possible neck issues

[Pantlegz]

So I was casually browsing the internet at work today and ran across an article that scared the shit out of me.

http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/strength_training_stroke_recovery if anyone is interested in reading it.

Long story short is that I've been having simialr symptoms with my neck always feeling like it needs to be popped as well as tension in my shoulders and up into the back of my head. A few weeks ago my girlfriend said something about the back of my head being bumpy and massaging it helps but sometimes gives me headaches. Tension headaches have also been a lot more common lately that ever before. Actually I think that I've taken more headache meds in the last few months than I have the rest of my life, for headaches. I'm still betting on it being tension and hoping there isn't anything more serious going on, going to GP tomorrow to get checked out and get more advice. My vision has been slightly off at times(mostly night) but I figured it was just time to get new contacts(it is time for my annual exam).

Not that it matters or will help, but I think it may have started after a post-bar fight that I was sort of involved in. It wasn't bad I did get hit once in the forehead pretty decent tho

/blog I guess, not sure if there's any advice to be given...

 

[DrPizza]

I've had similar symptoms. Amazing what a good chiropractor can do for the problem. (On the other hand, amazing how much worse, or so I've been told, a bad chiro can make it.) Headaches almost daily for months; a couple advil here, a couple tylenol there. A doctor who said "take pain killers, it's not that bad of pain." I didn't really believe in chiropractic care at that time, but figured what have I got to lose. He checked me all out, pointed out a symptom that I thought was completely unrelated and hadn't mentioned (tingling in my fingers in my right hand; assumed it was carpal tunnel & that in a few years, I'd need surgery.) 4 or 5 visits total, the "fix" lasted progressively longer, and on the last visit, he mentioned that I should be fine now.

So, I recommend MD doctor first, make sure there isn't some major underlying problem, and if there isn't, chiropractor 2nd. That kind of pain is one of the few things that they're actually not... quacks... about. (Not that all of them are quacks; those who believe they can cure colds, etc., - quacks. Some realize their limitations.

 

[interchange]

Neck and back pain are two areas that it seems no health care professional has a good handle on. I like to look at it with a simple algorithm:
neuro symptoms (including neurological exam findings) --> workup
no neuro symptoms --> whatever works (could be pain killers, could be chiropractic, could be acupuncture, etc.)

The likelihood that you have a vertebral artery dissection, for example, is quite minimal. I might be concerned about your reported visual problems, and I would be inclined to do at the very least manual visual field testing.

 

[Pantlegz]

Well everything looks ok, I guess. Just did X-rays not CT scan but I don't know if the latter is necessary at this point. There is a lack of natural curvature of my neck which is a sign of stress/tension which I could have figured out on my own. Got some muscle relaxers and headache meds prescribed. My Dr seemed to think this is more stress/anxiety related which is a good possibility considering I pretty much had a full blown anxiety attack on the first day of class this semester, the pressure of failure at this point is more than I can handle. I have horrid follow through with basically everything I do, I'll go 99% then stop for no apparent reason. I may pick it up at a later time and finish it but given my current situation I can't do that with school. It's now or lose the girlfriend which is stressing me out a little even though I'm aware of it and trying to not worry about it, I can't seem to help it. Not having her around for the next 2 months also compounds this... It's been a lousy 2 days since I've seen her and I'm already losing my mind, I'm keeping as busy as I possibly can. I have pretty much every moment of everyday filled with something to help the time pass but I still can't manage to get her out of my head. So basically stress+anxiety+depression and being without the only person that I want to be around at this point are causing me, and my body, to freak out a little... Going to setup an appointment with a counselor at my university and see if they can suggest anything other than anxiety meds that I refused today, I would rather feel my feeling and work them out rather than have some drugs make me a zombie. If I need something for emergencies or very mild and very short term I may consider it but I want to try without first.

Oh Chiro today after work and sports massage after BJJ tonight to see if either help with the immediate symptoms.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

It is very, very rare to 1) have a stroke at your age and 2) have neck pain in the absence of other symptoms with stroke (will typically notice speech, facial, lower and upper extremity palsies). A LOT of people have neck pain, especially if they have desk jobs. If you took a sagittal view picture of your posture, I'd bet that it's not great. A lot of people nowadays have neck pain because of that. You definitely didn't need x-rays and sure as heck don't need a CT scan. With your bumpy/tight neck and intense activities, you're likely having tension and exertion headaches. Cervical spine pain is pretty easy to treat if it's just tightness and immobility. Might want to see a physical therapist. A lot of the time, I don't suggest chiropractors because their manipulations mobilize segments that move too little and segments that move too much. If you get a hypermobile segment to move more, that's just asking for further pain and potential degeneration in the future. PTs do segmental mobilizations so that only the hypomobile segment improves its movement. Try that out. It will help in conjunction with treatment of your potential anxiety.

