Really bad neck and sholder pain what to do??????????

[stefanie]

Hi everyone

I've been having terrible pain and stiffness in my neck and sholders for the last few days and sometimes it even causes a head ache, I was just wondering if I should be applying hot (heating pad) or cold (wrap) to my neck and sholders, i'm going to the doc tomorrow to see what it is but i'm sure it's either the RA or a musle problem.

My BF is in university for health science and he touched my sholder and neck and said to him it felt really really tight! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ermm.gif

have any of you had this and how did you relieve it??? style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/faint.gif

Any help would be great!

but i'm defintally taking some tylenol and going to bed soon!


take care everybody! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[peonyprincess]

(((hugs)))


Whenever I have had a tight muscle, I apply a hot pack for about 20 minutes then take it off for 20 minutes and then I apply a cold pack for 20 minutes. I rotate that back and forth. It seems to help me.

Good luck!

Nancy

[andi04]

I agree with nancy, i also take muscle relaxers that my doctor prescribed and they seem to help the tightness...I also do some light stretching but this at times makes it worse...I would see your doctor about it, if it doesn't get better in a few days....I hope you feel better soon...

[helloos]

I agree too. Heat is the best for tight muscles. also, you can try a rub like aspacream or something for muscle pain and rub into it and then apply the heat. A nice massage helps too.

[mara]

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/goodvibes.gif Hi Stefanie, I've been suffering with the same problem since early in February. I used the disposable heat pads while I was at work, but I found massage to be the best releif. I have a medical plan at work that covers $500.00 canadian per year in massage. I had to get a script from my doctor but it worked wonders.

The lady who was doing the massage said she couldn't get over how tight the muscles were. I asked her about the benefits of heat or cold and she told me that when something is swollen we put cold on it to restrict the blood flow to that area and allow swelling to go down, when it is tightened up, or just painful, we use heat to open up the blood vessels and allow more blood into that area to help loosen things up.

I hope you are able to get some relief, pehaps letting warm water from a shower run over the area might be a help as well.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Tammy style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/foryou.gif

[macfamily53]

Dear Stephanie

I have to say been putting up with exactly that for almost a year now. My doctors have no answers for me. I have seen a chiropractor and my rhueme and my gp. They just all throw there arms up in the air and is very frustrating. I think I am going to see about the massage that sounds great,but not sure if insurance will cover it. If you find something that does work please post it. I could use some help with this to. Good luck. I know how horrible it is and painfull also. Take care.

Tammy style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hugbetter.gif

[music]

I suffered from neck and shoulder pain for several years. It got so bad that my left arm was going to sleep. My Rheumy wanted to send me to a neurologist. I decided to try a chiropractor first...you know like let's start simple. I had never been to a chiropractor before. The Chiro did an x-ray and discovered a disc compression between my 5th and 6th vertabrae. After about 4 adjustments I finally started getting relief. I almost gave up after the third time thinking it was a waste of money. I'm glad I didn't because it has really made a difference in my life. Now I can go several months between adjustments. At the first sign of tightness I get an appointment before it progresses. I've decided that the chiropractor is my new best friend. All those years I thought I was supposed to get a stiff neck because I had lupus. Now I am free of the neck stiffness. This may not apply to everyone but it's my story. Music

[Wings]

Hi Stephanie.

My neck and shoulders used to be really tight, I think it was a result of my allergic reaction. Anyway nothing worked for me so I went to a chiropractor, apparently I had had a neck injury in my past. I now go to the chiropractor once a month and its painless, its not the cracking type, they use pressure points and my neck and shoulders feel great. This was my solution since nothing else worked and I asked my doc too make sure it was ok to try. Someone had suggested massage therapy to me as well but I never got around to trying it, that may be another option. I had it for a few years, I know it was painful.
Hope you find something that works for you, Take Care.

Amy