I am in so much pain today, I need some advice.

Since my TOS surgery(left side) a year ago, I'm so much better but as I have metioned before in other threads, I still have some problems with pain in my left shoulder blade.

Well, now almost a week ago, I started have what seemed a stiff neck. It is so painful and I can't figure out what to do for it. I can even move it in the slightest way, or sharp pain.

Soma doesn't even tough it.

I don't know if this has anything to do with the TOS, although I hear many of you have neck pain with it.

When my husband massages the bad area of the shoulder blade, I feel it all up into the neck where I hurt.

This morning is the worse it has ever been. I haven't slept good in a week. Wakes me up all hours of the night.

Peggy

I cannot help you - since two days, I suffer from this stiff neck and when I move my head there is a sharp pain. The way from the neck to the (right) shoulde blade is like a "wound".

I don`t treat it in a special way - some stretching (as I am at the office, I only can do it for a minute) and maybe at night I will take a muscle-relaxer, but I am not sure.

Normally, it goes as it comes....without doing a lot against it.

I hope you will feel better soon!
All the best
Barbara

Hi Peggy
Do you have a sore throat etc or have you recently had cold etc....just wonder if this is torticolis...that will give you the pain and diff in moving...may be nothing to do with your TOS but good idea to see you doc as this may be associated with an infection???
I hope it get sbetter real soon...TOS probs bad enough without anything else.
Hx

No, there has been no sore throat.

The last time I had anything like this was just before my TOS symtoms began over 2 years ago.

Just don't know if it is related to the TOS or just a bad stiff neck, but whatever, it hurts like heck.

Peggy

Peggy- I offer this wilth no idea if it is realted to your pain- But my neck was super stiff and I could not turn my head more than about 60 degrees from front without serious pain until I went to see the chiropractor a few weeks ago. Perhaps you could consider trying that? I also used to get the pain all the way down to the middle of my back near my lower shoulder blades when I bent my head forward, and I still feel the occasional pulling in my lower trapezius muscles.

My side to side neck range of motion increased from 60 to 90degrees (so I could turn my head all the way to my shoulder) in the first day, and now I am well past after a few weeks treatment (going 3x a week). The other thing that really really helps is my chiro has a massage therapist that works on my shoulders, shoulder blades, and back for 15 minutes at the end of each visit.

Johanna

Peg, I think you are on the right track with the trap massage. My flare starts at the wing up into my head, I get trigger points.

With my daughter she sees Dr Togut and when this happens and he gives her a good dose of marcaine in the low neck and that spot your husband rubs. She actually ahd more releif from the one lower then the one in the neck. She was only going to have the neck done and I told her from experiance I follow to the trigger nerve and have that injected to geet the best releif. After several days of that neck like you explain this did take it away.

Do you have an ortho, or treating PM that can do this injection?

We would try medications, valium as a muscle relaxant, increase the soma, heat, massage, nothing helped until fit in for the trigger point to calm the nerve where it inserts into the muscle.

Di

I still find that laying out on the floor really does help to gently stretch and release some of those knots - i've been at the computer more since becoming a mod and it is starting to take a toll.
I can feel things slowly tightening up in my neck and upper back.

But between chiro and the home stuff I can get rid of those.

Peggy,

I feel so much empathy for you. I think neck pain such as you are describing is one of the worst types of pain that can happen to a human. What I have found, for me, is that one of the only things that helps when this happens - and it's something I learned from my last physical terrorist - is to use moist heat on the upper back while icing the neck at the same time.

So take your meds, get situated in a quiet, darkened room, put some calming music on and just try to drift for 20 minutes or so. If you can, concentrate on body parts that don't hurt. Your big toe, perhaps? Sleep if you can; eventually, the inflamed angry nerves causing you this havoc will settle down.

A company called Chattanooga makes the best hydrocollators I've ever found - you can buy them in most large drug store chains I think, and they come in cervical and larger shapes, both in hot and cold models. If you can't find the terrycloth covers, just use towels. These things are lifesavers, really - I call them my "woobies"....

Here's hoping you start to feel better soon. I know you're hurting, Peggy. Gentle stretches after a warm shower are good if you're up to it but please, please take it easy. Be good to yourself and know that this too shall pass!

Alison

Thanks all of you. I feel alittle better this evening. It seems the mornings are the worst.

After I wrote to you all this morning, I took another soma and fell back to sleep for awhile.

It felt alittle better until I had to get out for a dentist appt. and trying to pull in and out of parking lots with this neck.......not good!

I am hoping this will feel better tomorrow. A week of this is long enough.

My best friend has become Bio Freeze. I don't know what I would do without it.

I love you guys!!

Hugs and Kisses

Peggy

Well, I didn't sleep good again last night due to this neck, so today I decided to find someone to do a chair massage on me.

I went for 20 minutes. SHe did alot of triger point actions on me. She could not believe how tight everything on that side is.

Well, my neck feels better, but I feel like I flared everything else up. I am so sore tonight.

I came home exhausted and took a hot bath.

I feel weakness and numbness in my fingers on that side again. I hope I didn't make a mistake having this done.

I used to go for massages every week prior to my TOS surgery, but I stopped it. It just seemed to irritate things.

Does anyone else get massages and do you find it helpful?

Peggy