Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with neck

The Subway vs. My Back

airguitar2 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:29:12 -0800

Is the subway causing my body to hurt? I've been riding the NYC subway twice a day for the last few months, and I'm noticing an overall body/back ache that I haven't felt before. I've looked around for research on this, but all I can find is a study showing that a test group of subway operators suffer more back and neck pain than a control group. Apparently total-body-vibration is not such a good thing in large doses.

Is the subway causing minute but detectable bodily injury?
Have others noticed this?
What can I do about it, other than walk three hours to work every day?

Thanks, Mefites!

(It's also possible that my teaching job, what with its stress and being on my feet all day, is also contributing.)

Rear ended by a drunk driver then effed in the rear by the medical system.

pmaxwell — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:09:51 -0800

Bone graft gone wrong. Testicle swollen, major pain, difficulty walking, Doctors not helping. Need advice. I am trying to get some information for a friend. Below is as much info as I have. Any help would be appreciated.
--------------------------------------------

Jan 2003
My friend Kin was stopped at a light in Philadelphia, PA when he was hit from behind. The drunk who hit him had 9 prior DUI’s. Not surprisingly, he carried no insurance, had no registration or license. He was driving with stolen plates.

Kin was treated by a Dr. K at a hospital and diagnosed with a sever neck issue (don’t know exact diagnosis). He was told surgery would not help his condition. He was in severe pain. The Dr recommend a Morphine pump to help manage the pain. Kin begged the dr to “go back in” and fix the issue. The Dr refused.

2004: Eventually, Dr. K referred Kin to Dr. F for a Discgram. Dr. F decided surgery would be beneficial and recommended replacing two vertebrates (C5, C6) with titanium.

While awaiting surgery, Kin worked with pain management specialists. They prescribed Oxycontin (20mg then increased to 60mg). Here is where Kin began his addiction to Oxicontin.

Aug 2005: Dr. B from a Philly hospital performed surgery. Disc was replaced with piece of titanium that was to fuse. After the procedure, Kin’s condition worsened. For the next 18 months Kin repeatedly told the Dr B he was not right – could feel pieces of titanium move. Pain increased significantly. Kin was now taking 6 or so Percocets daily to manage after weaning himself off Oxycontin.

September 2007: Kin was referred to Dr. G (orthepedic surgeon at HHS in New York). Dr. G immediately recommended surgery. He suggested removing the titanium vertebrates and replacing with bone (with from a bone graft from Kin’s hip) . Kin agreed.

After the procedure, The Dr. G said the screws securing the titanium vertebrates (from the original surgery) we so loose, he was able to take them out by hand. Thats what was causing Kins pain – loose screws! Dr. said his neck should heal well and he should experience a vast reduction in pain.

Over the coming months, Kins neck felt 90% better. Occasional flare ups but nothing compared to what it was. Kin was ecstatic, he was fixed. – so he thought.

Prior to the neck surgery, they removed a piece of bone from his hip to use as the material to replace titanium vertebrates. Kins hip was not healing. He was back in severe pain. The Dr said it would take time to heal. Kin waited. He was now back up to 6-8 Percocets daily.

By Feb 2008 pain was so severe, Kin had trouble walking and was taking copious amounts of Percocet to function. His testicles swelled. He reported everything to Dr. G. Numerous tests were done: MRIs, bone scans, cat scans, and xrays. No Diagnosis or prognosis was given.

Kin moved to CA – he needed better weather. Every cloudy day in Philly amped up the pain in his hip (his neck was now a non-issue).
Even though he alerted his insurance company he was going to move, they waited until he was moved in to tell him they would not cover him in CA. Disability insurance dropped him as well b/c they secretly video taped him directing the moving truck into his driveway.

Kin repeatedly contacted Dr. G to tell him about the incredible pain in his hip. He was getting very limited attention. He was falling thru the cracks. They finally referred him to a Dr in CA (a 5 hour drive – and he needed to go back twice). The Dr saw Kin, took various MRI’s CAT’s and other tests and then NEVER SPOKE TO Kin AGAIN!. The Drs Assistant simply told Kin they could not help him.