 

[Pantlegz]

I'm sure I over reacted a little going to the doctor but it helped put my mind at ease because the last thing I need right now is one more thing to stress about. I'll talk to the PT at the gym Friday if he's there and see what he thinks.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I get neck pain from sleeping in a bad position.

 

[Pantlegz]

SC there really isn't any immobility or stiffness maybe some knots/tenderness though. I've still got good ROM but I'll still have him check it out. It seems that self medicating with xanax helps a lot which kind of points to more stress than physical issues, right? I really don't want drugs to make this better, hopefully I can get it taken care of without...

 

[SociallyChallenged]

SC there really isn't any immobility or stiffness maybe some knots/tenderness though. I've still got good ROM but I'll still have him check it out. It seems that self medicating with xanax helps a lot which kind of points to more stress than physical issues, right? I really don't want drugs to make this better, hopefully I can get it taken care of without...

Unless he assesses your segmental ROM, he can't really tell that. He may have looked at your overall ROM, but you can have perfectly fine total range of motion, but be hypomobile at some segments and hypermobile at others. Together, they negate and you get a net overall "normal." That could explain why you have so much tension in your neck. If you're unstable at a given segment, muscles spasm and tighten up to make sure the segment doesn't move too much and cause more pain. Initially, that works until the muscles themselves cause the pain.

Either way, if you have short upper traps and levator scapulae then getting those massaged out and stretching will definitely help. If anxiety is contributing significantly to this, then you probably need to stay on medication. If you can find something that doesn't mess with your sex drive, weight, hunger, sleeping, etc, then there's really no reason not to take it. You don't have to be in pain just to "not be on meds," y'know? I think you'll respond well to treatment, given your history of intense exercise. I bet some soft tissue work will do wonders on you. It is something you'll have to work on those (foam roll, use tennis balls, stretch, correct your posture, etc).

 

[Pantlegz]

Will do.

So my GP gave me flexeril and Apap/Butalbital/Caffeine to help with the tension and headaches. Since flexeril is a muscle relaxer will is affect muscle growth or recovery? Honestly I would rather deal with the headaches than deal with a lack of progress...

What about lortab or pain killers/anti inflammatory in general?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

From what I gather, Flexeril results in alpha motor neuron inhibition via interactions in the brain down to the spinal cord. That inhibition, in turn, reduces the passive muscle tension or tone in the injured musculature. I do think it will affect total force you're able to generate, if it's still in your system when you go to exert yourself. It may also affect strength gains due to improved neural coordination because it has some serious interactions within the brain and spinal cord. In general, you shouldn't be on muscle relaxers that long so I would suggest even just turn down the workload in the gym a little bit (higher reps, lower weight, lesser intensity just for the moment).

I don't suggest lifting while on any prescription pain killers. The side effects that are responsible for the "don't operate heavy machinery" warning can seriously affect your ability to lift heavy weights successfully. Also, pain killers are there to reduce your pain. Your physical activity may actually be making it worse without you being able to sense it. Typically, muscle relaxers and pain killers should be used in conjunction with a therapeutic exercise plan created and supervised by a professional. You don't want to just take the stuff and keep working. You may have to stop/lower activity levels/eliminate aggravating activities, treat the source of pain, then continue. Anti-inflammatories are okay, but do affect the body's responses to exercise. Inflammation is important for repairing musculature and improving tensile strength of connective tissue. If it's not there, you definitely risk having lower connective tissue strength and slower strength gains. Prolonged exercise while on all these medications, IMO, isn't advised.

 

[Pantlegz]

Thanks for the response. The flexeril is short term, I think I might have 20 pills total to take at night if the headaches are so bad I can't sleep. As far as lortab I might take 10mg a month just after really bad BJJ sessions or if my elbow is flaring up really bad and throbbing so bad I can't handle it. As far as anti-inflammatory medicine(mostly ibuprofen) just gets taken a few hours post workout if I feel like it will help make me less sore the next day. Surprisingly enough I don't really get sore all that often.

