Anyone else deal with constant pain?

[MildredHubble]

Hey everyone, It's 3:05am where I am now and I'm still wide awake. This is mostly because as usual I'm in quite a bit of pain :-(

I spend most of my time dealing with moderate to severe pain. Tonight it's a rather nasty headache, it feels like it's caused by an issue I have with my neck, right shoulder and arm.

I have tried going to the doctor's but nothing seems to happen in terms of treatment or pain relief. I wonder sometimes if perhaps I may give off the wrong impression, like maybe my "oddness" gives them the heebeegeebees and they think I'm trying to score narcotics.

I wonder this because, my best friend, at almost the exact time as myself, had a very similar problem with his shoulder and arm. Instead of being fobbed off, he was immediately given an MRI, Gabapentin (probably spelled that wrong) and eventually an operation that solved the problem.

The problem with my arm has never fully recovered :-( I still get spasms and I have loss of sensation across palm of the palm of my hand and my thumb, and my arm is pretty weak. I drop things all the time too :-(

Sorry, this has turned into a bit of a whining session. I'm just so tired of it. My arm is just one of many problems with pain. The pain killers I take don't really do much any more.

Is or has anyone dealt/dealing with this sort of thing? How do you or did you cope? Did you have any success getting a doctor to listen and help? What might I be doing wrong?

 

[Fino]

I would continue going to the doctor until I got relief, perhaps urgent care.

 

[Outdated]

I've had constant pain since I was a kid, got cleaned up by a car riding my bike to school. Spinal damage. 9 months of intensive physiotherapy did nothing. Eventually the physio referred me to a chiropractor, an extremely rare occurrance. The sudden release from pain was so shocking that I cried.

Warning, most chiropractors are quacks who have turned science into a form of quasi religion, but if you find a good one they are incredibly good at what they do. The absolute best chiropractors can be found at horse agistments.

Essentially, all nerves trace back to your spinal chord in between the vertebrae, if you have a misalignment it can compress these nerves causing them to malfunction. The result is usually pain but can also cause muscular malfunction. All the nerves from your arms and hands lead in through the neck, so having your neck out can cause pain in arms and hands.

A good chiropractor will teach you a series of exercises that will usually get the neck to realign itself.

 

[MildredHubble]

I would continue going to the doctor until I got relief, perhaps urgent care.

I should probably go back to the doctor as you say. The problem is I've just gotten to the point where I'm just so tired of going through the indignity.

These days you are lucky to get an "in person" appointment. Since COVID that is.

I don't think personally the problem is urgent. But equally, it's not getting better.

 

[Outdated]

And just to confirm - pain killers have little or no effect on nerve damage. In the end you just learn to live with it.

 

[MildredHubble]

I've had constant pain since I was a kid, got cleaned up by a car riding my bike to school. Spinal damage. 9 months of intensive physiotherapy did nothing. Eventually the physio referred me to a chiropractor, an extremely rare occurrance. The sudden release from pain was so shocking that I cried.

Warning, most chiropractors are quacks who have turned science into a form of quasi religion, but if you find a good one they are incredibly good at what they do. The absolute best chiropractors can be found at horse agistments.

Essentially, all nerves trace back to your spinal chord in between the vertebrae, if you have a misalignment it can compress these nerves causing them to malfunction. The result is usually pain but can also cause muscular malfunction. All the nerves from your arms and hands lead in through the neck, so having your neck out can cause pain in arms and hands.

A good chiropractor will teach you a series of exercises that will usually get the neck to realign itself.

Wow, that sounds absolutely awful! :-0

I think I would probably have a similar emotional response to the absence of pain!

I'm so glad you got some real help after what must have been a horrific experience to go through!

I did see a physiotherapist for a while that did help with showing me exercises that eventually gave me back some mobility in my shoulder. But they only worked to a point. But I have to say I'm extremely grateful to him for that.

I was referred to a new physio later, but he didn't really listen to me and the exercises he suggested didn't help at all. The best way I can describe it is that stretches feel like they are causing injury rather than good. It might seem strange but I would liken the sensation I feel to a articulated sculpture made of wood that is rotting. I don't know it that makes sense to anyone but myself lol!

 

[MildredHubble]

And just to confirm - pain killers have little or no effect on nerve damage. In the end you just learn to live with it.

Ok that's bad news, and may serve to explain a few things :-/ Right now I take the strongest pain killers available over the counter in the UK and they don't seem to be helping much at all. In fact, I don't really take those very much these days as they are so ineffective.

 

[Outdated]

The best Chiropractor I ever saw was brought in for the weekend at a horse agistment. We've been doing this to horses for 3000 years but it's still not an accepted practice for humans. I watched this bloke service a few horses and commented "I wish you could do that for me.".

He walked up to me, using his left arm he reached under my left arm from behind and across my chest and lifted my feet off the ground. Then he used the knuckles of his right hand to crunch all of my back into shape. He said humans were easy compared to horses, I didn't even have to lie down on a bench, job done.

I offered to pay him afterwards but he refused to take my money, he said that the agistment had retained him for two days and I was part of the service, all paid for in advance.

