I'm so frustrated!! I've had neck (trap)and upper back pain for almost a year now. It would come and go. Now it is "going" almost constantly. I went the medical route first....muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory drugs and rest....for about 2 weeks. It helped temporarily. (I HATE taking muscle relaxers....they make me feel tired and lazy!)The minute I stopped taking them and tried to swim, it came back.
I went to a chiropractor. He did X-rays and said my neck was straight. It is supposed to have a slight backward curve...sort of a natural "shock absorber" for your spine. He also said my neck (cervical spine) is shifted big time to the left.....explains why it hurts on the right! :doh: He said my trap muscles have been doing all the "shock absorbing" and had many knots in them on both sides. He also said my pec muscles were too tight and pulling my traps I've been going THREE times a week to get adjusted by the chiropractor. I've been stretching, icing and not swimming. The only thing that has helped is massage...and that's not in my budget! It doesn't seem to be getting better.:shakeshead: :cry: I finally went "swimming" Thursday to try to stretch it out. The doctor said it was ok as long as I didn't push it! I thought I would just kick a lot. I did try to swim some EASY strokes. It tightend up real fast! I ended up kicking on my back and doing a lot of vertical kicking in deep water. Any advice?
Former Member
Beth,
I will PM you on this.
Must be something in the GA pool water b/c I've had a very, very similar experience to yours. :doh:
Basically since last March (and June was when the pain started), I've had continual headaches, occasional ocular migraines, and to your post, very stiff neck and upper back/ trap pain. I lost a lot of mobility in my neck area and had terrible neck pain.
Went to an MD and recently started with a chiropractor. Both concluded via Xrays that I (like you) have lost curvature on my neck (which I saw on the Xrays.) They said my big traps aren't helping my neck any. Guess these big shoulders are actually not so good for us!? I also had an MRI which came back normal. The doc wanted to give me codeine and no muscle relaxers (she's against relaxants but not strong painkillers for whatever reason) which I declined.
So, I'm pursuing the chiro route for now. I too went 3x a week for about 4 weeks. I will say my headaches stopped as did my migraines (it's been about 5 weeks.) I'm on zero OTC or other RX meds which is fantastic. I also had a decrease in pain and an increase in my range of motion which is awesome. I also had to go through two different chiros before I found the right one.
The only thing I'm struggling with now is that when I start to push my swim workouts (and I'm still nowhere near what I was doing), my body starts to have trouble like my left arm and palm tingles and my neck and left wrist gets stiff. Did I mention that I had to stay out of the water for two weeks?! And, when I do swim, I can't push it. So I feel your frustration!
I'm going to see if I can eventually start pushing it in the pool. If not, I'll pursue the PT/ Neurologist route. I'm starting to think that my body is telling me not to push it the way I did in the past. . . Sux to loaf all these practices.:cry:
Keep us posted. Try different docs if you aren't getting the results you want.
It's uncanny how we are experiencing such similar symptoms. I do wonder if and how much swimming is contributing to this condition. . .
Always,
:cane::cane:
My neck pain has been constant for 3-4 months. I tried Meloxicam (arthritis anti-inflammatory) and it has proven very effective. Massage therapy and acupunture has helped as well. It's still there but much reduced.
John Smith
When I read your post, I really felt that massage is the answer because your muscles are so tight it is pulling things out of alignment. However, it is not in your budget. Here, the Community College has a program for massage therapist and they always need people to "practice" on. So you can get massages for less. Maybe there is something there you can find.
I totally agree with Dorothy and hope you get better.
Another Idea for free massages. Go to a local 5 or 10K run. Dress in running gear. As the runners are finishing go over and sign up for a free massage. Piece of cake.
Oh Beth, that sucks.
Lots of good ideas from folks here. My main piece of advice would be to use every contact you can think of to make sure you're seeing the best doctor. You're looking for someone who treats healthy, athletic people and someone who is willing to LISTEN to you. You don't want someone who normally treats patients for whom watching tv and sitting in front of a computer is their usual daily activity. Ask friends you know from work, ask people you see at the pool, ask anyone for recommendations. You probably know lots of doctors/nurses from work... ask who they'd send their family to.
And for the massages... while they don't work as well as a massage, I use the tennis balls too. My PT demo'd how to use them for my piriformis muscles (deep nasty muscles kind of in the side of the butt that for whatever reason I have to keep happy to keep my knees happy.) You want to start out on a really soft surface and then move to harder surfaces as your body can take it. I usually use a doubled over yoga mat.
Hang in there, Beth, and know that we're all rooting for you.
Carrie
He said my trap muscles have been doing all the "shock absorbing" and had many knots in them on both sides. Any advice?
This contraption might help you, Beth.
www.spikmattan.se/index.php
It's made out of 24 sections that snap together like a jigsaw puzzle. They keep unsnapping all the time, may use some duct tape. Don't leave it on the floor, thinking you will remember to pick it up later...:censor:
Beth
I feel your pain! I too had problems for over a year with pain in my neck and upper back (traps). Here are some of the things that have helped me.
1) Find a copy of Kit Laughlin's book " Overcome Neck and Back Pain". There are some great stretches that you have probably never seen before. Amazon has the book on sale for $12 plus shipping.
www.amazon.com/.../104-4234458-4835122
2) I think stretching your pec muscles is a good idea. I do the one where you stand in a doorway with your forearm vertical against the door frame and arm at a 90 degree angle. Leg on same side foreword, then rotate your upper body to the opposite side. Hold for 30 seconds.
3) Strengthen your lower trap and rhomboid muscles. I use a ther band. Hold the band in front of your body with arms to the side upright at a 90 degree angle. Pinch you shoulder blades together while holding the band. Do around 25 reps. Do this ever other day.
The knots or trigger points in your muscle can be massaged out by pressing firmly with the tips of your fingers and massaging in a counter clockwise direction. Biofreeze is a wonderful product to use while you self massage.
Good luck, I wish you luck. Again, for $12 I think you will find Kit Laughlin's books in valueable. :wiggle::wiggle:
Beth...I sympathise. I have a back ache and sciatica right now. I couldn't swim last night, which was distressing b/c up until now swimming has always been on the "able to do list" albeit slowly and gently. I couldn't do more than 200 before the pain started to heat up. I ended up doing some kicks on my back with fins just to get something done... it sucked.
Oh Beth, also. Drink lots of Green Tea...makes you pee and removes the waste from your muscles. I'd reccomend a cup a day for anyone to be honest. Very good after massages etc.
I just wanted to say I hope that you begin to feel better swim4rlife. That is tough. I get a massage weekly ( great benefits) so I am lucky. I know that neck pain is tough.
You have lots of great advice here. Just make sure you don't injure yourself more. Good luck.
Swimstud. I bet you are having a hard time not swimming. Sorry for the pain OUCH. It is hard when you cannot swim. I was back in the pool today after 9 days off. IT WAS fabulous.
Katie
