Neck Pain - Stress?

[HerChoice]

Hello - I have really bad neck pain about everyday. I try to message as well as stretch yet the pain continues. It's from my shoulders, neck to my head/headache. I try taking Ibuprofen and Advil yet they don't help

Can you please give me any pointers. Thank you

[Hidden]

Hello

I used to get the same, I still do sometimes. Look into the SCM muscles , they are around the neck but can cause discomfort in the ears, head etc.

Do get a professional to check out for you so that you can get the correct treatment for it.

Take care.

[Agora1]

Hi, HerChoice

Everyone carries their stress differently. For me, it was my neck which was vulnerable to begin with due to a whip lash years prior. Never bothered me until Anxiety hit me. The fear of anxiety caused me to jut my head forward in anticipation of a panic attack or other weird sensations. This eventually caused trigger points in the upper shoulders, neck and lower back of the head. These triggers caused headaches, ear fullness/tightness in which OTC drugs didn't even touch, they only promoted rebound pain.

Physical therapy helped in breaking up those trigger points but it's not long lasting. Tried a neck brace, pain patches, warm hot compresses and on and on.

Since stress comes from the mind, I figured it would be better to work on calming down my mind which will in turn calm down my body. I started with relaxation meditation and then moved into self hypnosis, mindfulness, biofeedback, exercise in water and regulated breathing.

Now I have my arsenal of tools with me at all times which is keeping my pain level down.

Headaches are gone but still need to be careful in exerting neck.. Hope this helps some. xx

[MH504]

You probably hold a lot of tension in your neck and shoulders. Try to be more aware of that and relax them as much as possible. I also find chiropractic helpful. Not everyone believes in it but I’ve had improvements with it.

[Marshall64]

I have had bad neck pain with headaches and an MRI had shown a bulging disc. I considered getting discs in my neck fused to fix it but another doctor (a D.O.) figured it was my shoulder. An MRI showed a minor tear in a muscle. Physical Therapy for my shoulder totally knocked out the pain and headaches.

I'm not saying that is your case, but just saying it could be from one of several possibilities. If stretching and massages don't work, you might want to see a doctor.

[Agora1 in reply to Marshall64]

Hi Marshall, I have bulging discs in my neck due to the car accident. I sleep on a Kawasaki

pillow which is filled with bean like substance. I am able to adjust the pillow to cradle and

support my neck. It helped immensely when I use to get those headaches. I continue to use

it for the comfort it gives me. xx

[Marshall64 in reply to Agora1]

I have a few cervical neck pillows as well that cradle the neck. One of them has bamboo in it. They do help.

[Anon1104]

Hi!

I had awful neck and shoulder pain for years - I took so many painkillers and nothing would help. It also gave me horrendous migraines. It always got worse with stress too. I ended up going to a TCM hospital to have it checked and they gave me an X Ray then started acupuncture and tuina (a type of Chinese massage) treatments. It took about a year of treatments but that was four years ago and now I'm fine. No migraines ever and no pain either yoga or massage can't fix! It saved me from so much pain and I no longer have the stomach ulcer I got from the painkillers I was taking either!!

[Alice001]

"Hi all, I was suffering from neck pain for many years. Many people think that taking rest will help to cure the pain, but the fact is that it will worsen the condition. Neck exercise worked for my case. Any stage of this pain can be cured with proper yoga and exercise. There are many types of exercises and yoga for healing back pain. Don’t think it will be cured completely within 2 or 3 weeks. After 3 months you can see a clear difference. If you are suffering from severe back pain, please consult a physiotherapy specialist before taking any further decision. Recently, one of my friends visited a physiotherapist ( physionow.ca/locations/etob... ). He explained to me it was very effective.