 

[MildredHubble]

The best Chiropractor I ever saw was brought in for the weekend at a horse agistment. We've been doing this to horses for 3000 years but it's still not an accepted practice for humans. I watched this bloke service a few horses and commented "I wish you could do that for me.".

He walked up to me, using his left arm he reached under my left arm from behind and across my chest and lifted my feet off the ground. Then he used the knuckles of his right hand to crunch all of my back into shape. He said humans were easy compared to horses, I didn't even have to lie down on a bench, job done.

I offered to pay him afterwards but he refused to take my money, he said that the agistment had retained him for two days and I was part of the service, all paid for in advance.

You know, from what you described there, I almost wish for someone to do just that! It seems in my mind right now exactly what needs to be done.

There might be people puzzled by that, but honestly I feel like I've been picked up by a giant and wrung out like a damp towel then tossed away. It just seems kinda logical that my joints need pushing back into the right position!

 

[Outdated]

I had to use chiropractors for most of my life, the damage to my spine means that it's easy for it to get twisted out of shape. It looks really dramatic in xrays, quite a few radiologists over the years have asked me how I'm still standing.

 

[Outdated]

I should have mentioned before, spinal misalignment is quite easy to spot if you have a friend or partner to help. Simply lie face down across the bed and pay special attention to being as straight as you can, hands in equal positions etc. Then get someone to run finger and thumb along your spine.

When a vertebrae gets pushed out to one side it's usually by half an inch or so. Quite obvious once you've noticed it.

 

[MildredHubble]

I should have mentioned before, spinal misalignment is quite easy to spot if you have a friend or partner to help. Simply lie face down across the bed and pay special attention to being as straight as you can, hands in equal positions etc. Then get someone to run finger and thumb along your spine.

When a vertebrae gets pushed out to one side it's usually by half an inch or so. Quite obvious once you've noticed it.

That sounds like a good idea! I guess that having someone check may help ensure I'm laying straight. I'm pretty sure I'm kinda leaning to one side most of the time so although I feel like I'm standing straight, I don't think I am.

What you say though does make me feel like the last physio guy was just being lazy as the previous physio had done something similar to what you suggested and said he could feel what to him like a slightly misaligned/slipped disc, right at the point where my neck reaches my shoulders.

The more recent physio claimed that what I had told him couldn't be true and that his "colleague" was talking "rubbish". In my view I trust the first physio more as he actually helped me, though I think there's probably only so much that stretching can achieve.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I get neck tension a lot. It gave me a very bad headache yesterday. Thankfully water, food and 2 paracetomal got rid of it. Had neck pain for years though. But that's along with many other stress related aches and pains.

Ed

 

[Progster]

Once I had a sore shoulder and neck. There was this guy who knew how to do massage. Normally I wouldn't tolerate that, but this time I let him and he seemed to know what he was doing. When he finished, instant relief, pain gone.

 

[MildredHubble]

Once I had a sore shoulder and neck. There was this guy who knew how to do massage. Normally I wouldn't tolerate that, but this time I let him and he seemed to know what he was doing. When he finished, instant relief, pain gone.

I'm sure a proper massage would help a bit at times. I wish I could get one who knows exactly how to alleviate this sort of thing. Thankfully the headache has gone but I'm left with this nasty pain in my lower neck, upper back and arms :-( My arms feel like they've been overworked although they haven't. :-(

 

[Outdated]

Exercises for realigning your neck vertebrae look very simple but it’s a lot easier to say than to do.

Let your head flop sideways on to one shoulder. The important word here is Flop. Using your muscles to force your head to one side will lock the vertebrae in their current alignment and prevent them from shifting. Relaxing muscles and letting your head just flop is quite difficult to do at first.

Let your head flop sideways, both sides, 3 times each side. Then from looking straight ahead turn your head sideways to look left and right 3 times. Once again trying to concentrate on relaxing muscles rather than forcing movement.

If your neck is out you’ll usually notice that you can turn your head to one side much more easily than the other. So flop from side to side 3 times, then turn from side to side 3 times and repeat until you hear a very loud Pop and all the pain goes away.

Once again I reiterate – the trick is in relaxing muscles, not tensing them. Not easy to do.

 

[SusanLR]

Chiropractic saved me from having surgery for a herniated disc a long time ago.
Doctors always want to do surgery for the back when they can.
I was really lucky that a friend worked for a Chiropractor that turned out to be
good.
I know most are quacks. They have the same three jerks and pops for everyone.

I had to use a large waist brace at first until the herniation healed some.
Then the Chiropractor and then physiotherapy.
Be careful of the physiotherapy and don't do something that hurts even though they tell you to.
Twice that happened to me and ended up with a rib head out of place and it was
too soon on a second disc herniation for the exercise he demanded.
Ended up with the disc tearing even more and causing extreme pain.

It does seem many doctors just brush you off when they find you are autistic or
if they think you act different. You can tell from the lack of interest and sometimes
their remarks.

