I feel you on that - I'm a smoker. But quitting is definitely the best - and maybe the only - option. The behavioral therapist combined with the nerve injection seems to me like the best of the treatment options you've tried. But you're not gonna be able to quit when you're still trying to find an easy fix like you are right now. Honestly, you should abandon hope of feeling better while still popping your neck...that's the only way you can force yourself to move on. So as not to be all doom and gloom, I'd like to offer a suggestion that might help you quit popping your neck: Wear a neck brace. It'll help support your neck muscles while you recover, and at the same time prevent you from being able to pop your neck without realizing you're doing it. Wear it for however long it takes - just tell people you were in a car wreck and you'll even get sympathy points out of it.
Dallas, you raise some good points. A year ago when I was going to school in Huntsville... I thought about a neck brace for that very reason. My physical therapist at the time didn't think much of the idea (in terms of it helping), so I abandoned that train of thought. Next payday, I'll start setting aside some money and do some research on a durable one. Getting one that doesn't suck and supports the neck muscles well could be a very good thing. Thanks for the advice. Sounds good. I'll do some research on him. Just as long as he isn't related to Barry on 610. Have you or any friends been to him?
You need to check other areas of your body....the urge to pop is likely your body's way of looking for relief from a tight muscle(s)...however, that may just be a shortcut it's taking and therefore it doesnt solve anything. Go to an experienced physical therapist and check out your joint movements, especially hip and shoulder. Note any misalignments and/or movement dysfunctions and address that. Good chance it'll straighten things out in your neck, pun intended. A simplistic way of looking at the relationship between your hips/shoulders, spine/neck is like looking at a steering wheel, steering column, and the tires. turning the wheel sends down a movement that eventually turns the wheels....technically it works the same from the other end other also. Force the wheel to turn and it'll turn the column and wheel. If you try and turn the steering wheel the opposite way, while the wheels are fixed to their position, something has to give. In theory, the column should twist and eventually break (crack). Same with the body, but there's obviously muscles and ligaments that kick in to help avoid breaking.
Try seeing a good chiropractor, one with loads of experience, who preferably has a track record with people you know and trust. While I don't know one in Houston (I've lived in Austin for over 30 years now), there's one in Austin, suggested to me by an MD about 15 years ago, who's excellent. They can be all over the map as far as how good they are, so getting a top notch practitioner is paramount. I saw some suggestions here I agree with. Strengthen your upper body, not just your neck and shoulders. In fact, strengthen the whole damn thing. It's all connected. Your core muscles impact everything. Break the neck popping habit. See a shrink if you can't manage it any other way. The neck brace, I thought, was a good idea. You seem to be doing this to yourself, if MRI's and the like haven't shown anything. Assault your bad habit and the affected area like D-Day. Otherwise, you could end up with a serious and permanent problem. Good luck!
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Listing another legit chiropractor. He is a professor at the Texas Chiropractic College here on top of having his own practice. He's treated me with numerous neck and back injuries. He's also treated my plantar fasciitis along with other scar tissue injuries. Guy just knows what he's doing and couldn't be nicer. If you don't have insurance, he will also work with you. Dr. Jeffrey Weiss at Meyerland Chiropractic 713-666-5500
Go see a good chiropractor and do the neck strengthening exercises they recommend. My chiropractor has saved me from my neck and back pain and I only go in when I need to.
If you go when you need to, then he really hasn't saved you, other than maybe consistent pain, which i suppose is something, but you should be looking to solve the issue, so that you don't depend on him. I wouldn't pick on him about this. Sure, it seems like something he should be able to control, but usually there's a discomfort one is feeling and popping the joint feels like a remedy at the time. His neck could be rotated incorrectly, so the urge to pop, or rotate it the other way, could be the body's way of trying to fix itself. It's sort of like an itch.
Feldenkrais might be a good fit for you. It's more a mental that physical practice. It teaches awareness and functional movement. If you pay attention to your body, you can start to reassign your stress response. You might also try yoga class. You need to re-wire your brain, to un-learn the old habit. You need to learn new habits. You might also ask your CBT to recommend a hypnotist. Sometimes a good session in trance can help reassign a habit - much like in stop smoking, insomnia, phobia or weight-loss treatment. Best wishes.
Yeah, I don't doubt that it's more than just my neck/upper back that's out of balance. Being a computer science major, I unfortunately spend long hours at my desk and peering into a computer screen. I try and take breaks, but sometimes I've got so much to do with school that I don't take them at a reasonable rate. Thanks for the advice. I'll take the chiropractor idea into consideration as well. Right now I'm gonna see how far this Feldenkrais Method gets me and see if I can't do that plus maybe a little yoga to re-wire some of my brain in the right direction.
I used to do Yoga (when I didn't have neck pain actually) and went away from it when my teacher moved up to Austin and then I started playing Tennis on Sunday's, so I just didn't go anymore. I likely need to give Yoga a try once business picks up a little more in addition to this Feldenkrais deal I'm about to start this Wednesday. Really appreciate the suggestions from everyone so far. A few expected replies, but overall very helpful. When your life seems like it's in the ****ter and your condition isn't improving at all, it's nice to know there's still options/hope out there.
Ultrasound + A scraping technique along the bottom of the foot(google Graston technique) to rid the fascia of an extreme amount of scar tissue buildup. He also fitted me for a soft insert in my shoes. I was a gymnast, martial artist, weight lifter so I had some scar tissue issues in my forearms and hamstrings as well. It took about 6-8 sessions to where I was comfortable on my feet again. I had gotten to the point to where I was just dragging my foot around the gym. 10 months later, I'm back doing gymnastics with no foot issues. The other treatments have also yielded amazing results, especially in my hamstrings.