June 2009: Eventually, HHS agreed to see Kin again, Kin flew to NY for 8 days of pre-arranged tests and procedures. Once there, they totally changed the itinerary they had agreed to. They sent Kin for a RFD(S) treatment. A Dr W did this non-surgical procedure. After, Kins pain amped up 20 fold. Again, they said to give it time. That was over a 4 months ago. The pain has not subsided. He is up to 12-15 Percocets a day. He has gone to the local emergency room in CA for help. They were astonished at the films of his hip– a large arrowhead shaped growth with spurs on the bone. It seems like the bone and nerve grew back in such a way as to cause the pain. They said they had no one at their hospital who can help him.

These days he has limited contact with HSS, they rarely return his calls/emails. In the last call, they advised him to go off Perocet and to try Subutex, which he is trying. And they also advise him to get a dorsal column stimulator (installed in his body) to help mitigate the pain, he will not. There is no longer any discussion on how to heal Kin, only how to manage the pain. When Kin asked if there was a way to kill the nerve, they said that’s what they tried with the RFD(S) procedure and it did not work.

Kin has ballooned up to about 250 pounds. His blood pressure is way high. Although I have been very concerned and distantly involved over the 4 years this has been going on, I am now more concerned than ever, As the hope of getting fixed gets more and more remote, Kin is spiraling into a very dark place.

So I am looking for any recommendations, referrals, advice on what Kin can do.
> Has anyone experienced this kind of bone/nerve issue?
> are the any Dr’s or programs that are specialists in this field (west coast)?
> Does anybody know of a service that can function as a health advocate?
> What about this dorsal column stimulator? What are the real percentage of people who have significant pain reduction?
> malpractice suit? know any lawyers in NY?

Help me strengthen my trapezius....

dfriedman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:01:29 -0800

Weightlifting/strength training filter: what exercises do you recommend to strengthen/build up the trapezius muscle? Right now my workout regimen consists of pullups, chinups, bench press, squats, calf extensions, pushups, and the rowing machine for cardio.

I pulled my trapezius muscle two or three weeks ago and it has more or less healed. Now I'd like to work on strengthening it.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Help me remember the name of this horror/sci-fi movie from my childhood (circa 1991).

Mr_Crazyhorse — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:16:40 -0800

I am trying to figure out the name of a horror/sci-fi movie from my childhood. It's a movie where a guy wakes up one day and he has a little alien slug/worm that lives on the back of his neck and talks to him. The alien has drilled a hole in the back of his neck and now injects a powerful narcotic/hallucinogen directly into his brain and controls the guy's life. Nobody knows about the alien slug, and at the end of the movie, he squeezes the alien slug to death and it administers a lethal dose to him, and his head blows up. Name that movie! As I'm older I realize it was a metaphor for drug addiction... and frequently try and explain the plot of the movie to people as best as I can remember. It was probably released around 1991. It may have gone straight to DVD or cable. TIA

Dog with a bum neck

tryniti — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:13:07 -0800

My dog has a slipped disc in her neck - what should I expect? Last Friday, my 8 year old female Doberman was diagnosed with a slipped disc in her neck. She had been in pain and not herself for the few days prior. The vet gave me an anti-inflammatory and told me to put her on complete rest (confinement) for 7 days. I have been keeping her kenneled except for trips outside 3-4 times a day with no running allowed. This weekend, the medicine really seemed to be helping her - she only cried out in pain once, and was walking and acting like her old self. I was very encouraged.

Fast forward to this morning, and she's backslid to last week - crying out in pain, not wanting to walk, shaking, etc. The vet said that in cases like hers, it is not uncommon for the dog to be most uncomfortable right when they wake or get up. I'm definitely going to keep an eye on her, and if she's painful this afternoon, I will call the vet again.

I guess my question is, has anyone had experience with this sort of injury? Is she going to be painful for the rest of her life, or can it eventually get better? I am ready to make some necessary changes for the long term to deal with this (bought a harness to walk her on instead of a neck collar, etc.), but I am worried that she will never really get better. I really had my hopes up after this weekend that the medicine would do the trick, but now I find myself thinking in worst-case scenarios. What should I expect?

