Thanks everyone!

I'm not sure what is causing it, but I still have it every night.

I tried sleeping with a different pillow last night, but no go.

The pain and stiffness is on the opposite side from my TOS side.

I will most likely head to the massage therapist right after Christmas.

Everyone, have a wonderful Christmas!!!!!

Peggy

I think the biggest question sometimes for us, is there something wrong with our discs / Cspine, that could be fixed by surgery, OR, is it ALL TOS?

I have some minimal degenerative changes in my Cspine, which I am told also is "normal" for my age. (I've read tons of Cspine MRI reports, and yes, everyone has little things here or there.)

However, just because a noted change is small, it does not absolutely negate that the small problem, such as a 2 mm disc bulge, is not impinging upon a nerve and causing a notable problem.

Then, it is a matter of evaluating the EMG findings - is there slowing at the C-8 which tends to support TOS, and is there relief from a scalene block - again, more TOS evidence, etc.

I find the entire process to be utterly frustrating and complex.

But I have severely stiff necks with pain along the back few inches of my head, see my other thread.

Well Tam, it does worry me because this is how the whole TOS thing started for me on the left side.

I had alot of bad stiff necks that went to arm pain and so on.

The stiff neck now is on the right side.

I will say though, last night is the first night in over a week I didn't have it.

[SIZE="3"]Sometimes the stiff painful neck symptom is so bad I must get up out of bed and just stand and look up, or down - whatever to try to make it let up...

Yes, it gets really bad, bad enough that I wish someone would inject my neck with something soothing.

BOTOX - the two times I've had botox, and especially the first time, my neuro injected it from the sides of my neck, to shoulder blade areas and a bit lower, and then forearm. I think it really did relieve a lot of the pain in my neck and back areas. (Pain on top of the shoulder and along my arm became more pronounced, as did the pain in my buttocks and calves, as if when you calm down one pain, then you notice the others more...) But still, I believe it helped me, done bilaterally at the same time, for about one full month (by the time it sets in to work, and before it starts to wear off.)[/SIZE]

stiff necks
 

Stiff neck

I reckon that the stiff neck is one of the things that puts the experts on the wrong track. My stiff necks happened every morning and would be associated with a head ache which went up the back of my head and sometimes down again to my eye sockets. I was able to stop 50% by sleeping on the floor, then I worked out that they were happening because I was sleeping on my back, then I worked out that I could sleep in a normal bed if I had a bolster that between my shoulder blades that stopped my shoulder blade pressing against my rib cage. This was unreliable but still meant stiff necks happened 50% of the mornings. Now my paradoxical breathing is under control. No stiff necks, no head aches.

Regards towelhorse

I suffer w/stiff neck myself. I have TOS and cervical disk and joint issues. I have found that sleeping on my back using a Tempurpedic pillow is finally possible now that I figured out that I have to have my lower legs elevated on a wedge and pillow. When sleeping on either side arms get numb and my neck is worse. The solution of back sleeping works for me but I had to have a PT work with me to make sure I got the right pillow height and shape for my needs. I also place a verticle roll of bubble wrap between the shoulder blades (designed by Dr Newkirk). The stiff necks aren't gone but it helps. I hope you can experiment to find something that helps you.

Oh my God Fern, I did not know you went through such things just to try to get sleep. I thought well know that we all use a lot of pillows and tricks. I just can't or don't sleep about every second and third day - I have nights of being up all night with pain, and then finally a night where I do sleep through I believe because I am so utterly exhausted that I finally sleep through the pain.

God bless us all.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Re-education
 

i've been suffering with a stiff neck lately as i've had a course of PT to help get me over a surgery 2 months prior. My goal has been to return to my pre-surgery strength and conditioning so that I can undergo the TOS surgery in decent shape in order to minimize the recovery from that. I know that PT strengthening isn't suitable for my TOS but I have such weakness in my upper body from not being able to use it for several years now. I think I am actually making some improvements via PT in stabilizing my neck and core and that this allows me to have better posture. the only thing is that i have to go so very slow to make any progress. The PT I am working with is using a technique called Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Re-education. She said she studied w/Greg Johnson. I haven't had much luck finding info on the web describing it .... maybe Jo55 will step in w/her magic touch.

has anyone else tried this Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Re-education and had luck with stiff necks, headaches, or TOS symptoms?

(oh a little more research found this)
http://books.google.com/books?id=m_E...kLgdxM#PPA2,M1