I'm going to try to figure out which one it was but last night I woke up and felt like I couldn't move. My body was moving but it was really strange, it was like it really really difficult to move. Granted I was really tired, I managed to look at the clock and it was 3 something so maybe I was just 1/2 asleep but I didn't like it. I also slept in this morning which normally isn't an issue, I heard my alarm for the first time about an hour after it went off. Not entirely sure it was the meds but I'll try to just take one before bed and see if it happens again, if it does I'll just not take the one that causes it before bed. And it could be a combination of taking both at the same time.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Thanks for the response. The flexeril is short term, I think I might have 20 pills total to take at night if the headaches are so bad I can't sleep. As far as lortab I might take 10mg a month just after really bad BJJ sessions or if my elbow is flaring up really bad and throbbing so bad I can't handle it. As far as anti-inflammatory medicine(mostly ibuprofen) just gets taken a few hours post workout if I feel like it will help make me less sore the next day. Surprisingly enough I don't really get sore all that often.

I'm going to try to figure out which one it was but last night I woke up and felt like I couldn't move. My body was moving but it was really strange, it was like it really really difficult to move. Granted I was really tired, I managed to look at the clock and it was 3 something so maybe I was just 1/2 asleep but I didn't like it. I also slept in this morning which normally isn't an issue, I heard my alarm for the first time about an hour after it went off. Not entirely sure it was the meds but I'll try to just take one before bed and see if it happens again, if it does I'll just not take the one that causes it before bed. And it could be a combination of taking both at the same time.

Just don't forget to get the issue treated (both the neck and elbow). You shouldn't have to always be fighting an injury. If you are, you gotta change something while you rehab it. Sometimes for tight individuals, foam rolling it every day or every other day is enough to improve the mechanics of the musculature.

Yeah, muscle relaxers are pretty hardcore. I remember I'd take one, get really loopy and almost drunk-feeling, and pass out. If I woke up, I'd feel very groggy and I'd find it difficult to move around. The morning after, I'd still find myself having a harder-than-normal time getting up. It was always good motivation for me to get better and get off the medication.

 

[Pantlegz]

The elbow issue was never successfully diagnosed I just know that getting a massage between my elbow and tricep will stop the flare up, I'm not going to waste more money on doctors telling me "to take it easy." The neck ROM was good tonight and he said he didn't feel too much tension which was good. The only part of the ROM that he said wasn't good was looking downward and gave me some stretches to do this week. I guess he thinks my C1 shifted forward a little and could be causing some of these issues.

As far as last night goes I think it was the Butalbital, I took one today at lunch and felt drunk/dizzy and couldn't concentrate at work for a few hours. I'll just do muscle relaxers tonight and see what happens.

Thanks again man, I really appreciate it.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

The elbow issue was never successfully diagnosed I just know that getting a massage between my elbow and tricep will stop the flare up, I'm not going to waste more money on doctors telling me "to take it easy." The neck ROM was good tonight and he said he didn't feel too much tension which was good. The only part of the ROM that he said wasn't good was looking downward and gave me some stretches to do this week. I guess he thinks my C1 shifted forward a little and could be causing some of these issues.

As far as last night goes I think it was the Butalbital, I took one today at lunch and felt drunk/dizzy and couldn't concentrate at work for a few hours. I'll just do muscle relaxers tonight and see what happens.

Thanks again man, I really appreciate it.

If that's the case, then you should for sure foam roll your triceps. I had a ton of triceps problems of the past year and foam rolling them does wonders. You don't have to pay for a massage when you can foam roll it. That will probably be enough to get it to calm down and heal permanently. I do it relatively slow all the way from shoulder to elbow. The insertion at the elbow is the most sensitive for me so I take it a bit lighter. I tend to do it while lying on my side. I can either do it parallel to the muscle belly direction with my arm straight up or do it perpendicular, just by having my arm at 90 degrees of shoulder flexion. Both of those are good because they improve both physiological and accessory motion of the muscle. It has honestly worked wonders for me. I do use a hard, black foam roller, which I might also advise for you if you're pretty tight already.

Yep, a lot of people have upper cervical Occiput-C1, C1-C2 limitations. If he works on that, you'll likely experience a lot of new range. I have some neck issues (not many), but sometimes, I find the external occipital protuberance (big bump on the back of my head) and lay my head on the foam roller right below that. Then I just very lightly and slowly move back and forth. It helped with ROM and definitely with headaches. If that position doesn't aggravate you, try it out. Only do it for a few minutes though 'cause if you over-work it, you'll know.