[poetrymom]

Hello!

I've heard some of you talk about icing your neck. I want to try this and have a huge, soft (ish) ice pack I can use.

The back of my neck is different -- like it has more popping sounds (not like I am cracking the vertebrae) but it's different since the accident. I can't exactly pin down how, and it doesn't hurt at all, but anyhow, just wondering how icing the base of the neck has helped some of you, and about how long did you ice it for -- I mean morning and night??

I am off to ice my neck.

JJ

[Mark in Idaho]

JJ,

When you ice your neck, you are attempting to reduce inflammation. The upper neck is easy to injure. The C-1 (atlas) to occiput (base of the skull) joint is common for inflammation that can cause head aches, blood flow to the brain problems,

If you have odd sensations, I would not be surprised if you have unresolved injuries.

The protocol for icing is 15 minutes on, 30 minutes off, repeat at least a few cycles, especially in the evening. If you sense any inflammation in the morning, do it then too. You can make crushable ice packs with zip lock baggies and 1 part rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) and 3 parts water. Freeze a few of these so you always have some ready. You can wrap them in a thin towel to reduce the ice cold feel.

It will also help to find ways to sleep with your neck in a straight alignment. It will reduce the night time inflammation so you get better sleep. It may help to take an anti-inflammatory med like aspirin or ibuprofen.

My best to you.

[MsRriO]

Been icing my neck since about six weeks post injury, pretty much as soon as I read it here. So let me see, that's almost four months of icing.

I never miss a day. I find it somewhat helps ease neck and headache pain if consistent. I rotate two ice packs (with intervals of no ice) throughout my evening.

Sometimes I ice after I wake up because sleeping makes my neck hurt. Can't find that perfect alignment position. Grrrr.

I have received no qualified care to know if my c1 or c2 is inflamed or bulging like many posters talk about here. I don't think my doctors even know as much as the members here know; my care has been grossly ignorant of the realities of PCS. I have no idea what's going on with my neck.

So why I ice? I have neck pain and headaches. The cooling sensation is heavenly and it's relieving, that's all I know.