For the past few days, I have suffered quite a bit from an apparent pinched nerve in my neck. A few years back I was a competitive powerlifter, so it probably comes from that. It started out with a stiff neck, like a crick, then quite a bit of pain in the shoulder and elbow. Went to the er, got morphine for pain, that made me sick, now the pain has subsided and in its place, part of my shoulder and thumb are numb. Ive been told several things to do to help it, along with taking muscle relaxers. Hopefully this will leave in a few days and I can get back to things. Sure is aggravating. Keep me in your thoughts...
Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
John...
Is it on your paintin' side ? I sure hate to see anybody get laid up. Have you tried putting a heating pad or something on it ? Maybe a theraputic massage would help.I'd try several options, maybe one will work. Good luck with it.
Posted by Signs by Shawn (Member # 426) on :
Man I feel for ya John,
My dad just went through that, made him cry like a baby from the pain, had a bone spur, took surgery to fix!!!
Not a nice thing to have from what he says...
Make sure you get it fixed, they don't just go away...
Shawn
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
John ... get yer as...er...shoulder to a Chiropractor! Those "Bone Benders" are just the ticket for that kind of problem!
As you get older, like me, you will be there more often! I seem to keep forgeting that this fat old body can't do the heavy stuff it used to do!
[ January 29, 2003, 07:33 PM: Message edited by: Si Allen ]
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
John, You sure it wasn't an after affect from a lousy customer? lol. all jokes aside.. Add a good chiropractor to that along with ultrasound therapy! It really works. With all the lifting I have done in years, (and that's a lot), sometimes I would twist wrong and it would happen to me. There was a time where I had to be on muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories then headed over to the chiropractor for the adjustments and ultrasound. Massage therapy before the chiropractor helped significantly to keep the adjustment in line for a longer period of time than without. Good luck, John!
[ January 29, 2003, 07:47 PM: Message edited by: Deb Fowler ]
Posted by cheryl nordby (Member # 1100) on :
Ouch John.....hope you feel back to your happy self soon.
Posted by Lee McKee (Member # 3533) on :
When I played rugby someone once told me that Guiness will cure any aligment. Try that. If that dose'nt work then go to a acupuncturist. I had one of them work on my sinus. When I left my nose and my LOWER BACK felt great! No kidding. He said that they are connected some way! You may need to down a few of those Guiness before you go though. He used about three hundred pins. Hope you start to feel better big guy, I know that I could'nt miss too much work. For some reason my family has this wierd fixation on eating a couple times a day. Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Sounds like your energy is outta whack to me, doctors and medicine won't help it.
You need Massage Therapy and energy work like accupuncture, accupressure, reflexology, polarity therapy, and yoga. A Chiropractor couldn't hurt.
The one thing you have to keep in mind is treatment is an ongoing thing, one visit isnt gonna fix it and that's why most people get discouraged by these treatments. Think of how long it took you to develop the condition, it cannot be undone quickly.
My mom is a Massage Therapist (a damn good one at that) and ironically she's in the same boat, except both her arms are always numb, even when she's working on her own clients. She's into these other treatments and she's persuaded me to check them out as well cause I get beat up riding/racing jetskis. They *DO* work, you just have to be patient.
Posted by Gavin Chachere (Member # 1443) on :
John,since you used to/still do powerlift,try doing a search on www.elitefts.com (ask dave)to start,and email me i'll send you some other links where you can prob find some more specific cause effect stuff and things to do for it since thats more than likely where the damage came from in the first place.
Posted by John Deaton III (Member # 925) on :
Thanks to everyone for the replies. It surely lifts my spirits. That was a cool link Gavin, got it bookmarked. Talked to my doctor today about it, pretty sure its a pinched nerve or compressed nerve, but wont know for sure until an mri is ran. Opting not to do that right now. Gonna take it easier for a couple weeks, heat treatments, some meds, and rest and hopefully this condition will get better. Thanks also to those that emailed me. Letterheads are good people.
Posted by david drane (Member # 507) on :
Cheer up John, A nice hot bubble bath and a massage might help a bit. Hope you feel well soon!
Posted by Jacki Allen (Member # 2672) on :
John,
After 3 or 4 years of the kind of pain and symptoms(numbness) you are describing, my husband just had neck surgery back at the beginning of december. He now wishes he wouldnt have waited so long to do it, he feels great. His neurosurgeon now teases him that she wants to use him as a poster child for the surgery. She also asked if she could use his xrays for teaching purposes because of how severe and obvious the problem was in his case.
