This is getting ridiculous. All I want is relief and a normal neck/upper back again . Prepare for a long story and a heartfelt thanks in advance for reading it all. Roughly last summer, I started popping my neck as a nervous habit/tic. It started out with a pretty casual rate of popping and then became hundreds of times a day for like a year or so. It's slowed down to maybe 100 times or so a day (as stress and tension mount with school, life, etc), but the short of it is my neck muscles are so tense/overtaxed ALL THE TIME that it's affecting everything I do. It's not so much pain, but a really deep/constant ache and strained feeling around my lower neck (and naturally affecting my upper back). I don't know what to do at this point, there's so much more I could type out... but suffice to say it's ruining my life and it'll take me 50 years to finish college at this rate (that I'm dropping classes and struggling in others because of the pain/aches). I got some nerve blocking shots in my neck as a short-term fix while I worked with a cognitive behavioral therapist to change the way I react to stress (which is popping my neck these days). This was over the course of 3-4 weeks about 3 months ago and that's helped most of the pain part of the equation it, but now it's just my muscles having no longevity or durability whatsoever around the neck area. Lately I've been going on 30-40 minute walks in the mornings and even a simple activity like that is causing me to feel really sore/tender/achy for the rest of the day. It's a walk for Christ sakes, I'm not running a god damn marathon. I've bought a neck-traction (over the door edition) device, acupressure neck pillow and mat, as well as a shiatsu neck massager and none of it helps for very long. The biggest thing would be if I could stop popping my neck as a reaction to stress, then maybe the muscles would heal up and not be overstretched. Yet, when I stop popping it for a few hours, there's no reward/benefit from stopping. My neck continues to hurt and so I just go back to popping it again thinking well **** it, it's not doing me any good to stop popping my neck. I'm not sure what I'm looking for as a result of starting this thread. Perhaps a really good doctor or some sort of therapy/medical center where they have every conceivable machine and technological innovation to help treat and diagnose what's going on in my neck/upper back as a result of a year + worth of neck popping. I'm 25 and I hate this. have not tried: - chiropractor - "pain management" doctor (see: drug dealer with a prescription pad) - an ax to the neck - dropping out of college altogether and becoming a vegetable. tried: - acupressure neck pillow, body mat - neckpro traction device (over the door) - lots of anti-inflammatory drugs - nerve-blocking shots - physical therapy (like a year ago... for 2 months... didn't help much at the time) Anyone that has suffered with neck pain or is currently suffering, if you have any advice or know someone/something that's really helping you right now, please let me know what it is. I don't know what else to do. This is ruining my life
get an mri scan, not a ct scan. I was popping my lower back for a week and started having pains from it. Dont pop anything people!
ahh, yeah I forgot to mention I've done those too. tried: - cervical spine MRI (including neck) - cervical spine x-ray (including neck) both came back fine. unfortunately. going to also try this deal called the Feldenkrais Method later next week and take a few individual classes. it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but I'm willing to try a lot of "fluff" sounding stuff at this point to fix this problem.
I have upper back pain but it hurts because of fatigue. I have done nothing about it, I don't know why. I'm 22
yes! this is what I'm talking about too. muscle fatigue/being in a state of constant contraction sucks
Have you tried to go longer than a couple of hours without popping your neck? I'm not a doctor, but my understanding is that if you're continuously cracking your neck it means the joints are hypermobile and the muscles in your neck are tightening up for stability. If you haven't already, try going a couple weeks without cracking your neck and see what happens.
If you know why you are in pain, yet continue the behavior that causes the pain, and there is no physiological reason for the pain, you may need to speak with a psychologist.
I feel your pain. Neck/shoulder/upper back pain is something I've dealt with since I was a kid. Here's what helps me: -Working out with weights. Upper body, especially: shoulders, chest, lats. -A good mattress (tempurpedic) -Proper keyboard, mouse position and proper chair height. (google it) -Proper posture. -A good diet, no junk food, sodas or alcohol. Although I don't go any more, chiropractors DO work. Ask around and find a good one via word-of-mouth.
I think you should see a pyschologist.....100 times a day is abnormal. A friend of mine broke his neck popping it so often. DD
damn. 100 times a day? I just pop mine every mourning then I forget about though the day and maybe pop it one more time at night. But reading about your pains will prob make me stop.
My mom has neck and upper back pain and I bought her one of those stupid Phiten titanium necklaces that the athletes are wearign these days. I figured it's a 30-40 dollar placebo. Bang -- no back or neck pain for 4 months. I don't know if its anything more than a placebo, but try it. Why the hell not. (I have lower back pain and it seems to be less problematic in the 8 months I've had my phiten necklace.) I think it's a placebo, but folks in asia have used metallic necklaces and bracelets for centuries to improve circulation and all that crap.
Yeah, that Phiten stuff is iffy. I appreciate the sentiment, but I spend enough money on "meh" products that never work as is. I don't know how much a Phiten necklace would do me much good, lol.
For those of the bootstrap variety: It's not as simple as just "hey man, just stop popping it. totally simple dude". On one hand of course it is as simple, but it's like an addiction that you can't quit easily. I am also seeing a psychologist for it as well (hence the cognitive behavioral therapist). It's been my go to response for stress for over a year and a half, it's not that easy to stop popping my neck cold turkey. Physically too, your body gets used to the popping and frequency of popping and gets pissed when you don't do it. All I'm saying is, it's harder than just the will yourself to victory sort of mentality that some of you have suggested. Call me weak or whatever I guess, but that's what I've got on that front. For the chiropractor suggestions: Who do you guys recommend? There are a lot of quacks out there that just want to do nothing but pop joints and keep you coming back each week. Thanks a lot
My understanding was popping knuckles was just releasing air pockets and it was not harmful to one's health. Is the neck different? My guess is it is the act of twisting your neck to an extreme that could be harmful as opposed to the actual 'popping' itself. As for the OP; maybe try acupuncture? I have never tried it, but it might be worth looking into.
My neighbor had neck problems a while back. She went to see one of those alternative healer guys and they said to cut back on her cheese consumption or anything similar to that (so dairy?). No idea if this is relevant, probably not. But it worked. Could it be arthritis?
