Pinched nerve

[Hatin Since 87]

Anyone ever had a pinched nerve in your neck? I don’t remember the exact name of the nerve the doctor told me is the culprit, but it goes from my neck, through the top of my head, to my eyebrows. Some days it’ll be “ok”, others it will flare up and make me foggy brained and even dizzy at times. They’ve given me muscle relaxers which haven’t done a thing, Tylenol seems to help more than the muscle relaxers have. They’ve done trigger point injections throughout my neck and shoulders. Last appointment I got 10 shots in my neck and it helped for about a week. Now I’m scheduled to get another shot late January, it’s not a nerve block like i was hoping for but she says it’s helped give a lot of people relief. Downside is I have to come back every 3 months to have another injection, if it works.


Just curious if anybody else has had this, and if so what you was able to do for relief... even if temporary. The pain gets pretty brutal sometimes, but the dizziness and foggy brain feeling is my main concern.

 

[maxwelhse]

Not my neck, but I have collapsed discs in my back and sciatic nerve issues (so... pinched nerves all around). Ice therapy seems to be the ticket for me. 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Repeat.

These things are a life saver: https://www.amazon.com/HTG-Life-Cold-Therapy-Flexible/dp/B01N4IRZPU

You may not want one that big for your neck.

 

[Hatin Since 87]

Not my neck, but I have collapsed discs in my back and sciatic nerve issues (so... pinched nerves all around). Ice therapy seems to be the ticket for me. 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Repeat.

These things are a life saver: https://www.amazon.com/HTG-Life-Cold-Therapy-Flexible/dp/B01N4IRZPU

You may not want one that big for your neck.

Ive used an ice pack a couple of times. Sometimes it’ll help, others it doesn’t seem to put a dent in the pain. Bengay is the same way, there’s times it will relieve the throbbing and others i can almost hear it laughing at me. I’ve always heard how a nerve can effect a lot of bodily functions, but I never imagined it making me dizzy and foggy brained... does the back nerve do that also? I can grit my teeth and get through the pain, even tho it sucks, but the dizziness scares the **** out of me when I’m driving or working.

 

[boogieman]

What muscle relaxer did they give you? The only one that works for mine is Skelaxin and if really bad I use the pain killer Tramadol. That is about the only ones I have found that work for me. Stretching helps me considerably also. I have been to Physical therapy a couple of different times and they add different stretches each time that help.

 

[maxwelhse]

Ive used an ice pack a couple of times. Sometimes it’ll help, others it doesn’t seem to put a dent in the pain. Bengay is the same way, there’s times it will relieve the throbbing and others i can almost hear it laughing at me. I’ve always heard how a nerve can effect a lot of bodily functions, but I never imagined it making me dizzy and foggy brained... does the back nerve do that also? I can grit my teeth and get through the pain, even tho it sucks, but the dizziness scares the **** out of me when I’m driving or working.

It's ice therapy, not just icing it. It is actually important to do the 20 minute rotations. My Chiro pretty much insisted I try it and he was right. Also, you should go see a Chiro if you haven't already.

The back nerve stuff only gives me cognitive issues when the pain is literally so bad I can't see. I mean that literally, my vision will go black. I've also started pouring sweat from the pain like I had just ran a marathon. Driving and working?

 

[Hatin Since 87]

What muscle relaxer did they give you? The only one that works for mine is Skelaxin and if really bad I use the pain killer Tramadol. That is about the only ones I have found that work for me. Stretching helps me considerably also. I have been to Physical therapy a couple of different times and they add different stretches each time that help.

The first ones they tried were flexoril, now they gave me baclofen. I did physical therapy earlier in the year but it didn’t really help long term. The stretches were great at first, but I don’t know why, they eventually stopped helping and the pain seemed like it was getting worse so now they’re on to injecting me with everything in the cabinet. They were discussing a Botox injection, I guess to counteract the pressure on one side by adding mass to the opposite side. I’m trying to keep from using pain killers, I’ve seen too many people get hooked on them and I’d almost rather deal with the pain

 

[Hatin Since 87]

It's ice therapy, not just icing it. It is actually important to do the 20 minute rotations. My Chiro pretty much insisted I try it and he was right. Also, you should go see a Chiro if you haven't already.

