April 29. 2008

 Ever wake up in the morning and notice a “kink” in your neck? I know I have. Not so much any more, now that I’m no longer subject to the constant tension of being in practice, combined with the peculiar positions you can get into when you’re trying to do surgery. But when I was working, every so often, I would awaken in the morning to find I had a stiff neck.
 
The stiff neck was bad enough. But then, it would begin to spread down to the inner border of my shoulder blade, and the trapezius muscle on that side would knot up, like it was being goosed with an electric current. And any slightly quick turn, or any other head movement, was met with a painful spasm that would take my breath away. I dreaded the rest of the day, because it would only get worse and worse, as time went on and I became more and more active. You just haven’t lived til you’ve tried doing arthroscopic knee surgery with a wry neck. Sometimes the spasms would just make me nauseated. And I couldn’t take any serious medication–hey! I was operating! Just the pits….
 
For years, I attributed this occasional problem to an odd position I must have adopted during sleep. And that probably did play a role in triggering the spasms. But it turns out, I also had a very common problem: a chronic bulging disc at the C5-6 level. I only found this out later on, when I chanced to have an MRI scan, which demonstrated the pathology, clear as a bell.
 
Of course, I should have realized what the problem was. The pattern of pain distribution is classic: C5-6 nerve root radiates to the inner border of the scapula  (shoulder blade). But like I’ve mentioned before, physicians have big blind spots when it comes to their own health conditions, and I’m no different.
 
But I did learn a few things that help, which I’ll pass on to you now. First, if possible, eliminate stress. If you can lie down with a rolled face towel under your neck, cross-wise. A bath towel is too thick and a hand towel is too small. The face towel is just right. If you have a heating pad, use it–nothing soothes like pleasant warmth. Place the heating pad under your neck and upper back. Turn it up for about 20 minutes at a time. 

If you’re sitting up, slowly bend you head forward and feel the stretch in the neck and back. Then slowly begin to roll your head from side to side, back and forth. Eventually, you will loosen up enough to roll your head around in a circle. Go five times one way, then five times the other. if you have a “knot,” a tight spastic focus that’s painful in the upper back, get someone to massage it with deep thumb pressure, until it loosens up.
 
Tylenol can be taken for some pain relief, without making you groggy, or affecting your judgment. OTC medications like Advil or Aleve not only relieve pain,  but they are really NSAID’s, that will reduce inflammation, too. Just be sure you take them WITH FOOD, to protect your stomach. Be sure you take some oral calcium, magnesium and potassium supplements to minimize muscle spasms. A glass of tonic water,
which contains quinine, will often help with spasms, too.

If the episodes become too frequent or too severe, go see a doc. Sometimes, a shot of cortisone, right into the “bullseye” of the painful spasm will break it for good and give you long term relief. So if you ever have this curse, or know someone who does, you now have a whole litany of methods to relieve it. Use them in good health! Til next time, my friend be well.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,

Dr. Bill
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
 
P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to  http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
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