Help me fix this pain in the neck

amicamentis — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:51:19 -0800

Are these sudden, sharp twinges of pain in my neck normal? For the last year I have noticed that something strange happens every two weeks or so. I'm going about my day-to-day business and I move my head in one direction or another (nothing too severe or forced) and PING! It feels like I have been shot with a BB or something on the side of my neck.

The pain is sharp and makes me reflex instinctively. The first time it happened, I really thought I had been hit with something. But it occurred again and now comes every so often. There's no warning and, though surprising and painful, no sensation lingers after a second - it is more startling than anything else. Both sides of my neck have been affected.

Is this common? Is there a name for it? Should I be going to any kind of medical professional?

Thanks!

Shaving Advice Sought

®@ — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:43:40 -0800

Want to look my best for tomorrow, seeking shaving advice. Late twenties male, never really got the hang of shaving. Would like to look my best, could use the advice of people more used to shaving. My neck is easily irritated by shaving, and often has red bumps afterwards. I was thinking I could shave my neck tonight, then tomorrow shave my face but leave my neck alone. Will this leave my neck relatively clean-looking, or will it appear stubbly?

And The Card Attached Will Say Thank You For Being A Friend

pazazygeek — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:54:40 -0800

I just recently went and visited some friends and want to send a gift to thank them for being such great hosts. One of my friends has recently hurt his neck and I am thinking of sending something that might make him feel better. Any suggestions? I stayed a few nights with a close friend and her boyfriend. I won't have a problem finding a gift to find for my girlfriend, but her boyfriend and I have just gotten to know eachother over the past year, so I'm not so sure what to get for him. He is a weightlifter and in great shape, but recently hurt his neck pretty badly when lifting weights. I'm not sure exactly what the diagnosis is, but I believe it is worse than a pulled muscle, and he is nervous about having to get surgery or worse yet, not being able to lift weights anymore.

I want to spend around $30 on a gift for him -- something that might bring him some relief or make him feel better would be fantastic. Do the great and wise mefites of the green have any suggestions of what might be good?

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. (or megapixels and HD Video?)

DrAlbin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:17:14 -0800

Buy the Canon 450Xsi or wait for the 500TSi? I have been on the ledge about to take the leap to DSLR from point and shoot. I have read previous posts for newbie’s, read the reviews, went to a store picked the associates brain for a half an hour, picked up and tried (as much as you can in a store) the different brands and models. I finally justified spending $700+ for a Canon 450xsi. This week was going to be the week. And what does Canon do to reward me for my future purchase? They announce a new version of the camera to be released "early May".

Would it be more beneficial to wait till "early May" for the Tsi (the extra $200 isn’t going to be an issue if it's worth it)? Or take the plunge and buy the Xsi (even though with the new release the XSi will probably drop in price in "early May")

Question is not so much "What should I do?" rather "What would you do?"

Video wouldn’t be a huge selling feature, I have a decent Vid cam, just not HD.

What Are These Tiny Lumps In My Neck?

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:00:43 -0800

I have two small lumps near where my neck meets the base of my skull. What are they? I recently noticed them. They are symmetrically located at a level just above my ear lobes, on both sides of my neck. Are they inflamed lymph nodes, or something else? I've just recently gotten over a sinus infection/cold.

How messy are vampires?

GoingToShopping — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:39:06 -0800

What happens when someone gets stabbed in one of the main neck arteries with objects of varying dimensions? So I'm a big fan of both the TV show Dexter, and also general horror movies and the like. I've been getting very conflicting information! Dexter stabs his victims in the neck with a syringe before doing his handywork. I've also seen in various video games and movies a special type of "syringe gun" used to instantly deliver medicine.
This conflicts somewhat with horror movie depictions of arterial wounds in that seemingly even the smallest cut will send gallons of the ol' kroovy spewing about the room.
Of course there are issues of size related to the hole, but I'd always been under the impression that the neck veins were special and different from the others. In addition, I've never actually SEEN someone outside of a fictional setting use the neck vein to deliver drugs.
Can't someone inform me?

