Pulled Neck Muscle Fixes?

[El Presidente]

Somehow I managed to pull my neck muscle yesterday. It wasn't that bad. Hopping in the car this morning aggravated it no end and 5 minutes into the drive i had to turn around as I couldn't move my head. 

I will get to a physio when I can hop in a car but any advice from those that have had this before. My first time.....and it certainly is not fun 

My apologies to those I had arranged to catch up on the phone and in person today. Right now I don't think I will be able to manage it. 

All advice welcome!

[Corylax18]

Tiger Balm! It will melt your pain right away. Truly amazing stuff. 

[kalibratecuba]

There has to be a doctor or two in the house. Until then..

I second Tiger Balm, both hot and cold. Alternating between hot and cool compresses will help. I typically take Naproxen for things like this too.

When my neck muscle lock up I usually try to stretch into the pain bad much as possible and then the opposing direction. I'm not a doctor, don't hold me liable. I hope we can cause some relief.

Two more things in combination work, when all else fails, booze and a loving woman.

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[Islandboy]

I’ve got 3 words for you: Active Release Technique, otherwise known as A.R.T.  If you can find a good therapist specializing in this in your area, I highly recommend it. This will address the cause of the problem, not the effect.

[earthson]

Fifty-something years old and this is your first neckpull!?

Highly recommend arnica homeopathic medicine (both pills and salve).

Beyond that, try laying on your back on a flat, firm floor and practice relaxing. I can usually get some small joint cracking when I do this right and it often loosens up my neck.

Feel better! And don't cough, cuz that hurts like a mf

[fitzy]

Rob follow this video. I had neck issues and this video helped a ton.

 

[cigaraholic]

Cigar....rum....and a mussel relaxer...

[stogieluver]

Rob, take it from someone who knows.  The absolute worst thing you can do for a pulled muscle is to coddle it. I promise you this works. Work the hell out of it. Whatever movement makes it hurt, do that over & over & over. It will hurt like hell at first but it will get easier as you work it. It will help to apply heat before you make those movements, & doing it under a hot shower works even better. Take some Advil to help ease the pain. But above all else, work the hell out of it & you will get over much more quickly.  The key is to make that muscle contract & then totally relax, the more repetitions you can stand, the better. 

[NotLawReview]

Cannabis. 

[jay8354]

First, put a cold compress on it to help with any inflammation and swelling. This will also help with any bruising you might have with the muscles.

Then taking an anti-inflammatory pain killer like voltaren rapid. This will help with pain management.

After the pain meds has kicked in, if you can manage it, put a hot compress to loosen the muscle. You need to do this before the pain meds wears off. Otherwise, the muscle is still stiff and sore. It needs to loosen up for the pain to lessen.

Find a good physio to help with the cause and root of the problem. Then go to a good masseur to work out any remaining kinks.

[El Presidente]

Cheers all. 

I have a physio coming over this afternoon. It is taking 5 minute to sit down so driving anywhere is out of the question. 

25 odd years of Rugby and this is the first neck tear that I have had ......hopping into the jeep 

[jay8354]

If you are desperate or broke, you could always go with @Fuzz method of loosening the neck muscles.

It is almost like a blend of demonic possession with the head spinning, killer clowns and choke your neck like in the movies.

@Fuzz - put a video for everyone to see and comment

[Firebender]

I see my acupuncturist for my neck pains. 2 to 4 times and I am good again.


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[Fuzz]

3 hours ago, jay8354 said:

If you are desperate or broke, you could always go with @Fuzz method of loosening the neck muscles.

It is almost like a blend of demonic possession with the head spinning, killer clowns and choke your neck like in the movies.

@Fuzz - put a video for everyone to see and comment

Huh? What are you talking about @jay8354? I just place my hand on my chin, twist my neck rapidly till I hear a crack, then repeat in the opposite direction. A bit shocking for those who have never seen (or heard) me do it before, but it does loosen my neck up.

