Has anyone ever had this?

I have had a stiff neck for a couple of months now with a big knot in the back of my neck. I have limited range of motion turning my head to the left/right. Tried a chiropractor who swore to me that even though I was in pain for 2 days after treatment he was helping me. Tomorrow I am going to a head/neck surgeon recommended by my orthopedist. Has anyone had this and if so how did you treat it? Can I get some vibes please, I'm a little worried. Thanks.

Have you tried massage therapy, or is it not muscular?

Nothing showed on the x-ray, maybe I need an MRI?

Did you have an injury? an accident whiplash? The surgeon may be able to diagnos, but if it muscular, and ligaments, I would recommend going to a sports medicine othopedic doctor, before having any surgery, which is usually what surgeons recommend.
Physical therapy can do wonders, and that is what a sports medicine doctor will do for you.

I am not a doctor, so if it is not a tumour or something like that, it sounds like you had a stiff neck so long that the muscles are knotting up. If that is the case physical therapy excercises, along with heat and cold, maybe a pain patch should fix you up.

Physiotherapy may be a good idea if it is a muscular problem, my dad had to have that when he suffered with shoulder, neck and back pain.

If your muscles are knotted, I would have thought a simple massage from a physiotherapist will help you...maybe your doctor will discuss the options through with you? It's worth a go

Originally Posted by jamasmom

I have had a stiff neck for a couple of months now with a big knot in the back of my neck. I have limited range of motion turning my head to the left/right. Tried a chiropractor who swore to me that even though I was in pain for 2 days after treatment he was helping me. Tomorrow I am going to a head/neck surgeon recommended by my orthopedist. Has anyone had this and if so how did you treat it? Can I get some vibes please, I'm a little worried. Thanks.

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My DH had this just a month ago. He finally got it taken care of by doing both the chiropractor and a massage therapist. I would look for a different chiropractor though, it seems that that one is not doing a good job for you. It took my DH several sessions of both to finally get to where he could move his head again. Sorry you are having to deal with this. It was very painfull for my DH.

I agree with massage therapy!!!!

It basically saved my life at one point lol I suffered an 8 month long migraine basically (caused me to withdrawl from school for a semester)... it wouldn't have lasted so long if I had gotten good care right away but that's a whole other story... but basically this migraine caused the right side of my neck/back/base of skull to be hard as a rock - when I finally got to a competent neurologist, he was shocked by how bad it was.... well since my mom and I have a good massage therapist (aka we know that she knows what she's doing lol) he suggested I go and after a couple of sessions, things were MUCH better... yes it's a bit pricy, but I swear by it sometimes... try finding a massage school or a hospital wellness center near you as it should be cheaper there than at an actual spa (I go to a wellness center out of Lourdes Hospital)

I agree with getting an MRI. X-rays show very little.

Thanks everyone, I can't wait to see this Dr. tomorrow, I just want to feel better. If he can recommend someone i'll be there in a heartbeat. I don't know how this happened but I hope it never happens again.

Definately get the MRI before letting anyone touch your neck. You have no idea what could be lurking there and it would be awful if someone hurt you because of an unknown problem. If it does turn out to be muscles knotted - you may find some relief from muscle relaxers and proper stretching to loosen the area up.

Severely swollen lymph nodes will cause neck pain and decreased range of motion.

massage therapy and muscle relaxers will provide relief, but in order to prevent a recurrance, excercise of the affected muscles will probably be neccessary, and that is where PT comes in. IT targets the areas that need strengthening.

We got hit from behind in March and I got a Check to go to either a Chrio or Massage. We are getting the Massage. My neck has hurt since. I would try a Massage.