How best to work with a rheumatologist to resolve severe neck/upper back pain that's lasted for over two months?

Nelsormensch — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:05:46 -0800

My fiancée has been experiencing severe upper back and neck pain for about the last two months. Our GP is finally going to refer her to a rheumatologist. How can we work best with the rheumatologist to diagnose and resolve this pain as quickly as possible? Way more details inside. This is a follow-up to this question that I asked at the beginning of Sept. Since then, the hand/arm pain has been replaced with much more severe neck pain and her shoulder/upper back pain has also increased in severity. The back and left side of her neck, in addition to her left shoulder, are tremendously painful. It's not the shoulder joint though, it's around/under the shoulder blade itself.

The pain isn't constant, but it does occur every day and usually increases in severity later in the day. She is unable to sit, stand, work at the computer, walk or almost anything else for more than an hour or two without the pain becoming severe to the point that she can no longer continue whatever she was doing.

My fiancée is 23, in reasonably good health and has no family history of disorders anything like this. Aside from the pain, she doesn't have any other neurological symptoms, leading our GP to say MS was unlikely. She had an x-ray to check for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which the GP also ruled out. The GP did comment on a large amount of tension and spasm in my fiancée's neck and trapezius.

At the original appointment, the GP suggested going to physiotherapy. My fiancée did so in the middle of September. The physiotherapist thought T4 Syndrome might be the cause and cracked her back to correct it. He also applied electric muscle stimulation to her back and neck to help relieve the tension.

Afterward, my fiancée's neck was quite sore and then soreness soon turned into pain. She had three more sessions with the physiotherapist, this time insisting upon the gentlest treatments possible, and each time she still ended up with more pain than she began with. After the fourth session, she opted not to go back and just see if things improved on their own.

For a little while, they did. In early October, she was starting to feel better. There was still pain, but it was more isolated and manageable. On the weekend of Oct 13-14, we took a short 3 hour road trip to visit from friends in Seattle and while we were there, her left shoulder and neck started to hurt again. Since then, things are almost as bad as they've ever been.

She met with our GP again yesterday and the GP ordered c-spine and t-spine x-rays. My fiancée will go back to the GP at the beginning of November and if there isn't something very obvious on the x-rays, she'll be referred to a rheumatologist.

It seems to be that if this was just muscle tension/soreness, it would have at least improved somewhat my now. But the pain is so severe that it's significantly impairing her ability to live normally. Anyone experience something similar? Any ideas on what this might be or how to present it, so we can make our time with the rheumatologist as effective as possible.

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to give as much information as possible. It's tremendously frustrating for us, as we don't even know what the cause of the problem is or why it doesn't seem to be getting any better over two months. My fiancée and I just want her to be pain free again. Thanks!

How to get even with my damages?

GrooveStix — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:36:26 -0800

I was rear ended in Michigan (a no-fault state) last week but I still wasn't guilty. Although I don't have collision coverage with my insurance, I have neck pains and my car has been totaled. What are my options here? My accident seems very simple. I stopped behind 3-4 cars that were waiting for the other lane to clear so they can turn left, but the second I stopped I got rear ended by a SUV!!! I don't understand how they didn't see me stop since I own a tiny sedan, the road was flat and this was during daylight so the 3-4 cars in front of my were definitely visible.

At first I honestly didn't feel the crash that badly, because my car didn't move much because I rear ended the car in front of me but I couldn't believe how much it was damaged when I got out. You can see one picture here.
One of the back doors also won't close, and now I posses a hole in my trunk which obviously also won't close. I did an estimation of the damage today and they tell me that the damage is well over $3400 and the value of the car itself, and it is then when I freaked out - I guess I didn't understand the scope of the damage here, but this is ridiculous. I still have neck pains, and this has happened a week ago.

The cherry on the top came from the insurance company (State Farm) of the person who rear ended me, and they are offering to pay me $500 with the mini-tort treatment to pay for my damages.

Is $500 all I can get? I am ready to fight on this one.

