neck problem

[Pekka]

mods, feel free to lock one of my threads if this is my 3rd today, I'm not sure.

What happened is I was riding motorcycle with my friend and I basically darwinized myself, as I was putting the helmet on I kind of screwed up my neck. I put it on, slammed on my head once it was on like a real trooper and *CRUNCH* my neck made little sound and it hurt. I snapped my own neck a little, and before that my back and shoulders and neck were tight, you know when you should really just go and get massage tight, sitting good part of the day in front of computers and stuff. So my neck crunched a little and I got this little stinging pain immidiately. I thought it woudl go away in 10 minutes and I tried to stretch my neck a little by twisting my head. It really hurts and at first I couldn't even lift my head up (facing sky) without helping with my hands, or to the sides.

The pain is in my lower neck/upper back. It's on a small region, stinging kind of pain. As if I had slept in bad position for 10 hours and then getting up and twisting my head.

if I keep my head still, it doesn't feel at all. If I roll my shoulders, there's this little crunch/snap coming from that region with every roll. Maybe that would happen anyway not sure. After that my neck feels little better for about 5 seconds but it jams again.

Putting my chin to the chest isn't so bad but putting my head back is kind of bad, and to sides it's bad, it's tight and painful and it doesn't go away with stretching. To the sides I can turn my head about 45 degrees and then it stops and I have to kind of use little force to turn my head more and it hurts.

My question is, can you really hurt yourself like that, or am I just experiencing a little problem that should go away by tomorrow or so? And NO I don't have the ability to go to ER, because the only open place is far away now (it's night) and I don't have money for cab and they sure as hell wont' get me an ambulance for this kind of problem.

[Theben]

It'll probably go away, but with neck injuries you shouldn't fool around.

If you don't go see a doctor then my advice is to lie down on a flat surface without a pillow for awhile. Try not to move your head, take some anti-inflammatory medicine, and get some rest. If it hasn't gone away in a few hours then dont panic but do see a doctor.

Most liekly what you did was irritate some cartilage between your vertebrae. Not a problem now but will come back to haunt you in your golden years.

[Whaleboy]

Try sneezing. If you live, well...

[Pekka]

Yeah.. it's not like I'm expecting a big injury, I mean it felt nasty, but when I sit straight up, I won't feel it. I do feel when when I turn my head and it feels quite bad, but then again it feels just like when you have slept in bad position, but this one hasn't gone away, and does feel quite painful. I have pretty good tolerance for pain, and this is not feeling too good when I use my neck.

Of course if this lasts for few days then I have to go to the ER and have then sent me to somewhere where they take a look at it, but as for now, it's impossible for me to go to one, and I think I'm not dying so it's not like I feel calling the ambulance. But in theory, you can't snap your own neck, and if you would, you wouldn't live long, right? This does hurt, bad. Except if being still.

[Pekka]

and it most be noted, that my muscles were definitely NOT relaxed. They were tight. Like one big back muscle all the way to the neck. Then the sudden movement made my neck go *crunch*.

[Whaleboy]

You live in Scandinavia where there are hoardes of 6' blondes with fingers of iron aching to bury themselves in your rhomboids.

[Pekka]

I don't know where they are. To be quite frank, this doesn't feel like I'd like someone to massage my neck right now.

Theben, I tried laying on my back on the floor (hard) for few minutes. It didn't hurt, but after a while I felt little pressure in the spot where it hurts. Nothing dramatic, but little pressure. Turning my head side to side while on the floor was little easier and I could go a little further without pain, but just a little.

The region is in.. you know between the lower neck and upper back where the spine has a small but noticable angle... in that region. Not exactly in that spot but around that spot.

[Pekka]

ok it's been 4 hours since I hurt it and it's slowly starting to feel A LITTLE better. it still hurts, but I can maneuver a little more. At the same time it feels a bit more weird though.. difficult to explain. it just feels a bit weird. Also I had some 'radiation' , like flashes of heat in my left side of my back, but they went away already, it didn't hurt either but there was some radiating waves of heat for a moment.

I think it's getting better though.

What a trip.. hwo the hell can you injure yourself like this... it was kind of scary for a moment though.. neck problems I guess are like that. For a moment I was thinking 'oh **** did I snap my neck?', because it was pain all over, bad pain, adn the noise it made was nasty.

My friend was driving, and he drove freaking 190km/h and it wasn't even highway even though it was a straight long road. Almost crapped my pants because I was holding my hands in the back, not around him while he started speeding.. bastard thing to do and NOT funny

[Zkribbler]

Here's some options:

1) Find a good chiropractor. Good luck. I'm a great believer in chiropratic, but the problem is there are so many bad chiropractors out there.

2) Take a really hot bath. Let your head float and, from time to time, move your head gently. The idea is to loosen the muscle and then gently move the bones, hoping they'll move back into place.

3) Lay on the floor. Have a friend sit facing the top of your head. His/her finger go to the back of your head and his/her thumbs along your jawline. Then he/she gently but firmly pulls you across the floor. NO JERKING!

[Pekka]

Just woke up. I don't know if I'm any better or not. My movement is slightly better, but when I hit my limits, it hurts more. Even deep yawning makes it hurt, not my neck but the pain area between lower neck and upper back. Nasty. It was difficult to sleep too.

[Lancer]

Get roaring drunk. You won't notice it while you're drunk and when you sober up your head will hurt so much you won't feel your neck.

[Saras]

Lancer

[Tattila the Hun]

Stumbling around drunk, hitting things might make it better. Maybe not.

I hear chicken soup helps for... something.

[LDiCesare]

I am not a specialist, but since I play in the front row at rugby, I am a bit familiar with neck problems. First of all, it's probably not a critical problem if you manage to move your head, even if only sideways.
After my first matches in a scrum, it could take 2 or 3 days for the stiffness of the neck to disappear. One point is you don't realise how many muscles you actually have in the back at the base of the neck until they start aching. You probably will be okay after 3 days, and there's little except a massage that can help you in the meantime.

[Dr Strangelove]

You should go to the local emergency room and have yourself intubated lest you stop breathing at home far from trained assistance.