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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!
Hello Ann,
Where exactly does your neck hurt and what kind of head aches are you experiencing. What part of your head hurts when you get these head aches? How active are you at work?
I’m not surprised that some of your symptoms had worsened with exercises that train muscle groups such as chest/shoulders especially if you’ve stopped training your back. My guess would have to be that you may have a thoracic spine issue (upper back) which will then alter your cervical spine (neck).
Seeing some side shots of you wouldn’t hurt.
You experiencing come discomfort after swimming also tells me that you’re swimming with somewhat of a good technique. Head slightly up, chin forward, etc. This again will insult some of the tissue in your upper back/neck regions with which you’re having trouble with in the first place.
So if you’re walking around with rounded shoulders, slight hyper extension of the neck and then you’re jumping into the pool and doing the exact same thing, chances are you’re going to walk away with a sore neck and a headache.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you have some serious tissue issues around that whole region. I would recommend getting some ART or find a good massage therapist that can clean all that up. Doing some mobility work for your upper back (especially if you’re swimming) along with some stretching exercises for your pecs, ant. Delts etc. Don’t forget to do some chin tucks for your neck.
Hope that helped. If you can post some pics on here, they’ll help.
Ruslan
Thanks Ruslan for the reply! Mostly my neck pain is on both sides going up into my skull, the headache when severe is all along the base of the skull up into the sides and temples, usually worse on one side. sometimes, the pain is mostly at the top of the spine which is why I was kind of surprised when they said that it was discs C5-6 that had the degeneration. At work (in a library) I do use the computer quite a bit, but am careful about how I sit, and so on.
Did you mean to say my swim technique was bad? Since I don't swim a lot (although I used to swim 2-3 times a week, and was competitive in HS) that's probably why.
I do get regular massages - about every 5-6 weeks. Last Fri I had one right after my workout, which I thought would be great, but I had a lot of pain that night, and all day Sat. Any ideas why? What is ART - is that a method of massage? What would be some good mobility ex's for the upper back?
Hello Ann,
It may be a “Lavetor Scapulae” issue which is very common in those populations that tend to sit for a living. Because of the neural connections this muscle has, it plays a role in implications in term of head aches (in the same areas as you’ve described-base of skull, sides, etc.). Lavetor Scapulae is a very common site for tightness, tenderness and discomfort in addition to those trapezius muscles (which in many cases cab be overactive).
neck-and-shoulder-pain.jpg
Take a look at the position of both your neck and head. The side that gets the worst of these symptoms, is it shifted more off to the same side rather then both sides being symmetrical? If you would to do a simple neck stretch, how stiff does your neck musculature feel?
If you’re swimming, and your technique is correct. Then when you’re in the water you’re probably reinforcing some of your postural flaws that you may already have that are contributing to this whole issue. Swimming with your head and chin slightly up, will cause you to stress all those posterior back and neck muscles.
Yep, ART is a form of massage, it stands for Active Release Therapy. Do you have any other symptoms? Shoulder pain?
Some exercise for your Upper back? Shoot me an e-mail and I’ll see if I can send you some pictures rkedik@gmail.com
Ruslan, thanks for all the info! I don't have any shoulder pain, although when I do shoulder ex's, especially overhead then the trap muscles ache. When I do a neck stretch I feel very tight along both sides of the neck. I'll send you a pm, and if you have any ex's that you think might help that would be great!
HI THERE, SORRY READ THIS POST AND IT SOUNDED LIKE ME ALL OVER.
IF YOU HAVE ANY IDES HOW TO FIX THIS PAIN IN NECK AND SHOULDERS OR ANY EXCERCISES. PLEASE PLEASE CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR FIVE YEARS AND I CANT SHAKE IT. TRIED CHIRO AND PHYSIO DOSENT WORK. IM VERY FIT AND LOOK AFTER MY HEALTH. THE PAIN NEVER GOES AWAY AND THINGS JUST CRACK AND POP ALL THE TIME. CANT DO HEAVY WEIGHTS AND CANT SWIM HURTS TO MUCH. FEELS LIKE THERE IS A REAL TIGHT SPOT IN MY SPINE JUST IN BETWEEN MY SHOULDERS LIKE ITS GONNA COME THROUGH MY CHEST. RELLY TIGHT FROM THE BACK OF MY SKULL RIGHT DOWN MY NECK INTO MY SHOULDERS. GETS SO SORE SOME TIMES MY EYES HURT AND MY EARS GET ALL POPPY. HAVE HAD ALL EX RAYS, SCANS AND TESTS AND IM HEALTHY AS AN OX. PLEASE HELP BRENNO
Hi sorry about the captials not very good with computers. No i dont have a foam roller is that a good thing to use? I have tried heaps of massage therpies all sorts of kinds even accupuncture. After massage its still tight and sore. especially gets sore right along the tops of my shoulders right up to my neck and skull. Feels like my neck needs to be stretched out like a slinky. im just lost now dont know what to do dont want to give up and have it forever. i know i can get rid of it just need to find out what works. Is your pain fixed?
Neck/upper back pain
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