I sweat too much around my neck collar

Zeker — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:59:09 -0800

My neck sweats like crazy when I wear button up shirts with neckties. Is there a way to help with this? I have to wear button up shirts with neckties pretty often, and I live in a decent climate area (bay area, California) so it's not that hot.

I'm like 10 pounds overweight and not a sweaty person, but the neck area sweats like crazy and it feels very gross, and only when I wear formal clothing.

The days I wear formal attire come at about 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. The neck area is NOT too tight (I can usually slip my index finger through the side of my neck without much effort.)

I constantly have to throw away shirts because even after being washed the neck area feels glossy and looks dirty. I'll be sitting down and feel disgusted about turning my neck because it feels like it's pressing up against a moist ice pack.

I've also tried about 3 different kinds of shirts (I don't recall the names, but they're easily found in JC Penny).

Anyone else had this issue? Is there anything that can help?

I'm dizzy and I can't turn my head.

chez shoes — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:54:00 -0800

Low grade fever, intermittent sore throat, lots of dizziness, extremely stiff neck and upper back, and headache - what's happening to me and how can I make it better? First, I know you're not my doctor. I'm seeing her tomorrow morning and I've talked on the phone with her associate, who said it sounds like a virus and nothing to run to the ER with. But I've never experienced anything like this before and it's getting a little tiresome.

Woke up last Monday with the stiff neck and upper back. Thought I slept in a weird position, dismissed it, and went out of town on business. During the course of the week, the above symptoms developed. As soon as I got back in town, I spoke to my doctor's office partner, who told me to come in as soon as I can get an appointment, but don't bother rushing to the ER. I'm not too worried, since the fever hasn't gone over 99.8 or so, sore throat has almost entirely gone away. The neck stiffness and dizziness remain.

Have tried Advil, aspirin, and tylenol - headache finally went away, but there's been no change in the neck pain/stiffness. No idea what to do for the dizziness, outside of cutting back the caffeine (which I've done).

Do any of you medical folks have any suggestions as to what's going on, or what I can do to feel a little less icky between now and my doctor visit tomorrow morning? Thanks much.

oh go to hell, Nora Ephron

Countess Elena — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:43:50 -0800

I recently realized that the creases in my neck do not, in fact, go away when I hold my neck straight for a while. They are here to stay. Is there a non-surgical cure for this? I have not had fat rolls on my neck that would cause this. It's just that, like a lot of office types, I do all my work bending my neck and squinting at something. I'm not even 30! I mean to fight this.

Currently I am dieting and rubbing a glycolic acid throat gel on my neck 1-2 times a day. At Sephora, I have seen incredibly expensive creams that claim to be surgical alternatives and to erase neck lines. For $70 to $150 a jar, they better. I would even pay that, if I didn't have to do it more than once, and if I could be sure that it would work.

I can't find links that inform me what the deal is without also trying to sell me something. (Or counseling despair.) Will cosmetic routines work? Will they work without requiring constant indefinite maintenance?

Help my neck.

distrakted — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:11:32 -0800

I sit at a computer all day and then like to play/compose at the piano in the evening. I've always had slight discomfort "sitting up strait" due to forward head posture, but I've been able to minimize the discomfort with frequent breaks, stretching and such. Recently the pain has increased. I've read up on posture and have started Alexander Technique lessons, but when I try to sit up strait as in all the ergonomic diagrams and as directed in lesson, the base of my neck and the area between my shoulder blades aches MORE. Shouldn't correct posture minimize this? Any advice, exercises, or techniques to get my body on board with the new posture? Other relevant info:
- I believe my work area is set up correctly and so is my piano bench height.
- I'm 6'3
- I'm mildly active (some yoga and walking)

Why am I so twitchy?

pipti — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:54:09 -0800

Why am I so twitchy? It started with a neck tic, and now I twitch all over. But. The doctor can't see it. I don't think anyone can see it. It's really annoying. About six weeks ago, my neck started ticcing. It feels like the sort of tic that someone with a stammer has--a little jerk. I can feel it, but it's not visible. And then other little twitches started all over my body--hands, legs, back. Like I'll just be sitting still and my quad will jump. I feel it most when I'm falling asleep and waking up. Again. Not visible to anyone else. I saw a neurologist (mostly, I saw his PA); he did an EEG and an EMG, both normal. He prescribed Klonopin. It's not bothersome in a physical sense, but it is bothersome in that it triggers all sorts of fears of dread diseases. Has this happened to anyone? Please tell me some people are just twitchy. FWIW, I'm 34, female, in good health, take a multivitamin, exercise, and eat right.

