Hey all, just curious if anyone else has experienced this. I have been having a lot of pain, stiffness, and overall discomfort in my neck and shoulders. It's also started to affect my arms as well... don't think that's a good sign. I'm supposed to be seeing my neuro in a bit to hopefully check that out... my last dr wasn't cooperative when it came to treating my symptoms so I am praying this one is different.

Also, as the title mentions, I have been having a lot of leg pain and weakness. Particularly in my thighs, and calf muscles. It seems like an odd set of symptoms and not something I've seen mentioned here so I was wondering if I might have something else contributing...

I have all the symptoms you have. Neck and shoulder pain gets worse depending on well I sleep. If I toss and turn over a lot next day it tends to be horrible.

I have leg pain too and I complained to doctors. Since I have other serious symptoms like dizziness, dull headaches, fatigue etc., they don't really care about it.

I try to do some stretching exercises in the morning and some slow stationary biking which helps some what. Not planning on to go for any meds. All these symptoms started gradually well after my mTBI. Most of it I think is because of inactivity and poor sleep for me.

Sadly, mine don't seem to be because of inactivity or sleep. I do a lot of neck exercise and have been getting adjustments from my PT (he's not a upper cervical specialist). I also bought a pillow that has been fantastic, it was one of the sleep number pillows. It's the only pillow I can sleep on without discomfort.

Despite those things, the pain and stiffness and everything else seems completely unchanged. The odd part to me was the fact that I originally had PCS in 2006 but after my car accident these additional symptoms popped up which made me wonder if there's something else contributing to how I feel.

I've got the same pain/stiffness/discomfort in my neck & shoulders that you describe--plus, if you manipulate the muscle (especially from the base of the neck to the top of the shoulder), it sounds to me (traveling the internal hearing path) much like eating granola does.

I call it crunchy granola in honor of Neil Diamond.

I've learned it's actually pockets of air that've gotten trapped between muscles, tendons, etc. There isn't supposed to be air there, hence the pain.

I too found no relief thru traditional treatment. My Primary referred me to the top acupuncture physician around, & after 3 months I was relatively pain free. I go 1ce a month for maintenance. I say "relatively" because repetitive movement at work aggravates it.

It's an option, especially if you have insurance that covers it. Otherwise...

Hmm. Maybe you could manage one visit, explain the cost thing, get one acupuncture treatment, & ask for acupressure points you can administer yourself. Not as good, but better than exercises & adjustments that don't work.

Even if the cause of your pain differs from mine, acupuncture is so great at dealing with pain. Just a thought.

Hello,

I also experience muscle soreness and tightness around the shoulder area. Mostly due to holding my head completely still for months because of the pain.

What really helped me was Physical Therapy. I didn't start until maybe month 5 of my PCS and it was a significant improvement. Hopefully you can get a prescription from your new doctor for stretches, heat, massage and traction.
(My neurologist didn't even think of this, I had to get this from my PCP. )

I recommend doing neck stretches daily as you are able.The neck stretches can be tedious, but I really start to notice if I have been slacking. Just go really easy on yourself, I was easily nauseated at first.

As far as the leg pain, I don't remember having that specifically, but I had a lot of weakness. I hope that heat and stretching can help you. Being bedridden can be painful.

I have the crunchy granola also. Just rolling my shoulders back.

Jude Lauren,
I was interested in your "pain free" experience after acupuncture. Do you have headaches too?

For me my headaches are severe and the neck/ shoulder pain is secondary. I was amazed that you were pain free. Is this just the neck pain or headache pain too? How much did the neck tightness contribute to your headaches?

Thank you

I've had immobilizing headaches for about 5yrs now without a diagnosis. They've found an aneurysm but it's not to blame. Best guess (since it always starts in certain buildings with things in common, e.g., temps around 80F, lots of pressed wood in interior, rubber, plastics--all of which leak formaldehyde, especially at higher temps) is that I have a sensitivity to formaldehyde which triggers the headaches. I couldn't go into fabric stores when I was a kid because I got instant & intense headaches. They reeked of formaldehyde back then!

To test for that would cost Mucho $$$ & we're all pretty much satisfied with the common sense evidence.

The neck/shoulder pain is (I think) unrelated to the headache. The n/s pain is always there, the headaches aren't. The acupuncture does leave me free of the n/s pain, also arthritis pain in hands & hips. Understand, it took a year of treatment, beginning with 3/wk for two months, reduced slowly & ending at maintenance 1st a month. When I have a killer headache, I schedule a treatment that day, early. It is generally better by session's end. As the day progresses, the headache fades.

In spite of the fact that all of my doctors have told my insurance co that only acupuncture treats these conditions, & all have written scripts for acupuncture, I'm still paying for it on my own.

Hi Jingles1987,

I too had a great deal of muscle weakness for many months after my concussion, but mine I do believe was related to inactivity, poor sleep and lack of appetite. Although my activity level has improved and so has my muscle weakness, my shoulder/neck pain can come on and still be quite debilitating. I do try to keep the muscles stretched out every day and can tell when I haven't! I have had a few massages but in my case they aggravated the situation, so I have stuck with heat, stretches, and some mild exercise (even just short walks).

Sorry to hear you suffer from these symptoms as well....keep us posted!

Nolefan

I too had the stiffness etc neck and shoulders.

About 2 months post accident I couldn't raise my arms above shoulder height. I had a massage and was given exercises to do.

Now the first thing that I notice when I am tired is a sore neck. I think that we tense up without noticing when we are tired or stressed.

It takes a conscious effort to avoid this happening - and dare I say it - energy!

Lynlee

It's been almost 3 years since my car accident and in Dec 2010 I started seeing a physical therapist and doing exercises and stretches but nothing seems to really be working.

I am going to a new neurologists on Aug 20 so I am hoping he can shed some light on why things seem so out of whack for my neck... im not sure if it's because of my neck but... I'm hoping there's something he can do about my neck if not figure out why I am experiencing leg pain as well.

I am also still fairly active, i.e. as active as what I used to be. I still attempt to work out along with the PT stuff. I work, do social things (within reason, I know doing too much will cause me to crash), and I still go to school, among other things so being active really isn't the problem for me. Which is what's confusing to me... my legs feel SO weak for no reason.

I will post any updates. Thanks.

Have you looked into the possibility that your leg pain is sciatica? I had this prior to my concussion and the rest prescribed for my concussion made it MUCH MUCH worse. I am doing rehab at a neck and back pain clinic and it is slowly beginning to help.