To start with, he is a lot like you, very athletic, works out several times a week, mountain bikes, etc. I'm sure it didnt help his neck to bounce off a few trees(he has went thru 2 or 3 helmets) His doc also said that the fact that his is constantly on the phone and holding the phone to his shoulder with his head contributed to the prob.
Anyway,He started at first going to a chiro, then tried massage therapy and then an orthopedic doctor and physical therapy. The physical therapy took the edge off but never really got rid of the problem. It finally got to the point where his orthopedic sent him to a neurosurgeon. She was shocked that he was able to live and function with the amount of pain he was experiencing.(it was to the point where he couldnt even get a full nights sleep).
About 2 weeks after the surgery, I got pleasantly woke up in the middle of the night. He was talking in his sleep, something his hasnt done in years because it has been so long since he got into REM sleep. I knew at this point, the problem was fixed.
sorry for being so long winded, I guess it boils down to, dont put off what can be fixed, but jump immediately to surgery either. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
Jacki
Posted by Greg McRoberts (Member # 3501) on :
Hi John,
I had the exact same thing happen to me back in '96. After a few MRIs, it turned out to be a bulging disk in my neck. I wound up having a fusion done about 5 months after it began and it sure helped me.
Trust me, they usually don't just "go away". Get it looked at by a good neurosurgeon. They're the ones who can actually fix what's wrong. However, a good chiropractor might just give you some relief. There's no need to suffer though. Give it a shot.
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
John,
Before you try surgery (it doesn't work on everyone), make sure you try the ultrasound, as it penetrates very, very deep and is so gentle, feels so good, and reduces inflammation that is probably one of the biggest problems right now pressing on the nerve. It works along with massage and ice off and on. I'm no doc, but have found excellent relief in a couple of treatments in some cases. It feels great during and after!
Posted by Jon Aston (Member # 1725) on :
No experience or advice to offer...but I wish you well, John!
Posted by John Deaton III (Member # 925) on :
Well, it seems at times to be getting better, but then I have periods of pain that I cant describe. I started physical therapy last week, and the strength in my left arm is considerably better, although the numbness in my shoulder and forearm are still there. Last couple of nights I got more sleep than before, but wake up with a stiff shoulder and some pain. I gotta tell you, this has me down in the dumps quite a bit, and that aint easy to do. I cant get much work done, and worry alot about it. I have three more weeks of therapy, maybe by that time, it will have straightened out quite a bit. Ive talked several other people that have has this before, and just about all of them say it takes several weeks to get better. Hoping thats true.
Posted by Lee McKee (Member # 3533) on :
You need more Guiness big guy!
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
john see if you can get a scrip for VIOXX...only take before bed....and only every 2nd 3rd nite..
Posted by Randy Campbell (Member # 2675) on :
Was in the same boat for about 3 months.Finally had my feet checked-got orthodics and haven't been back to Chiro.for 2 years.Best wishes-Randy
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
Chiro-Crack-pots I call them, I had a pinched nerve one time, or a pain in the lower back, not sure what it was, all I know it hurt like hell, went to see a Chiro, he found out that I had Insurance, asked if I could come back every day for treatment for six month, every other day after that for 3 months, and then once a week after that. Oh before he did that of course he gave me the song and dance routine, made me watch a 20min. movie on the History of chiropratics, and then he did an evaluation of my condition to see "If" he could help me. And what do you know he said He could... "YIPEEEE" I was going to live afterall, oh did I mention the fact that without this treatment that I could Die? That's what he said... that I could "Eventually" die from this degenerative desease that I had. So anyway I was there so what the hell, I had all kinds of insurance, my wife worked at Blue Cross, so I let him do his magic on me, I lay on the table he poked me a couple of times, and said, as most of them say.. "Your spine is out of alignment" so he said he got this special tool that he was going to snap my spine back into alignment with, so he did that and I was on my way. told me to go haome take a week of work and to come back tomorrow. I bid farewell went home, I was only home about a half hour, when I got a call from the Doctor's office, informing me of my appointment the next day. I said "No" I would not be needing any more treatments, They were shocked, that I would jepordize my health and future, that was 20 years ago, never had a pain in my back since.
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