wryneck?

January 30, 2006 9:53 AM

When I was in jr high I had wry neck. The pain is intense and you can not move your head. Anyway, two other times I believe it has come back. I did not return to the doctor. The second time was years ago when I fell on some ice. This time I think it's because I started lifting weights again (after a long time off) and I dorked something up in there. The pain is almost as intense but extends a little down in to back behind the shoulder. It takes a few days before the pain lets up enough to be manageable but even after a weak I can turn my head and still feel it. There is also like a "click" or twitch or something when I move my head a certain way. What should I do about this? Is it worth going to the doctor and paying some money for them to tell me what? Deal with it? What kind of exercise can I do for those muscles? The only thing I do is pop tylenol (how much can you really take before it dorks your liver?) and take long hot showers.
posted by arh07 to health & fitness (23 comments total)

you could have a bulging disc in your upper back. check it out so that you can manage the pain correctly.
posted by nimsey lou at 9:58 AM on January 30, 2006

I had something like that once; it ended up that my trapezius was spasming. This has happened a couple of times to me. First in, junior high (like you!) after putting on a bass drum harness and marching in a parade. Second, after working out a few months ago. I did go to my doctor, he gave me very mild painkillers.

It looks like if you want to go the massage/chiropractic route, that option is open to you.

Good luck!
posted by chota at 9:59 AM on January 30, 2006

Go to the doctor for Christ's sake. Jeese.
posted by OmieWise at 10:08 AM on January 30, 2006

OmieWise - yeah it's 85 bucks of jeese just to go sit there and say my neck hurts sometimes.
posted by arh07 at 10:15 AM on January 30, 2006

For God's sake go see a doctor! Do you really need some random people to tell you to do so? Your two options are to kill your liver and be in chronic pain, or pay a few bucks to see your doctor and get better. I guess I just don't see the conundrum here.
posted by apple scruff at 10:19 AM on January 30, 2006

i just wondered what people thought. It's free and you two have definitely lived up to that.
posted by arh07 at 10:20 AM on January 30, 2006

AskMe is not a free clinic. The people whose opinions you should care about are doctors. Are you really going to sacrifice your livelihood and health to save $85?
posted by apple scruff at 10:26 AM on January 30, 2006

not at all. i wondered what kind of experience other people had with it. it's conversation. some people respond with general advice and something helpful. others just want to be assholes.
posted by arh07 at 10:30 AM on January 30, 2006

This stuff can seem really trivial but can come back to kick you in the ass many years down the line and make your senior years miserable. I have seen chronic neck and back pain cripple several of my family members. Go to a doctor, and make sure he gives you a proper diagnosis.
posted by sid at 10:31 AM on January 30, 2006

I've had wry neck a few times. Hot moist towels helped a lot. I never took medication for it though.
posted by substrate at 10:43 AM on January 30, 2006

As someone with a bulging disk in my neck, go see the doc, set up at least a few rounds with the PT, and do faithfully the exercises they prescribe (even if you turn out to not have a bulging disk).
Also, as someone who has not had health insurance at critical times in my life, spend the cash for the treatment. I have seen the alternative for neck issues, and its name is surgery.
posted by oflinkey at 10:44 AM on January 30, 2006

Look, just because it isn't the advice you wanted doesn't mean I'm being an asshole. The fact is that necks are not something you want to have going bad. You think you know what it is, but you really have no idea, and you should go get it looked at as soon as possible. I know it's expensive, but talking about it on AskMe doesn't make your neck better or your visit cheaper.
posted by OmieWise at 10:53 AM on January 30, 2006

In addition to the other reasons for going to the doctor outlined above, he might also prescribe you some muscle relaxers. Which in my experience help more than tylenol. (I suppose it depends on what exactly is causing it? IANAD, obviously).
posted by lampoil at 10:55 AM on January 30, 2006

I had a disc problem that was associated with pain and limited range of motion in my neck and one of my arms. Taking it easy for a few months (no activities that caused pain) and physical therapy were extremely helpful. Ibuprofin helped more than aceteminophen, because the issue was related to inflamation.

The doctor did an xray to confirm the diagnosis, as I guess the same symptoms could be caused by something less benign. I'm guessing that's always the important issue when people say "See a doc."

I had a few PT sessions, and continued the exercises at home, and now I'm all better. There was a little pamphlet the doc gave me, called the Neck Owner's Manual that explained a lot of the issues in layperson's terms.
posted by jasper411 at 11:23 AM on January 30, 2006

I had this once, a couple of years ago ... got it by wrangling a 40 ft ladder around, trying to paint the house. I went to a massage therapist, which did cost $75. Anyway, she told me it was gonna hurt worse for a couple of days, and boy, did it ever. It did go away for good after that though.
posted by lobstah at 11:25 AM on January 30, 2006

I've had bad wry neck about 5 times in my life, and here is my experience. (If you dislike chiropractors, maybe skip this.)

Most of the incidents were correlated with increase in muscle strength (ie training for a sport, swimming, etc). Twice I went to a physiotherapist (as recommended by my doctor). The physiotherapist tried massage, heat, vibration, and pain medication. The heat and massage would relax my muscles and appear to give relief, but within one hour my relaxed and revived muscles would come back with full strength, spasming and making my wry neck more painful than ever. After 5 sessions, and in more pain, I tried a chiropractor. I was skeptical - especially of his flaky answers to my general chiro questions - but desperate. He checked my spine, and then with ten seconds of pressure on a vertebrate, relieved 80% of my pain. The pain did not return (as after the physio) and after 2 more sessions my wry neck was completely gone. It wasn't a "cure", since it still comes back about every few years. Since neither my doctor, the physio or the chiropractor can explain what causes it, this solution will have to do.

