Pinched Nerve, Neck Out???

Victoria,

I have been seeing a wonderful chiro in Westfield. I was in a similiar situation after my DS was born. He helped when other doctors could not. He is the only Chiro who does a specific treatment. Too lengthy to get in to here. If interested I can give you more info!

I would highly recommend physcial therapy, but not just any therapist. It has to be one who is proficient in manual therapy & who also does myofascial release. This is what I would ask for when calling a clinic before going to see someone. Typically, insurance will pay for this service. Orion Physical therapist specialists in Dayton, Ohio is who I would recommend. I went to school with some of them and they are fantastic! God Speed....you need to recoup fast for the baby! I've also heard good things about Dr. Merkles PT that works in his office.

I have something similar, mine is for 2 reasons. After repetitive sleeping in bad positions it comes back, and also repetitive motions.

1. Start sleeping on your back so this can heal. Continue with your therapies.
2. Try to target what repetitive motions you could be doing during the day that aggravates this. Examine holding a child on the same side of the pain or your work desk/laptop area, maybe the desk or mouse pad area is set to high.

Good luck, I am working on mine now.

I noticed that you have a 3 month old daughter, are you nursing her? Or holding her a lot in a cradled position. WIth both of my boys I've found that I get a lot of neck pain as they get bigger when I've been nursing them or holding them alot(falling asleep in the chair is really bad). If you have a boppy or nursing pillow when you feed her use it. It will help with muscle strain. I have been to the doctor and chiropractor for my neck pain too. I did some physical therapy and that seemed to help too. I didn't find any true releif until my middle boy now six started to walk and move better on his own. I'm starting with the neck pain again just from lifting and carring around my almost 1 year old now. Thankfully he isn't to heavy yet. One more thought if you are putting her in a sling that may be another factor to your neck hurting. I hope you can figure it out but it does tak awhile. Good luck

Victoria-- You might be suffering from brachial radiculitis.

Basically, if a disc is shifting out of place in your neck, it can push on, or squash a nerve which can cause the numbness in your arm. You might want to see an orthopedist and get an x-ray, or an MRI of your cervical spine, to see if there is more going on than just a pinched nerve--could you have osteoporosis which is affecting your spine? It won't be a quick fix, but it may help identify the source of the problem more accurately than treating a symptom.

Hi Victoria,
My name is M. and suffer from a simular problem. I suggest trying to find a pain management doctor. I see one on a monthly basis. He has worked on my lower back and currently my neck. It was a procedure called radiofrequency followed by 3 epidurals spaced out monthly. It hasn't taken all the pain away, but its much better than before.

Many Blessings to You,
M. V.
Melaleuca-The Wellness Company

I do feel for you. I've been there. As a general rule a pinched nerve is not a cause for alarm because it usually resolves itself but it doesn't sound like that will be the case for you. It wasn't for me either. I had to have surgery for a pinched nerve and 2 herniated discs. They made the incision on the front of my neck (in a crease to minimize how noticeable the scar would be). It is a very painful process but so worth it when the pain finally goes away. I would caution you though- I have never gotten back my full range of movement! If I tip my head back, my neck crunches and I'm told that I will have to go through surgery again at some point but I think that is more related to the disc issue than the nerve issue.
If you have the surgery, you will likely wake up in a neck brace. Believe me, you don't realize how much you depend on your neck muscles until they're gone. It's like trying to hold your head up with a piece of cooked spaghetti for a while but as I said before it is worth it.
Please let me know if I can offer you anymore info about my experience. I would be glad to share with you. Good luck, Shannon G.

acupuncture, and insurance will cover if precribed by a dr.
miracle work!!

Yes, a pinched nerve will cause numbness and tingling. My husband had neck surgery about 7 yrs. ago and has never regretted it. They go in from the front of your neck. They super glued him after surgery and there is virtually no scarring.They also put a titanium plate in his neck.You need your doc to refer you to a neuro-sugeon.

Dear Victoria,

Change chiropractors - ask around to see who is happy with theirs. And you can think about this. Last fall I got bumped in the back while stopped at a light. I was waiting to make a right turn and when I got hit it popped my back way out of line. Normal chiropractor visits were working but in the spring I did some work that totally wrecked my right arm - with numbness, tingling and tendonitis. It didn't get better until I got back on my heavy duty supplements. When I did it was much improved in two day, almost better in two weeks and a month later almost 100%.

