Neck Problems

[adsm08]

Ok, so I know that neck/back problems are no stranger to guys in our hobby and or who make a living working on cars. Unfortunately I do both, and have a family history of problems. I also already have issues that cause me some pretty bad headaches that have gone on for up to three years of almost continuous pain, and I'm only 23. So, since almost everyone here works at home, on the ground, and in overall less than optimum conditions, what do ya'll do to prevent, correct, or mitigate the pain and problems. I just figure maybe we can share some tips and tricks to help each other keep on working.

I myself used to lay on the floor until my neck and back popped back into place on their own, then the wife went and invested in a sleep number bed, which while nice and effective, is dang expensive. I'm looking for cheap stuff.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Get a creeper that has a thing to raise up the shoulder/head area, I cheaped out an got a regular creeper, now I'm wishing I wouldn't have....

 

[caveman_joey]

hey buddy... i suffer from severe neck pains and chronic migrain headaches due to deteriorating discs in my neck .... family thing... but the doc tells me surgery isn't an option due to bad discs above and below the problem disc now and to try this pain management thing where they give me a spinal epidural to help cushion or block the pain. so i try his way twice without any success all the pain and headaches come back in 2 weeks of the shots in the spinal column... and trust me even with insurance these shots were not cheap.... so i figure i just have to deal with it, but i when to a different doctor still complaining about migrains and neck pain of course and after some trial and error because "medicine is a practice not a definate in alot of cases" which i can agree with to an extent... Anyways to get to the point the Doc finally put me on a medication of Neurontin-brand name- or Gabapentin- generic name-, does it work a 100% no but it does help with my problem to make it were i can work and do what has to be done yes... now keep in mind i was lucky this is a Great Doctor that only charges $40 for an office visit ($25 for a revisit) and doesn't accept any insurance. when the high dollar Docs i was seeing wanted this xray,MRI, and other countless things done and was $60 to see them even with my insurance paying the rest of the visit. So my friend i recommend seeing a doctor and discuss this medication with your doc and see if it will work for you which i hope it will and good luck.

 

[Jay FX4]

This is a tough one. First of all, I'm sorry to hear you're going through this crap, and I feel your pain...literally. For almost the past 2 years on and off, my life has been complete hell because of my back injury. I have had surgery and I'm doing pretty good now, but I indirectly had some neck problems, too. I had 2 bad discs in my back, real low, just above the ass crack. One was bulging, the other ruptured. There were a lot of days when I couldn't even turn my head because the pain would shoot all the way down my back and down to my calf in my right leg.

This may be opening a can of worms, but speaking from experience, I would strongly recommend NOT seeing a chiropractor. Before I said enough is enough and saw a REAL doctor, I was seeing a chiropractor 3 times a week for a few months. It didn't do jack crap, and the worst part about it is once you start seeing a chiropractor, you can't really stop, or you'll feel worse than you did before. When I stopped, it took quite a while for my back to go back to "normal". This is just my opinion, but I know some people swear by chiropractors. But I don't see it as a realistic long term solution.

Aside from your neck, how far down does the pain in your back go? I've been through a lot, and I have learned a ton about this type of injury, since I have seen various doctors and therapists. I'm almost an expert on the subject. The back and the neck is the same thing, with discs all the way down, and your nerves (like tree roots) branch off from the spine. Thats often what causes the pain, the discs bulge and push against the nerves. Anyone with sciatica knows exactly what I mean. You'd be surprised how much muscles have to do with the problem. When you're in pain, they tend to lock up, adding to the pain and preventing you from having a normal range of motion. There arre lots of excercises you can do to strengthen your core muscles, along with the neck and shoulders. There are a lot of muscles that support the back/neck that actually aren't particularly strong unless we make a point to exercise them. The more strength you have in the muscles around your back, the less of a load your spine has to carry. And I don't necessarily mean "pumping iron", there are a lot of things you can do with no type of weights at all to build strength.
I think anti-inflammatory medicine would help you. I take the occasional Motrin. You can get over the counter stuff like Aleve, or anything with Ibuprofen, but you must take it with food because it WILL eat a hole in your stomach. I have also had success with ice, that has helped a lot. You could also try heat, or alternate between the two.
This stuff is no joke. We ALL need to take care of our backs, even if some of you have never had any type of back problems. Once a disc degenerates, it is likely to be permanent. When the fluid dries up and the discs compress, it could mean long term, permanent problems.

EDIT: By the way, I've had 2 cortisone epidurals too, and they did absolutely nothing. It's not intended to be a solution anyway, just temporary relief.

 

[RustedRanger]

Glucosamine helps with the joints. I had a ruptured disc removed last December and the doc told me not to take Alieve anymore,it is really bad for the bones. He said to take Tylenol(ibuprophen). The job I was doing was really hard,bagging and stacking animal feed additives......up to 19,000 pounds in one day in 50 and 55lb bags and I was taking 2 Alieves a day just to get through it. The glucosamine is kinda expensive but I could tell a difference within several days.

 

[caveman_joey]

Hey about the ice packs they do help alot but if you want a super ice pack mix 1 part 90% rubbing alcohol to 5 parts water in a few layers of zip bags or a couple of foodsaver made bags and freeze and you will have a nice ice pack that is super cold for a long time and not hard as a brick(they will freeze solid but mush up easy)... plus if you make a large one like we did with foodsaver bags they are awesome for the cooler and out of town grocery trips lol.

 

[Jay FX4]

I had a ruptured disc removed last December

You had a fusion, or a partial disc removal?