The back nerve stuff only gives me cognitive issues when the pain is literally so bad I can't see. I mean that literally, my vision will go black. I've also started pouring sweat from the pain like I had just ran a marathon. Driving and working?

That might be my problem. When I ice it I usually only put it on for 5-10 minutes and stop. She has discussed a chiropractor, only been to one once years ago so I might give it a shot. My brother swears by them, I just get nervous about someone twisting my spine around and yanking on my neck.


If my vision went black I’d spaz out. When I first got dizzy and foggy brained I was freaking out thinking something was wrong with my brain until she explained it’s pretty common with neck nerves. I feel for you, I thought I was having a tough time but damn, that’s brutal.

 

[MCgrease08]

I've also been dealing with Sciatica from a slightly bulging disc in my lower back. Decompression therapy at a chiropractor has worked tremendously to relive the pressure on the pinch point. I had been going I once per week. Now I am to the point where it's only once every few months when it bothers me.

I would ask your doctor about the lightheadedness and brain fog. I would want to be sure it's not a case of an artery getting pinched and restricting blood and oxygen flow to your brain.

My grandma had a slight blockage in her carotid artery a few years back and she nearly passed out when driving. Luckily she was able to pull over before she lost it. Used On-star to call an ambulance.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

stretching and exercise helped me. started small (as in fetal position on the floor to stretch my back) with a positive attitude and worked my way back up little by little day by day...sounds simple but it worked.

 

[Hatin Since 87]

I've also been dealing with Sciatica from a slightly bulging disc in my lower back. Decompression therapy at a chiropractor has worked tremendously to relive the pressure on the pinch point. I had been going I once per week. Now I am to the point where it's only once every few months when it bothers me.

I would ask your doctor about the lightheadedness and brain fog. I would want to be sure it's not a case of an artery getting pinched and restricting blood and oxygen flow to your brain.

My grandma had a slight blockage in her carotid artery a few years back and she nearly passed out when driving. Luckily she was able to pull over before she lost it. Used On-star to call an ambulance.

Yikes. The way she explained it seemed pretty accurate, but she did say if these injections didn’t help I would have to have imaging done to make sure there wasn’t something else causing the fog/dizzy symptoms. What did they end up doing for your grandma?

 

[ChristianPatriot]

I go to the chiropractor every month because of a spondylolisthesis (Google it) in my low back. Happened from a car accident when I was 18. Nothing really can be done for mine, it’ll just part be of my life forever. Not fun.

 

[MCgrease08]

Hers was a blockage, not caused by a pinched nerve, so they did a bypass similar to what they do to for heart patients to remove the plaque clogging up the artery.

 

[Hatin Since 87]

Hers was a blockage, not caused by a pinched nerve, so they did a bypass similar to what they do to for heart patients to remove the plaque clogging up the artery.

Dang. I don’t *believe* it’s anything like that, but I’ll be sure to put it in my notes to ask her just in case. Glad your grandma ended up ok. I’m almost sure mine is caused from the nerve, just based on the amount of pain in my neck and the way it will subside at times. Some days it’s just a discomfort and others it throbs and makes my eyes water. It’s also in different areas of my neck, never the exact same spot. It’ll be mid neck one day, then upper neck the next, then the left side, etc.

 

[maxwelhse]

That might be my problem. When I ice it I usually only put it on for 5-10 minutes and stop. She has discussed a chiropractor, only been to one once years ago so I might give it a shot. My brother swears by them, I just get nervous about someone twisting my spine around and yanking on my neck.


If my vision went black I’d spaz out. When I first got dizzy and foggy brained I was freaking out thinking something was wrong with my brain until she explained it’s pretty common with neck nerves. I feel for you, I thought I was having a tough time but damn, that’s brutal.

Meh... I'm 6'4", I black out if I stand up too fast so I have lots of experience there.