Sometimes you have to support your body with more then just good food. Unfortunately, all you can do is guess unless you get tested. Dr. Merkle is the place to do that (and he is also good at getting you properly aligned if you are close to Dayton.) 3000health.com ###-###-####

God Bless,

S.

when the vertabrae of the neck are even slightly out of alignment it can put pressure on the nerves going through this small area--which will cause the pain, tingling and numbness. Though I am a massage therapist and acupressurist so obviously believe in natural therapies--I do urge you to go to your physician and have him/her check you out for any problems that may need medical attention. If Dr wants to just give you muscle relaxants and pain pills then go back to the natural ways--these only cover the problme and may cause problems of their own. Surgery is risky and should be done only if there is a clear problem that can be corrected --stenosis is one problem that will not go away, slipped or bulging discs on the other hand almost everyone has to some degree and surgery is not usually necessary. the fact that you feel better with massage and chiropractic is a good sign even if it does not last --most people who ultimatly need surgery usually don't find relief this way. however there are good and bad chiros and mt's--and some are better with some problems more than others. i saw a Chiro a long time ago who really helped with my lower back but really made my neck worse! If you let me know where you live I can maybe assist you in finding someone. The things that really helped with my neck pain were acupressure--much more than massage--and a chiro who also does cranial sacral therapy and very gentle neck adjustments(many of the chiros use high velocity techniques which are potentially dangerous and don't help anyway as the muscles tighten up in response to the trauma and then pull everything right out of alignment--which is what sounds like may be happening to you). In the meantime--try alternating heat and cold and do some gentle stretching--do not hyper extend your neck though when stretching! Good luck!

I would recommend MonaVie juice. I know it probably sounds crazy so let me explain. First of all, it provides wild & organic fruits (namely the acai berry, #1 superfood known to man!) in your diet, which gives more than the fda recommended amount of fruit & provides a wealth of nutrients. Because your body is getting what it needs, you are then able to heal as intended. My brother had a torn disk & says it is not even bothering him any more after a couple months of taking the juice! Blessings...

I had the same issue!! I've tried different avenues as well, but the one and only thing that worked for me was physical therapy with a therapist who specialized in Myofascial Release. I also used to work for a PT with this specialty and there have been a tremendous amount of success stories from her patients with neck issues, disc issues, etc. Plus, PT is usually covered by insurance. You may only need a month of intense care and then good as new. Backing up though, I would see if you can get an MRI first to make sure what the underlying issue is (bone, muscular, nerve), then your Dr. can refer you to a PT. Good luck! I do not wish neck pain on anyone - hope you feel better soon. (www.myofascialrelease.com)

I agree with everone else, you need to go see a physician. This is a very tender area to deal with. Massages are great but if the chiropractor is not finding where the problem is you probably need to see a physical therapist.
I had a similar problem about 7 yrs ago. The right doctor, some massages, and lots of stretching got it back right in about 2 months.

I would ask my family doc to recommend another who can do test to check for nerve damage before letting surgery be done. A good neurologist could be a life saver. They have nerve induction tests to see if and where the damage is.

I have been seeing an Osteopath for the past 7 years. After having my first child, I started having severe headaches. I went to 10 different drs/professionals (neuroligists, massage therapists, acupuncture, chiropractor, etc.)before being referred to my osteopath. He was my life saver. He was the only one that could help me. I now see him about every 8 weeks for a "tune up". Whenever my neck "is out", I start getting headaches and after a visit to him, he always gets it worked out. My insurance covers it too. It might be worth a try.

Hi Victoria! It certainly sounds like a pinched nerve but the reason the nerve is pinched is what you should be looking for. I would see your family doctor. Try to get some X-Rays and an MRI to start. You could have a disc out of place in your neck or a herniated disc. You could have severe muscle tension in your neck. Really, it could be anything and if going to a chiropractor for a year hasn't helped then I'd switch coarses. Good luck.

Hi pinched nerve, neck out since you have already tried the massage and chiropractor I would head straight to a Dr.. Don't let it keep going on as it will wear you down and it sounds like it is close to that now. Your regular MD can give you advise on a Dr. in this field. Good Luck K.

I agree with Debrah. You should go to your physician who will hopefully send you to a physical therapist. The PT can teach you several stretches and strengthening exercises to help avoid the problem. Pain meds will just cover it up.

Have you tried physical therapy? Chiropractic can be helpful if your spine is too stiff, but sometimes it actually causes more problems if you have a hypermobile spine. You might have better luck with PT working on stabilization exercises.

Ask your primary care doctor for a PT referral, and if necessary you can check www.apta.org to find a PT in your area.

Good luck!

-E.

You need to go to the EGOSCUE website and e-mail a therapist. Most likely, you DONT need surgery, just need to spend some time re-aligning your cervical spine(and probably other areas, too)

Get the book PAIN FREE by Pete Egoscue and go to the HEAD & NECK section. It will show you things to do. In addition, if you're in the FISHERS/CARMEL/NOBLESVILLE area, I'm a certifiec Posture Alignment & Pain Management specialist. If you want, you could make an appointment and I can see what's going on.