders, but it always hurts! Sometimes it hurts more when I turn my head or shrug my shoulders or when I eat. I went to bed early last night and slept close to ten hours, and today was just as bad!

Poll #4406 My neck hurts!

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 18

View Respondents

What should I do?

View Answers

Go to the doctor!
5 (27.8%)

Go to the chiropractor!
7 (38.9%)

Go get a massage!
8 (44.4%)

Ice!
4 (22.2%)

Heat!
12 (66.7%)

Stop running so much!
0 (0.0%)

Stop spending so much time online!
0 (0.0%)

Quit your job!
2 (11.1%)

Sorry I forgot the ticky box and the "I'll give you the real answer in comments" box. You see, I am distracted by my pain!

Comments

[woldy]

I'd say you should find out what your insurance covers & try to make use of that. If it covers treatment by a Registered Massage Therapist (and my insurer does cover that, but requires a doctor's referral) then that would be my recommendation. Failing that, I'd see a physio. In the meantime, maybe buy a heat pack and use it when you can.

Chiropractic is a rather sketchy alternative therapy & neck manipulations are particularly risky, so I wouldn't advise going near that unless you're aware of the risks & have a very responsible (which means cautious) chiropractor.

[shopfront]

Have you had a good poke at your muscles to see if you're carrying much in the way of tension knots? If you are, a good massage or - especially if you're cautious/it's an unusual amount of pain/you try the massage first and it doesn't help much - a physiotherapist should do the trick. If you want to go for the cheap method first, a good dose of heat packs and some self-massage should help get the muscles out of spasm. I wouldn't worry about having a doctor check you out unless it carries on for a long time (back pain can be a symptom of a few scary things, but it's not overly common and absolutely not something you should worry about after less than a week of pain) and you've already seen a physio or chiro first with no success.

For the record, I'm a devout believer in physio over chiro because of the possible build up of scar tissue from your bones being forced around, but YMMV. Substitute chiro for physio in the above if you prefer.

[sasha_feather]

Ice, heat, and ibuprofen. Balance between rest (which is always good), and continuing to use the muscles so that they do not stiffen up. Slow, gentle stretches. It will probably get better on its own.

[schemingreader]

I got the most relief when I had this from heat and chiropractic. I do think it makes a difference whether you already have a chiropractor you trust who doesn't do crazy maverick cracking things to your back. If you don't have a reasonable, gentle, "I make teeny tiny movements that don't hurt or make a sound" sort of chiro, then go with seeing a doctor and getting a referral to PT. In my experience, doctors don't do so much with muscle spasms, but a good physical therapist may have exercises that can help. (My chiropractor also does a lot of that stuff, so that probably also made a difference.)

Those drugstore chemical heat packs are really amazing and give relief if your pain is due to spasms. A lot of athletes say cold for overuse injuries, but for me the heat worked the best.

[themadlurker]

It really depends on the level of the pain and how much it's limiting your range of motion, I think. But even so... going to the doctor could suggest options not on the ticky-box list. (I got to wear a weird foam-neck pillow for a couple of weeks.)

[(Anonymous)]

You're scaring me! This is how my terrible nerve injury started 5 years ago. It got steadily worse and in 4 days I lost the use of my left arm. I think you should definitely check with the medical provider of your choice. Best wishes.

[gamerchick]

Chiro or massage first, doctor if that doesn't work. It's probably not the best time to go hunting for a chiropractor if you don't already have a good one, though, since some are definitely quacks.

[sophinisba]

I have never been to a chiropractor or even a massage therapist, except for the woman who sometimes does free ten-minute ones at the gym. My ex-roommate had a chiropractor in the neighborhood that she used to go to but she did not really recommend him/it for me. So I think I will see about finding a massage person. (I am also enjoying a heat pack this evening.)

[gamerchick]

Yeah, I've been to two chiropractors now and the first did everything but actual chiropractic, and the second I'm still working with to get him to adjust me in a way that is effective and doesn't freak me out/cause pain. It's helped my TMJ problems so much but I've also had to wade through a lot of BS to get those benefits.

[mews1945]

You need to get X rays before you do anything else. See if there's a bone spur or a slipped disk in your neck. Any kind of manipulation could do more damage than good unless you know what's causing the pain.

[lilian_cho]

Late, but seconding heat.

PT is helpful in that they tell you What UR Doin Wrong.
(I slept curled up --> back hurts)

I saw a chiropractor in Chinatown regularly when I was pregnant. I can walk without pain after going there, so A++.