Neck / spine cooler?

querty — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:22:25 -0800

Saw this upcoming new product on TV late at night one time . . . . . . I think it was on one of those half-hour geek product shows. It was being marketed as a lightweight electric neck cooler thing that wraps around your neck. It looked something like this, but thinner and has a long bottom part that touches and cools your spine; so it looked more like a 'T' shape with the top part of the 'T' wrapping halfway around your neck.

I think the product has an actual name, does anybody know what it's called? If so and if it's available, where would one get a hold of this? And does it actually work?

My neck is retreating into my chest!

(bb|[^b]{2}) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:34:45 -0800

I'm 28 years old, thin, and my jawline is slowly disappearing into my neck. Please help me reverse this trend before I end up looking like George Lucas. Over the last year, I've begun developing extra padding on my neck between the bottom of my chin and the top of my adam's apple. When I look straight down, or open my mouth really wide, it makes a distinct double chin, and I'm afraid if the skin continues to loosen, it will eventually result in me having no discernible jawline.

The weird part is I'm really thin (six foot, ~165 pounds), so I don't think this is a weight gain problem. Is there something I can do to stop this? Maybe some sort of chin/neck tightening exercise or something?

PS - Upon further investigation, it appears that Tom Hanks suffers from the same neck droopiness I'm experiencing.

How can I alleviate a tight neck and back area?

k7lim — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:05:27 -0800

The left side of my upper back and neck are consistently crick-y, cracky and tight. Once in a while it's painful, but at all hours of the day, I can stretch the muscles and bones in the area and get some clicky sounds. Can you recommend ways that I can alleviate this? I've had massages, and slept on a memory foam pillow, but to no avail. I stretch this area on one of those lower back dealies, which let me hang down, but to no avail.

I was in an ATV accident when I was younger, and I also used to keep my oversized wallet in my left butt pocket, both of which may've contributed to this weird crickiness.

Make my chair back four or five inches taller?

Clay201 — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:42:16 -0800

Is it possible to add an extension to a chair back to make it four or five inches taller? I have cervical dystonia, which means that a muscle or muscles in my neck contract continuously, pulling my head forward and to the right. I'm receiving medical treatment, but it'll probably be at least a few more months before we make a lot of progress on that front.

In the meantime, I've found a simple apparatus that helps quite a bit. It consists of an elastic headband connected to a nylon strap. The strap wraps around the back of my desk chair and the headband attaches to the strap. This rig holds my head up so that I don't have to, giving the muscles in the back of my neck some much needed rest. I've significantly reduced the frequency of my headaches.

The problem is that the chair in question isn't really tall enough. The seat back, at 28 inches, doesn't come all the way up to the top of my head. Consequently, the strap sits at about shoulder height and I have to slump down in my seat to use it. This is pretty rough on my lower back, an area where I've already had plenty of problems.

I need a seatback that's 32 to 34 inches in height. However, few office chairs can match this spec. I've found some with 30 or 31 inch backs, but they're obscenely expensive (300 to 1500 bucks.) The aforelinked web page does sell a sort of portable seat-back that straps to your chair, providing extra height. However, it's only about 30 inches tall. If all else fails, I'll try it and hope it does the job. But if it doesn't, I'm going to end up paying about forty bucks in shipping just to try it and then return it.

(Note: If you're googling up office chairs and checking the specs to see whether I'm high on crack, keep in mind that "back height," which we're discussing here, is different than "seat height" or "overall height." Sometimes, "back height" isn't listed and you have to subtract the seat height from the overall height to yield an approximation.)