 

[RustedRanger]

I think it would be called a fusion,the doc took the disc out and put a metal "cage" in its place with some of my bone inside. It all started when my neck hurt but I thought I had slept wrong.....then my shoulder started hurting and then progressed down my arm. The ruptured disc was pressing on the nerve for my left arm.

 

[Nhaz]

While my back pain isn't anywhere near as bad as some of these guys and Nowhere near as bad as my Gaul bladder stone was. I found that 2 400miligram Ibprofen worked wonders. (generic brand no name, I can't tell the diff between a name and a life brand Ibprofen Other then price)

People and my doctor talk about holes in the stomach. I don't seem to have a problem there yet. But I don't pop them all the time. Also when I get home the first thing I do is half fill a hot water bottle, put it on the couch sidewise and lie on it with the small of my back. It fits almost perfectly and it holds the backs contour instead of flattening my spine. That worked rather well for me.

For any of you that like to know how bad the gaul bladder stone was. Imagine your finger in a vise just hard enough that all you want to do is get your finger out and get it OUT NOW. And then imagine that for about 6 hours straight. Anywhere from.. if I was lucky 2 nights a week or if I was unlucky 4 nights a week for 3 years. And Ibprofen doesn't work on gaul bladder stones.

Oh and thats Our Lovely Canadian healthcare that works so well. 3 years to get a operation.

 

[Jay FX4]

I think it would be called a fusion,the doc took the disc out and put a metal "cage" in its place with some of my bone inside. It all started when my neck hurt but I thought I had slept wrong.....then my shoulder started hurting and then progressed down my arm. The ruptured disc was pressing on the nerve for my left arm.

Yup, that's the dreaded fusion. For my surgery, I obviously wanted to avoid that, and have the least invasive procedure possible. I just had part of the disc removed, the part that was ruptured and jamming into my sciatic nerve. I had the surgery July 27, so it hasn't been that long, but so far I'm doing great. I pray to God every day that I'm finally past this ordeal. If not, then the next step is the fusion - the last resort.
When did you have this surgery? And how are you doing now?

While my back pain isn't anywhere near as bad as some of these guys and Nowhere near as bad as my Gaul bladder stone was. I found that 2 400miligram Ibprofen worked wonders. (generic brand no name, I can't tell the diff between a name and a life brand Ibprofen Other then price)

People and my doctor talk about holes in the stomach. I don't seem to have a problem there yet. But I don't pop them all the time. Also when I get home the first thing I do is half fill a hot water bottle, put it on the couch sidewise and lie on it with the small of my back. It fits almost perfectly and it holds the backs contour instead of flattening my spine. That worked rather well for me.

For any of you that like to know how bad the gaul bladder stone was. Imagine your finger in a vise just hard enough that all you want to do is get your finger out and get it OUT NOW. And then imagine that for about 6 hours straight. Anywhere from.. if I was lucky 2 nights a week or if I was unlucky 4 nights a week for 3 years. And Ibprofen doesn't work on gaul bladder stones.

Oh and thats Our Lovely Canadian healthcare that works so well. 3 years to get a operation.

You''re right, Ibuprofen is Ibuprofen. It's all the same stuff. Really the only thing that varies is the strength. After my surgery, my doctor wanted me to take 3 800mg Motrins a day. There was no way in hell I was going to take that much that often, but there's no doubt that the stuff does work. It ain't no Vicodin, but being both non-narcotic and anti-inflammatory, to a certain extent it can actually help cure problems, not just mask it like Vicodin, Darvocet, etc.
I'm not sure that there is any pain worse than the pain I experienced. Imagine being repeatedly struck in the lower back by someone swinging a baseball bat as hard as they can, and add the feeling of being stabbed by a big ass knife anytime you try to move. I have been through so many days where I literally could not walk, stand, lay down, sit, or sleep. There were times when I'd be lucky to get about 4 hours sleep....in an entire week. It was worse than paralysis. I couldn't move, but I had to deal with constant, excruciating pain, too. Paralyzed people feel nothing.
As tempting as it is to block out all those things, I actually think about the worst days all the time. It makes me appreciate God, life, and my health that much more, and it keeps me motivated to exercise.

 

[RustedRanger]

I had surgery last Dec 18th. The pain in my arm is gone but my neck still hurts some,not much but some. I do a lot of praying also. I cant imagine having gall stones for 3 years! I had a kidney stone that only hurt for one day......I thought I was gonna die so I went to the ER......I now know what writhing in pain means. My neck and arm hurt hurt for about 3-4 months....about every 20 minutes it would get so bad I could hardly stand it. Once I went to the doc he put me on Vicoden and that helped a lot but didnt take the pain away completely,I would wake up on cue right at 4 hours when it wore off and then I would stay awake till the next one kicked in. My wife suggested going to get a massage before we knew it was a bad disc,I found out later that could have damaged the nerve permenatly so Im glad I didnt do that.

 

[pastor bubba]

I am one of those who goes to a bone cruncher or chiropractor. I have been to bad ones and currently have a really good one. I do get relief from the pain and am able to function and do not have to go back all the time. I usually have to go for a while when I'm stupid. If you go to a chiropractor, you have to evaluate what your body is doing as far as the pain goes and if it isn't working, then you need to stop. If I have a specific problem that he is concerned about, he will do an x-ray and if he can't figure it out, he will send me to a regular doc. I also load up on motrin to reduce the swelling and that seems to work as well.

 

[Jay FX4]

That's an interesting point. I've never really thought about the fact that not all chiropractors are created equal. It's still something I personally would not do again, but maybe the one i was seeing was just a bad one. He did take x-rays, but the problem with that is x-rays will show the space between the discs, but not the discs themselves. An MRI is the only way to see that stuff.