Your area of pain does sound like the nerves coming from the cervical/neck spine.
It really takes an MRI to show the exact cause.
I recently started going back to the same Chiropractor for neck and shoulder pains and he knew what to do. I don't have the problem now.

 

[Thinx]

Sorry you are up against this, it sounds really tough. My partner is quite knowledgeable about pain management, I'll ask if they have any useful advice for your situation, though you've already had some great suggestions here. Hope some of this will work for you. What are the other pain issues you have? Maybe there's advice here for those too. Yes agree Dr's can be very disappointing, though I have been lucky and encountered some really great ones.

 

[Outdated]

That's a common problem I have with doctors SusanLR, I don't ask them what's wrong, I tell them. Most are offended by the thought that some bum off the street might know as much as they do.

I went to a new chiropractor when I moved up to Darwin the first time, when he asked me what was wrong I told him "Just one quick crunch is all I need, T3 and T4, push those in and I can sort the rest myself." He gave me a real suspicious look and asked me who I worked for.

Then he got me to lie down on the bench and made a point of saying "T3 and T4 are here." and put his hand on my back in just the right spot. As soon as he touched me the whole lot crunched back in to place by itself with a very loud crunch. That spun him out a bit.

 

[Misery]

So, I deal with a lot of issues that sound very much like what you're describing, particularly the headaches.

My own symptoms are:

1, headaches. These seem to arc sort over the top of my head and into my eye. I must say, I do not find these fun.
2. My right arm flares up a lot. Things like too much mouse use can do it, or a variety of other things. When flared up the pain is very intense.
3. Both my neck and my lower back can "lock up". Basically, I cant turn while in that state. Well, no... it's not that I technically cant. It's that it hurts so bloody much to do so that there's little point in trying. All I can do is wait... usually a day or two... until it wears off. This pain is not random though, it is triggered by something.
4. A variety of pain types along my spine, and also in my shoulders, particularly on the right.

Now, here's something I learned very early on with this stuff: going to just a normal doctor isnt enough. I'd STRONGLY suggest seeing a specialist (not a chiropracter, and I'll get to that in a moment). My own problems are both nerve and tendon related, and some of what you described sounds like nerve issues too.

What helped me isnt some magic medication or quick procedure... that's not how this worked. What helped me is physical therapy. But it takes a bit to get there.

Firstly, you need to get a PROPER examination... again, by a specialist... to determine the actual source of the problem. It may not be where you think it is. Like, when I have pain down in my hand, right. The problem isnt down there. That's not where the pain is coming from... that's just where I PERCEIVE it. It's actually coming from both my elbow, and up near my neck as well. "Referred" pain is one of the effects that nerve/tendon issues can bring, and it's typically the most frustrating.

It's the same with headaches. The pain, where I described it, isnt where it actually comes from for me. It's actually coming from a couple of small spots at the very back of my neck. That it shoots up over the top of my head is just the referred pain, not the actual location.

The reason I say not to go to a chiropractor is that the causes for this can be many, and the absolute #1 thing you DO NOT WANT TO FREAKING DO is pull/yank/twist/bend the wrong spot. And those four things are pretty much what chiropractors do, when you think about it.

But also... there's just no magic cure for this. You want a fix, you're likely going to have to work for it.

In my situation, what happened was, it started with an MRI, right. This was used to determine the nature of the pain. The type of cause, I guess. And also to rule out any more dangerous problems.

After that though, comes PT, or physical therapy. THAT is the one and only thing I've found that is effective. But it's not a magic cure, it's not a "WELL LET'S JUST YANK YOUR ARM PAST YOUR BUTT, THERE THAT'LL FIX IT" sort of quick fix. It's work. It's hard work. The point isnt just to relieve the pain: it's also to strengthen specific areas to make them more resistant. As well as to keep certain areas moving enough that you're less likely to tighten up, that sort of thing.

But also, some problems cannot be solved by the type of approach a chiropractor uses. Simply adjusting your spine and whatnot (which is what they do) can often have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the current issue. Or can just make it worse. And trust me, you do NOT want to mess with the level of pain that can happen if you screw that up. Whatever you're feeling now, it's nothing compared to what you'll feel if you get THAT wrong. So... yeah. Dont do that.

My own therapist frequently does something I usually refer to as "prodding". I'm not sure how else to put it. Basically it's like someone jams their fingers into your side/whatever REALLY hard, and pushes against that spot. It's not about just the joints, it's about the tendons as well.

That stuff, the procedures they do for me directly, combined with the exercises they give me, are what helps.

I'll put it this way: I had a period of about two years where I couldnt use a freaking mouse. Why? Because my arm would flare up bad every time. I actually used a game controller to EMULATE the mouse in order to bypass that issue. Because what else was I going to do?

Now though? Really not too much of a problem as long as I dont go totally overboard. I can use one now like I used to. But it's because of the work done in PT, over time.

But this is going to differ from one patient to the next, and that's exactly why you need a specialist to properly examine and diagnose, and also why the process is slow to do, done over a long period of time rather than in a couple of quick spine-mangling appointments.

Seriously: Take it slow, take it careful, see a real specialist, get fully examined. And then go from there.