Problem lower back and severe neck pain

[Monty1976]

Hi guys I'm Sally and I'm a farmers wife 40 years old I have suffered from slipped discs and muscle damage on and off for the last 8 years now I have started getting really bad pain in my neck thAt is very painful and painkillers arnt helping much gets really bad as the day goes on by tea time I can hardly move my head or neck what can this be is it coming from my lower back ???

[Bananas5]

Hello Sally

I think being a farmer's wife probably answers your own question.

You say you have had slipped discs and pain meds don't work. Presume this has come from your GP? So he must be your first port of call. Tell him meds aren't working and hopefully he will send you for scans.

Heat pad can be a comfort when you are sitting or hot water bottle if you can get it in the right p;ace

x

[stokebones]

Where are the damaged discs and how were they diagnosed. If you've had this problem for some time, an MRI may be the first stage. Often injections can help rehabilitiation - as an example an epidural may help some patients.

Medication is more a holding strategy unfortunately... until you can get assessed.

[Hermes123]

Hermes123. I can relate to your problem, as I have two trapped nerves at the base of the neck, last week I was in so much pain with my right shoulder, that I had to make an appointment at our emergency clinic, where I was given a cortisone injection in my shoulder muscle, I had many Injections but this left my sore for a number of days. But what gets me about this operation is people younger than me, can have micro surgery through the gullet from the front, I know one such person a few years younger than I, I think it a cost thing instead of observing the patient on mental ability to be able to take such an operation. This guy told me it was the best thing he had ever had done. So many things come down to cost and age whilst one is running up the cost of N.H.S. bills just trying to live some sort of comfortable life.

[Awake-Jake]

I think the right physio will help you. See your GP for a referral and also to talk about your meds. It's wise to take in some notes. Make a diary of a few days so you can show how your pain makes you feel. Show your GP that. Good luck.

[Curlygirl54 in reply to Awake-Jake]

Awake - Jake

I'm sorry but I must disagree with you - having physio without a diagnosis after scans are done can be dangerous causing more harm than good. Absolutely if a diagnosis of soft tissue injury but this lady doesnt know of there is disc involvement.

Have been harmed this way myself so always recommend err on side of caution.

Shirley

[Hermes123 in reply to Curlygirl54]

Hermes123. This is about long term sufferers who have been through the medical mill, so I agree with you Curlygirl154 one can do more harm than good by moving things around I know to my cost on a number of occasions.

[RAYJAYC]

Hi Sally

There's only one way to find out and that's by making an appointment with your GP. If it's possible, maybe have a day or two of not working at all; just gentle walking about, resting, walking about, resting etc to see if the actual physical aspect of your day is contributing to the Pain. Your GP will probably ask you if you've 'tested' that anyway so you'll have the answer there & then!

It could be that your posture is wrong because of your lower back problems so you're creating more pressure on your mid to upper spine. This could then be transferred to your neck which is why it's so painful. Also worth considering that if you've had prolapsed discs in your lumbar region then you may have disc problems in your neck too.

Like I've said though, the only way find out anything is by seeing your GP.

RJC

[johnsmith]

You need to see a GP for medical advice. You also need to see a McTimony chiropractor. A GP is a gateway to services, but they have very little knowledge on how muscles actually function. Pain killers often do not look at why you have the problem in the first place.

The chiropractor should be able to check for muscle cramps and hopefully remove them. This will restore the neck to functioning. An Alexander Teacher will help you look at the way muscles and posture function and help you develop a more pain free way of moving your muscles.

At 40 there is a decrease in the ability of the brain to control muscles. This requires some form of activity to try and compensate for the brain's decreased muscle control ability. Yoga, t'ai chi or pilates can help you become more aware of how your body is actually designed to work. With these sort of knowledge you will be able to move easier.

Hope this helps.

[Cb1963]

firstly a big thankyou to you and all the hard working farming community for putting food on our tables,with your history slipped disc's are a very painful condition and these conditions are always to kept an eye on,so without trying to second guess what's going wrong a trip to your GP and get a second opinion,you don't really want aggravate an condition that you already suffer with and try not to push yourself to hard,you might have to consider a few days off which I know in your business is more or less impossible,but your health is the biggest factor here and if you keep pushing to hard you might end up with more problems,sorry it's not the golden fleece answer your looking for,but I with you good health and happy farming