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ann · 02-25-2008, 11:59 AM

HI there - thought I'd post this here and see if anyone has any suggestions for me. (background - I'm a 50-yr old female, have been doing weight training for several years, as well as running/cycling/walking/yoga) I have been having problems with my neck off and on for about 10 years - over the years have had chiro treatments and physio. sometimes I go quite a while without pain, then when I get pain, mainly in my neck, it makes my neck quite stiff, and causes major headache. This past summer I trained for a triathlon and did really well - no injuries and my neck felt pretty good (except if I swam for too long) In the fall I started doing more wght training and I started getting pain in my back (mid/upper) and neck. It felt like the muscles were getting inflamed. Even with massage/heat my muscles stay sore for a very long time. I stopped doing most back exercises and did mainly chest/shoulder/lower body. My neck seemed to get worse, and in Dec I had an x-ray which showed some degeneration if disc C5-6. I started PT in Jan. The PT thought (and still does) that my upper traps were over developed and were pulling my neck muscles. After a few treatments with him, the muscles were loosened somewhat, and he had me doing lat pull-downs and rows to strengthen the mid-back. I also do stretches and core exercises everyday. My back (lats and traps) have definitely gotten stronger - I have been doing the NROL-W Stage 1 exercises, but my neck continues to bother me. Also after a workout my back muscles are very sore, and it takes up to 3 days before I can work out again. The PT is not sure why this is, and my DR seems to think it's a soft-tissue problem. This past weekend was pretty bad as far as pain goes - and I was doubting whether I was on the right track. The PT seems to think I'm still doing the right thing, and doesn't want me to do any overhead ex's like shoulder presses.
I know this is kinda long - sorry! - so I guess what I want to know is:
Do I keep on doing the ex's for lats/traps as my PT suggested, and not worry about shoulders? Should I bother with heavier weights progression? Is there anything I can do to help speed recovery? (I've started using L-glutamine, not sure if that's helping or not) Should I be doing neck strengthening ex's? What about running? (I've not been doing much running lately - it seems to make my neck sore)
Any suggestions would be great!

Ann

02-25-2008, 11:59 AM	#1 (permalink)
ann Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 13 My Profile	Neck/upper back pain HI there - thought I'd post this here and see if anyone has any suggestions for me. (background - I'm a 50-yr old female, have been doing weight training for several years, as well as running/cycling/walking/yoga) I have been having problems with my neck off and on for about 10 years - over the years have had chiro treatments and physio. sometimes I go quite a while without pain, then when I get pain, mainly in my neck, it makes my neck quite stiff, and causes major headache. This past summer I trained for a triathlon and did really well - no injuries and my neck felt pretty good (except if I swam for too long) In the fall I started doing more wght training and I started getting pain in my back (mid/upper) and neck. It felt like the muscles were getting inflamed. Even with massage/heat my muscles stay sore for a very long time. I stopped doing most back exercises and did mainly chest/shoulder/lower body. My neck seemed to get worse, and in Dec I had an x-ray which showed some degeneration if disc C5-6. I started PT in Jan. The PT thought (and still does) that my upper traps were over developed and were pulling my neck muscles. After a few treatments with him, the muscles were loosened somewhat, and he had me doing lat pull-downs and rows to strengthen the mid-back. I also do stretches and core exercises everyday. My back (lats and traps) have definitely gotten stronger - I have been doing the NROL-W Stage 1 exercises, but my neck continues to bother me. Also after a workout my back muscles are very sore, and it takes up to 3 days before I can work out again. The PT is not sure why this is, and my DR seems to think it's a soft-tissue problem. This past weekend was pretty bad as far as pain goes - and I was doubting whether I was on the right track. The PT seems to think I'm still doing the right thing, and doesn't want me to do any overhead ex's like shoulder presses. I know this is kinda long - sorry! - so I guess what I want to know is: Do I keep on doing the ex's for lats/traps as my PT suggested, and not worry about shoulders? Should I bother with heavier weights progression? Is there anything I can do to help speed recovery? (I've started using L-glutamine, not sure if that's helping or not) Should I be doing neck strengthening ex's? What about running? (I've not been doing much running lately - it seems to make my neck sore) Any suggestions would be great! Ann