[BrightonCorgi]

Looks for a specialist who is trained in Graston Technique®.  Generally it is chiropractors who are certified.  The soft tissue damage will gone in a day.

[Colt45]

You just turned 60 and now you can't even look both ways before scooting across the mall without pulling a muscle....

Dr. Chopper called and prescribed a steaming hot cup of harden up, then call him in the morning.

Happy Valentine's Day!

[OB1]

Age sucks.

for me, the cause is usually a muscle in my back that cramps. I get my wife to find the knot in my back (a hard spot in the muscle that feels like a little knot) and press on it so hard that the knot opens up. Pressing the knot is very painful, but That fixes the neck pain pretty much immediately.

also, as has been said, stretching and movement is a must.

[SloppyJ]

Happens to me all the time. I initially injured it weightlifting with extremely heavy shrugs and overhead presses. It's been a lingering injury ever since. It feels as if it is coming from behind my shoulder blade or at the bottom of my trap muscle. It results in me not being able to turn my head much if any. At least 3x per year it will flare up for no reason. Once, admittedly, I was driving and had to check out this very nice looking lady jogging down the road. Whipped my head around really fast and boom, I was down for a few days. 100% serious.  

I've been to a chiropractor multiple times, with no luck. I'm still not sure that they're not witch doctors. (Sorry to any chiro members). After giving up on them I finally broke down and went to my normal doctor to get some advice. As I suspected, there's nothing that they can do. I walked out of there with a bottle of pain killers and some muscle relaxers. In my case, my muscle just gets out of whack and spasms. Only thing you can do is wait it out. Sorry man!! 

[El Presidente]

I appreciate the advice!

Sleeping face down doesn't lend itself to much sleep. the Physio said 3-4 days before I get some free movement back. I can't wait. 

[dominattorney]

23 hours ago, Islandboy said:

I’ve got 3 words for you: Active Release Technique, otherwise known as A.R.T.  If you can find a good therapist specializing in this in your area, I highly recommend it. This will address the cause of the problem, not the effect.

I second this, but would also recommend sauna and self massage.  Jump in the sauna for 10 minutes, take a cool shower, then back to the sauna for 10 minutes, cool shower, back to the sauna, and call it a day.  Should help.  It does wonders for me, I hit the sauna once a week for recovery from my 5x weekly weightlifting program.  Couldn't handle the workouts without the sauna.  I also get a stiff neck/traps, the whole 9 and it melts away the tension.

 

EDIT: Also drink literally twice as much water as you might usually.  That goes double for being in the sauna, if you go for 30 minutes, drink an extra liter just for that, but generally, a muscle cramp can be the result of dehydration (not a diagnosis, but an observation, generally).

[grizzlee]

On ‎2‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 5:47 PM, cigaraholic said:

Cigar....rum....and a mussel relaxer.

There's a smart-ass in every bunch and I'll play the part this time.....I just can't stop picturing Rob with a cigar, a rum, and a bucket of bivalves; trying to get those mussels to relax hoping to ease his neck pain.

I'm expecting a beating on this one...so let it begin.

[havanaclub]

Find a good sports chiropractor to do Active Release Techniques or Graston as a few others mentioned. You’ll find most sports chiros are certified in A.R.T. They will also be able to determine the underlying cause. Most soft tissue / myofascial spasm resolves fairly quickly with these techniques. However if there is some mechanical joint dysfunction or pinched nerve component it may take a little longer. If you have some old rugby injuries Rob, I suspect the latter. Intermittent hot and cold should help at home. All the best.


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[Smokin_Safari]

"Active Release Technique" = "Happy Ending"???

If you had an R8 and not a Jeep, wouldn't have happened mate.

Just rest....

[Wilzc]

There is a cheap papaya extract enzyme called... papain, they help inflammation.

Also get some warm packs to sooth and relax the spasms

 

 

[Warren]

Try some Rapigel, it's better than Tiger Balm and has a cool sensation rather than the heat. It is meant for horses and dogs but it was suggested to my mother by a nurse.

You can get it from Chemist warehouse. I tried it and it's amazing.