Hey 'ThePhysicalTherapist'....

[Big Barry]

My neck is killing me. I feel like I just got home from an 'Iron Maiden' concert. I'm always bench pressing, it's like i'm addicted and my neck is starting to affect my poundages. PLUS my heavy shrugs needed a name change.

I'm scared of chiropractors so all I do is perform the 'Cobra' stretch and maybe the odd 'Wrestlers Bridge' to alleviate the pain. I wondered if you had any advice or additional exercises which may be of use to me.

I can use my wife to help if I need manipulated.


Thanks in advance.


Yours in agony.


BBB.

[TPT]

describe what you mean by "killing" you.

what are your symtoms?

[Big Barry]

Symptoms, stiffness, pain in lower part where neck meets traps. Not sharp but now and again when I go real heavy I feel like i've irritated a disc and can't turn my hed for a couple of days. Maybe I need a few weeks off and a good massage. How do I know if something is misaligned or something, is there any home DIY techniques I can incorporate??

Don't say "stick a finger up your ass", my wife says my prostate felt healthy, lol.

Seriously, sometimes when I play Death Metal or Thrash I just tap my feet. I feel like if I headbanged I would end up in casualty.

[TPT]

stiffness as youre describing might indicate that you have general tightness to your upper traps, levator scap or scalene.

not having sharp pain is a good thing to move towards ruling out impingement of nerve root or herniation of a disc.

your "irritation" is concerning. Can you descibe how it feels that you cant turn your head? We do compensate with lots of cervical/neck and scapulae muscles during heavy presses.

do any movements exacerbate your symptoms besides pressing such as looking up or down at end ranges?

any movements or activities to alleviate the "pain?"

generally, we can have strong assumptions on the alignment of our spines by our postures. when you sit or stand do you have a posture of foward head or rounded shoulder? a physical exam with palpation and of course radiographs can discriminate the exact levels of spinal malalignment

[Big Barry]

fell over drunk a couple of years ago and twisted my neck, it was a sharp pain and I couldn't turn my head for a couple of weeks. Then a few months later it seemed to go again during bench press so I went to a physio and he put me in traction, I thought he was trying to hang me from the roof so I never went back. He gave me a few exercises to do. He said I had bad posture too, I am 5'10 but he said I was 5'11 when I straightened up properly. Cobra stretch alleviates pain a good bit but I am wary of stretching my neck to the sides as it feels fragile in that I feel I am agitating the disk a little. Maybe i've been wary of it too long and i've lost the range of motion in it. I haven't hurt it to the extent that I can't turn my head for 3 or 4 months now but when you are dwell on a part of your body you tend to get paranoid about it.

I was a 'Big Headbanger' in the eighties without a problem, maybe i've got accumulative mosh syndrome, LOL.

[TPT]

i see. so this is a chronic issue with probable initial traumatic eitology.

though i havent physically examined you, i suspect more than tightness of your neck, shoulder, and chest muscles. since this has been an issue for some time i suspect other problems.

when our spine does not go through its normal ranges for long periods of time it becomes restricted itself. each vertabrae can become relatively hypomobile. so the joints themselves are immobile as the muscles surrounding it are.

you dont report neural symptoms such as sharp pain or shooting pain thus, a disc issue is not indicated per se. you have not reported numbness or tingling as well.

however, when patients report of apprehension or fear of agitating joints i suspect some instabilitiy of a joint. i.e., hyperrmobile verterbrae or joints. certainly traumatic events can cause this though not all the time.

my suggestions: see an orthopaedist or physical therapist so that you can recieve a much more accurate assessment and intervention, start a stretching program for all your tight muscles, and start a exercise program for your weak muscles.

without physically testing you i suspect some of your tight muscles are upper traps, levator scap, scalenes, pec minor, pec major. you can assess these yourself or with someone.

many of us with horrid postures have weak and overstretched muscles. for those with a posture of forward head and rounded shoulder you should practice sitting or standing with the most beautiful posture. e.g., chin tucked, shoulders back (scapulae retracted), abs contracted, neutral spine, etc. check yourself out in mirrors to make sure your posture is correct. you will be able to tell what muscles are overstretched and weak with the sites of muscle discomfort. most people have to train for muscular endurance because they cant hold the specific posture or movement of the joints.

[Big Barry]

This was a great answer, you really know your stuff. I've 'cut and paste' it and will do what you suggest.

Posture, stretching and strengthening exercises and i'll try to recover my range of motion too.

If all that doesn't work i'll take the orthopaedist / physical therapist route.


The check's in the mail, cheers!!

[Steve_Colescott]

fell over drunk a couple of years ago and twisted my neck, it was a sharp pain and I couldn't turn my head for a couple of weeks.

This would not be an issue if you had just not sobered up.

[Big Barry]

This would not be an issue if you had just not sobered up.

LOL, I wish i'd realized that at the time, I was pretty naive there. These days the thought of 'sobering up' haunts me like a hungover zombie.