As far as the treatment and such, it's not so bad once you get yourself figured out for what you need. If you're not the bone crackin' kind of guy, find a "treatment center" type of chiro. That's what my guy is. Basically he just stimulates various muscle groups (both with electricity and with a little tool that feels like getting hit soft-ish by a hammer) that then align things in the direction they need to go. When things get really bad for me, I normally have go a few times a week for a week or two before I'm on the path again. Stretching and exercise will help too, but probably not right now.

 

[Hatin Since 87]

Meh... I'm 6'4", I black out if I stand up too fast so I have lots of experience there.

As far as the treatment and such, it's not so bad once you get yourself figured out for what you need. If you're not the bone crackin' kind of guy, find a "treatment center" type of chiro. That's what my guy is. Basically he just stimulates various muscle groups (both with electricity and with a little tool that feels like getting hit soft-ish by a hammer) that then align things in the direction they need to go. When things get really bad for me, I normally have go a few times a week for a week or two before I'm on the path again. Stretching and exercise will help too, but probably not right now.

Im 6’3” and felt dizzy when standing up too fast a couple times, never blacked out tho. I had a bone scan last year because they thought something was abnormal with my skull but all came back normal. The only time it really makes me nervous now is when the pain is in the center of the back of my head and I get the foggy brained feeling.

She did say a chiropractor would likely help, but seemed like the shots would be the sure way to go. I don’t care if they send me to a South American village for leech treatment if it will fix it.

 

[maxwelhse]

Im 6’3” and felt dizzy when standing up too fast a couple times, never blacked out tho. I had a bone scan last year because they thought something was abnormal with my skull but all came back normal. The only time it really makes me nervous now is when the pain is in the center of the back of my head and I get the foggy brained feeling.

She did say a chiropractor would likely help, but seemed like the shots would be the sure way to go. I don’t care if they send me to a South American village for leech treatment if it will fix it.

As I'm reading it, it sounds like the shots were not the sure way to go, or at least not the shots alone.

You're clearly hosed for the next 2 days no matter what, but on the 26th you should probably try to find a chiro. I'd consider the ice treatments too. Do 20 on, 20 off, 20 on, take an hour break, 20/20/20 again, etc for a little while and see if it helps.

 

[BGDave]

HS 87. Be very careful with nerve blocks. I'm not a Doc, but have seen the effects of one done wrong. Lets just say "nerve bone connected to the brain bone". When they tell you it works for six weeks---- almost to the day. This one was done as a treatment for shingles.

 

[Hatin Since 87]

As I'm reading it, it sounds like the shots were not the sure way to go, or at least not the shots alone.

You're clearly hosed for the next 2 days no matter what, but on the 26th you should probably try to find a chiro. I'd consider the ice treatments too. Do 20 on, 20 off, 20 on, take an hour break, 20/20/20 again, etc for a little while and see if it helps.

Lol supposedly “these” shots will do it. The first ones were a steroid of some sort, and the next one I’m scheduled for are some kind of muscle numbing stuff. Since they aren’t scheduled until the end of January I’ll try to find a chiropractor to go to before then and see if it helps. Almost everyone I’ve talked to about it has suggested a chiropractor, so I guess I need to bite the bullet and give it a chance.

 

[Hatin Since 87]

HS 87. Be very careful with nerve blocks. I'm not a Doc, but have seen the effects of one done wrong. Lets just say "nerve bone connected to the brain bone". When they tell you it works for six weeks---- almost to the day. This one was done as a treatment for shingles.

Ya she told me that’s more of a last resort thing. Curious what the effects of the blocker gone wrong was tho. Thats scary

 

[maxwelhse]

Lol supposedly “these” shots will do it. The first ones were a steroid of some sort, and the next one I’m scheduled for are some kind of muscle numbing stuff. Since they aren’t scheduled until the end of January I’ll try to find a chiropractor to go to before then and see if it helps. Almost everyone I’ve talked to about it has suggested a chiropractor, so I guess I need to bite the bullet and give it a chance.

I worked with a woman who got a shot similar to that. I believe it's basically just botox. So the underlying problem will still be there (and maybe getting worse) and you won't know about it. But you will have to go in for botox every few weeks and I am going going to be tempted to quote all of your posts with a Brazzers logo added to them.

Yes, see a chiro. I held out way too long for the same reasons you are and it was a mistake.