Pinched nerve/muscle spasms

[Ciao, Bella!]

Thanx to the bulging discs in my neck, I've a pinched nerve in my left shoulder. For the last two days, I've had major muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders. It's a struggle to lie down in bed, and darn near impossible to get up. I hate to sleep on my back, but it's the most comfortable position right now.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst, I'm sitting at 7.5, maybe 8.

I'm calling for an appointment first thing tomorrow morning. I've done PT, for over a year, and I hate taking meds all the time.

I'm going to explore other venues, including surgery. I've got to do something here.

[SuzyB]

Originally Posted by Ciao, Bella!

Thanx to the bulging discs in my neck, I've a pinched nerve in my left shoulder. For the last two days, I've had major muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders. It's a struggle to lie down in bed, and darn near impossible to get up. I hate to sleep on my back, but it's the most comfortable position right now.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst, I'm sitting at 7.5, maybe 8.

I'm calling for an appointment first thing tomorrow morning. I've done PT, for over a year, and I hate taking meds all the time.

I'm going to explore other venues, including surgery. I've got to do something here.

I dont mean to sound a misery, but surgery can often cause problems. I have had a discetomy and have been left with many more problems with scar tissue as a result from surgery.

[koan]

We've got a new member over in the chiropractic vs. massage therapy thread who seems to know all about this stuff. Check Todays' Posts page. It's there somewhere.

The link:
Massage therapy vs. Chiropractic

[Patsy Warnick]

Ciao
From experience - I'm asking - have you tried support under your neck?
Roll a towel or small pillow and support the arch of your neck. Lay flat on your back, support your neck, close your eyes & try to relax.
I've had my own problems - I've also worked for Chiro & Physical Therapy etc..

Have you had traction? Have you been to a Chiro?
I would certainly try back massages. I would make surgery the last option, its not always the solution, Depends on the chronic pain and what your able to tolerate.

Take care - I can totally understand all the medication BS that goes along with this pain & discomfort.

I found a pain reliever called ARTIC SPRAY - its wonderful. Pump bottle at all Walgreens & Osco Drug Stores. I spray that on my back - it numbs the pain so I can walk. Cost @ 17.00 a bottle and well worth it - I've tried everything on the market - this works..

Patsy

Almostfamous

Is it a Activator? Its like a clicker type hand held adjustment, so your not twisted in different positions for a adjustment?

[Ciao, Bella!]

Well, I figured out half my problem is my pillow. I've ordered a new one, and it's on the way.

I did traction, both over the door, (which I didn't like, as I've a closed bite, and it aggravated it), and the mechanical type. Massage helped, but it was done while I was seated, not prone, which I think may have helped even more. I've done stretching exercises, and I still do those at home, (I brace my hands shoulder height in a doorway, and lean through it. Helps loosen the chest muscles, and I sing better!), and heat and cold.

I also drop things, way too often to be an accident. A neurologist already ruled out MS for me, but as he does pain management, I'm going to ask to go back to him. I am interested in the nerve block, and want to explore that avenue. Basically, I go to PT 3x weekly, at $12 a pop (co-pay.), and it adds up. 3 x 12 = 36 x 52 = $922 annually. And, we can't claim it on taxes, according to the taxman. I'll try that spray, if I can find it here.

Also, all this may be causing me to have symptoms of Menniere's Disease. I go Friday the final test on that, to determine if I do or not. The drop attacks associated with that are murder!

[alobar51]

Originally Posted by Ciao, Bella!

Thanx to the bulging discs in my neck, I've a pinched nerve in my left shoulder. For the last two days, I've had major muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders. It's a struggle to lie down in bed, and darn near impossible to get up. I hate to sleep on my back, but it's the most comfortable position right now.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst, I'm sitting at 7.5, maybe 8.

I'm calling for an appointment first thing tomorrow morning. I've done PT, for over a year, and I hate taking meds all the time.

I'm going to explore other venues, including surgery. I've got to do something here.

There are two, primary components to a workable solution for a problem like this, the structural and the biochemical, and numerous subdivisions within those.

As a nutritionist, I deal with the biochemical. I work with a chiropractor who addresses the structural. To experience real progress with an injury this serious, one usually needs to first understand the components of the problem.

There are many foods which cause inflamation, and some that reduce it, and they vary from person to person based on any number of metabolic anomolies. There is no "one size fits all" diet.

When I get clients with injuries like this, the first order of business is to identify which foods are inflammatory and eliminate them, then introduce those which are anti-inflammatory.

This takes place in conjunction with chiropractic care, massage therapy, and often with something called reconstructive therapy, a practice in which nutrients are introduced to the soft tissue in the joints that allow the body to regrow cartilage. It's non-invasive and boasts about an 80% success rate.

My point is that this will have a multi-faceted solution, but I can tell you from experience that every time I've found that what people are eating is exacerbating the problem, and adjustments to this has always helped.

[Ciao, Bella!]

Can you give me a basic list of foods? We do try to eat healthy, such as plenty of chicken, pork, not much red meat, (due to cost only, though), pastas, and green vegetables. We grow our own salad greens, and make salsas from home-grown tomatoes and peppers, as well as can some other vegetables. I also make pasta sauce from scratch. Rice, potatoes, and couscous are rotated regularly, and omitted three nights a week.

We don't eat much fish, as DH is sensitive to mercury, and I simply cannot abide the taste of most of it.

I only bake during holidays, and then not that much. I've cut most soda out of my diet, and drink perhaps two or three a week. The rest of the time, I drink water. Low sodium is a must, and we avoid margarine and oleo like the plague! Olive oil is the only oil in the house, and has been for decades now. We don't fry much at all, as I don't like to clean up afterward, and have a rotisserie which gets used on a regular basis.

Is there anything else we can do with our diet?