Hi, I don't know if anyone else suffers from this, but my neck contracts all the time. Every time I do anything my neck contracts.
This leads to severe migraines which can last for days.
I usually manage because my physiotherapist massages it nearly every session, which is twice a week. But due to the lockdown there's currently no physiotherapist :(. So I'm having to balance not overdoing it, with exercising and stretching. If I overdo it then I'm in bed for days, but I've found my strength and ability have already diminished so I'm trying to do at least a couple of different exercises every day, and stretches everyday.
I heard from my sister today (she hasn't got ataxia) about gel pillows. Has anybody tried these and did they find any improvement?
Look forward to any replies and advise from anyone.
Xx
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I had the same problem for years, it still happens but without endless migraine ensuing now. Ibruprofen gel, 5 or 10% rubbed in can stop it completely. I use this pillow every time the neck starts up, it works, recommended to me: amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01...
Hi, this sounds like a trapped nerve somewhere in your neck & despite what’s going on at present with covid19 I’d recommend that you see your gp. I have Degenerative Disc Disease in my neck, which is affecting my c5 & c6 disc & pressing on the nerve in between in these 2 discs, thankfully I only suffer occasionally from the pain caused by it, but it’s horrific when it does comes on. Your gp will hopefully be able to give you something to help with the pain & find out if it is a trapped nerve & the cause of it, but any trapped nerves that’s left untreated can lead to permanent damage & pain.
As for the pillow, we recently bought a new iGel bed & mattress which is lovely & comfy, however I’m unsure if I could use a pillow, when my neck is bad & pain is bad I use heated patches that you can buy from supermarkets, they’re like a huge plaster that you put on the affected area & it gives 24 hrs heat relief from the pain & i’d also recommend a u shaped neck pillow/cushion, the ones used for travelling, you can find them easily enough online, but definitely ring/visit your gp. Hope this is of some help to you.
I don't think it's a trapped nerve problem, but I won't rule it out and will enquire with my GP and physiotherapist.
Thanks x
Yes, I used to get them daily. I still get them once or twice a month. I think what helped for me was magnesium. My neurologist’s assistant recommended I take some at night to reduce my muscle cramps and I think it’s what helped my neck too.
The head pain that comes when my neck gets so constricted I don’t think they’re migraines. No OTC meds (migraine med, Alieve or Tylenol) helps. Sleep doesn’t help, nor does massage. They last for days and are excruciating. Sometimes I get some relief from alternative hot/cold but the pain doesn’t go away.
I didn't get a gel pillow - it got too complicated during the lockdown.
But since this post I've had scans on my neck and discovered that I've oestoarthritis from vertebrae 3 to 6. My physiotherapist also thinks that I have oestoarthritis in my lower back and my left ankle. I've also got it in a couple of fingers.
My physiotherapist has given me a very simple exercise to do every evening and since then I've not had a migraine
I shall explain in another post the exercise and the reason so that other people will see it.
Basically my Dura mater, exterior tissue around my spinal column, gets blocked and the little exercise releases it.
But as I said I will explain in a separate post
My neck still contracts but I think it's due to effort, so I'm making an extra effort to drop my shoulders and pause
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Migraines 
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6