I found an old wing-back living room chair that's tall enough but can't get it into my bedroom. And even if I could, I'm not sure about the feasibility of using something like that as a desk chair. I've googled for ergonomic chairs, wheelchair accessories, back support doodads, and everything else I thought might possibly help. A few items were interesting, but none took home the cupie doll.

However, I'm hoping there's another solution. I'm hoping I can make my own seat-back extension. It turns out the back on my current chair (a standard issue desk chair bought at Office Depot on sale for about 50 bucks) is made of a curved sheet of plywood with a little bit of cushioning and a fabric cover. Remember, the idea here is to add a net of about 4 or 5 inches in height. So suppose I got another piece of plywood about 18 inches long, positioned it about 13 inches below the top of the chair (allowing it to stick up about 5 inches), and then nailed it in place? I'd need to add some padding, of course, and it would look ugly as home made sin, but I think it would serve my purpose, provided it could take the strain I'd put on it.

From an engineering/carpentry standpoint, is this just a ridiculous idea? If the plywood-n-nails approach wouldn't work, is there anything else that would? We're talking about adding four or five inches. It just seems to me that there ought to be a way to do this. (I have someone who can help me with the physical labor). Just keep in mind that this hypothetical extension is going to be supporting the weight of my head, so it would have to be sturdy.

All suggestions are welcome, but I ask that if you're going to post to say that I should just get the portable seat back mentioned above, just save your keystrokes. If the modification attempt falls through, that'll be my plan B.

Thanks for reading.

Facial exercises

MaryDellamorte — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:47:40 -0800

Do facial exercises really work? My friends call me crazy, but I'm self-conscious about my jawline and neck. I'm by no means overweight, but I can't help but hate my facial profile. Plastic surgery is, of course, out of the question, so I was wondering if facial exercises actually work to tighten up the face and neck. Has anyone tried these? What are the best techniques?

Background: I'm 27 and wear a size 3 in jeans. I've struggled for most of my life with Body Dysmorphic Disorder and eating disorders so maybe this is just something I am over-thinking in my mind.

Am I the only one with these strange body quirks?

jasminerain — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:14:25 -0800

I'd had two quirks for as long as I can remember: my neck is extremely sensitive to touch, and I get an aching pain in my joints (knees, wrist, finger joints) when it's cold/damp. Does anyone else get the same thing? My neck is sensitive to things touching it on/near the throat. I can touch the area myself, but it bothers me a lot when someone else tries to touch it. For example, I can only wear a turtleneck for about 20 seconds before having to tear it off. Tight-collared shirts bother me quite a bit, and having a necklace with a short chain start to bother me. It feels kind of uncomfortable at first, but it gradually builds to the point where I have to take whatever it is off (with a turtleneck, it feels like I'm being strangled slowly). I've been like this as long as I can remember.

(I know there's been a similar question about a sensitive neck before, but in my case, it didn't appear suddenly, so it's probably not caused by a change in my health or life.)

The other quirk is that my joints will ache once in a while, but more often when it's raining or cold. It usually goes away if I cover the area with a blanket. I talked to a doctor about this when I was about 16, and she ran a blood test that came up negative for everything (including arthritis).

I'm 22 and female. I'm not really worried about health since they've been around so long, but I'm rather curious about why it happens, and whether it happens to anyone else.

Thanks!

Altas pain?

Big_B — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:12:18 -0800

Is my "Atlas" really out of whack? Have you heard or experienced NUCCA upper cerivical realignment? I got a massage the other day, and I was talking to my masseuse about the wierd lightheadedness problem I have that won't go away and she suggested that my "Atlas" may be out of whack and to see her upper cervical guy. I have heard a few horror stories about chiropracters, and this guy is not on my list of providers so I am a little leery of going. That said my neck/upper back has been hurting all week and I still somewhat have the lightheaded thing going on, and headaches too.

Does anyone have any experience with the Atlas and/or upper cervical realignment (NUCCA)? Also I am curious as to costs involved, although if someone could make me feel normal again I would gladly devote a portion of my paycheck to them!

I read some of the other chiro threads, and the general consensus seems to go either way on the quakery aspect.