I'm still a skeptic in general, but not about this specific chiropractor relieving this specific pain.

(on preview) To answer your actual question: my experience has been that if I don't go to the chiropractor, I'll have the wry neck for 2-3 weeks. As the spasming muscle gets exhausted, it will slowly lose strength. The weaker muscle will be less able to "pinch the nerve" that causes the spasm (my theory). The problem eventually goes away, albeit oh so slowly.
posted by mediaddict at 12:28 PM on January 30, 2006

I also had a wry neck many years before I ended up in surgery. In retrospect, that was probably where my bulging neck disc originated, although it was not diagnosed as such at the time.

Have you been constantly told to "stand up straight"? Do you work at a computer a lot, where you might find yourself slumping with your chin jutting forward? Poor posture for years, and a desk/computer job are two of the key risk factors for neck disc issues.

I first saw a PT (after a diagnostic procedure involving x-rays and MRIs), who gave me exercises to do at home to strengthen my neck and upper back muscles. I also got therapy, which consisted of being strapped into a medieval-looking device that stretched my neck (gently) in order to expand the space between my cervical vertebrae with the hope that the disk would pop itself back in without surgical intervention. (It did.)

Fast forward several years later, and the pain came back. This time, the only solution to relive the constant, excruciating pain was surgery (laminectomy). Upon waking up from surgery, I was pain-free, and have been for 5 years now.

Prior to seeing a surgeon, I was refused treatment by a chiropractor, even though I had an MRI film and offered to sign something holding him harmless for hurting me further. Still no dice. Apparently some chiropractors are leery of working on the neck.

Not to be a smartass, but seriously, see a doctor. If it's a bluging disc causing you problems (and a wry neck can cause a disc to weaken, which increases the likelihood it may bulge or herniate years later), the pressure on your nerves higher up in your back and neck can cause irritations in every muscle below your chin. Or, eventual paralysis.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 1:38 PM on January 30, 2006

I've had wry neck a couple of times. My doctor ascribed the condition to poor posture and an improperly placed desk, chair, monitor, and keyboard. Rearranging stuff more ergonomically, taking frequent breaks, lots of stretchng, and being married to a certified massage therapist seems to have cleared it up.

The exercise that really helped me was doing several sets of simple neck rolls. While standing up straight, allow your head to fall forward to your chest. Then slowly move your head (not your shoulders) in a circular motion, concentrating on stretching the muscles in your neck. You'll hear lots of crunching -- this is (probably) not fatal. It's best to do this after a hot soak when the muscles are as relaxed as you can get them.

Lay off the lifting, make sure your desk, chair, and monitor are at the right height, and keep stretching.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:51 PM on January 30, 2006

It wouldn't hurt to look into Dr. Sarno who theorizes that most back pain is due to unresolved anger or other strong emotions. Lots of people claim to have been helped. I first heard about him from Howard Stern on his show. I know I get a lot of tension in my back due to this.
posted by jockc at 2:03 PM on January 30, 2006

See a doctor, of course, but I have found that Tai Chi Chuan is an excellent maintenance therapy for this general sort of thing.

When I was younger, my high instep made commuting-length walking painful, and I used to have very frequent jaw "popping" problems. A summer spent doing T'ai Chi eliminated both problems, and they've never really come back, even as I've aged. If nothing else, it's a form of exercise and it helps reduce stress and increase flexibility.
posted by dhartung at 2:19 PM on January 30, 2006

Not sure about "wry neck, but after the last two months, I'd say to get thyself to a doctor sooner rather than later.

I'm going through something vaguely similar right now. Tentatively diagnosed as a bulging disk. Doc (an O.D.) prescribed vicodin and PT (anti-inflammatories didn't work). As I type this, I've got Vicodin in me, a bag of ice on my shoulder, just unhooked from a TENS unit -- shocking, I know -- and PT was neck traction this afternoon.

Late November, the pain started when I woke up and had a wicked "kink in my neck" or "pinched nerve" or whatever. I get a minor version of this from time to time, and it goes away after a few days. But this time it started at my neck, went across my back/shoulder and through to the pectoral, and deep in the armpit. Then a few weeks ago it went in under my bicep, my forearm and fingers (thumb & index) started tingling, and I got myself to the doctor. Probably four weeks later than I should have.

Treatments can range from (and combine) "stop using it for a while and let it heal" to anti-inflammatories to physical therapy to pain killers to epidural steroid injections to disk surgery and probably other things.
posted by mumeishi at 4:00 PM on January 30, 2006

With a similar problem this is what I did:

The pain was bearable but very distracting and I had it on and off for several years.

Finally I went to a doctor and got x-rays. Which showed nothing wrong so they sent me home.

I had accupuncture which really helped with the pain, but only for a few days. I tried several other alternative therapies that didn't work. I also avoid pain killers for my liver's sake.

I finally went to a Rolfer who told me to do yoga "cat and dog position" every morning. (on your hands and knees, touch your chin to your chest, then look up to the sky. repeat. but get a teacher.) I bought the Ali MacGraw yoga dvd and did cat and dog every morning. Pain went away, haven't had it since.
posted by 9000.68 at 5:01 PM on January 30, 2006

I had a similar situation. At the time that it started, I didn't have insurance, and therefore wasted a lot of money with doctors, who told me that there wasn't much they could do except send me home with a bunch of drugs (mild narcotic, anti-inflammatory, and muscle relaxant) that they acknowledged may not do diddly to fix the problem whatsoever.

Semi-regular massage therapy and a really great chiro fixed me.
posted by desuetude at 7:40 AM on January 31, 2006