I'm sure most have noticed I have posted minimally as of the last 3 weeks (Just kiddin', I know no one noticed)! Well my symptoms started as shoulder soreness, morphed into all the muscles around my right shoulder blade hardening to rocks (24/7), spine pain, and shooting nerve pain down my tricep, forearm, and wrist. The pain was constant 24 hrs a day, couldn't sit, stand, lay to alleviate. I went to the emergency room, this quack lidocained the crap out of my shoulder and prescribed pretty weak muscle relaxers. 2 days later, still in agony, I went to my PA who prescribed super strong relaxers. I bought a TENS stimulator and started choking down these horse relaxers. End of week two I started to feel better (still thinking it's a pinched nerve in the shoulder) so I scheduled a massage (huge mistake). Pain, muscle hardness came back 10x's worse the next day and continued for the rest of the week.
I finally took someone's advice and scheduled "dry needling" at a local Chiropractor. Showed up and explained where my pain was and immediately he stated, "it's your neck." I said I don't have neck issues, he showed me a diagram of the nervous system, pointing to the nerve that ran the length of my entire pain path. He lit me up with a Torodol injections (anti-inflame) in my neck and shoulder and scheduled me for an MRI immediately. BTW, he stated that in my condition and MRI (having to lay flat and still) is going to be one of the most painful things you've ever done (he was spot on, just brutal). Next day it was confirmed (as he stated) Herniation of the C5/6. He started therapy and performed traction (medieval head/neck pulling machine). I felt slight relief. He stated to ice the heck out of my neck over the weekend and return (Monday/today) for traction again. Well I iced it and found a way to perform a minor traction myself at home (using my arms and elbows, almost like I'm giving myself a full nelson). 30 mins later I felt, for the first GD time in 3 weeks, my muscles relax and my pain stop. I'm on an oral steroid for another 2 days and I'm sure repeated visits to this therapist, but I'm pain free for the most part, except that my posture is raised on my right shoulder still from tense but non-painful muscle tightening.
I finally took someone's advice and scheduled "dry needling" at a local Chiropractor. Showed up and explained where my pain was and immediately he stated, "it's your neck." I said I don't have neck issues, he showed me a diagram of the nervous system, pointing to the nerve that ran the length of my entire pain path. He lit me up with a Torodol injections (anti-inflame) in my neck and shoulder and scheduled me for an MRI immediately. BTW, he stated that in my condition and MRI (having to lay flat and still) is going to be one of the most painful things you've ever done (he was spot on, just brutal). Next day it was confirmed (as he stated) Herniation of the C5/6. He started therapy and performed traction (medieval head/neck pulling machine). I felt slight relief. He stated to ice the heck out of my neck over the weekend and return (Monday/today) for traction again. Well I iced it and found a way to perform a minor traction myself at home (using my arms and elbows, almost like I'm giving myself a full nelson). 30 mins later I felt, for the first GD time in 3 weeks, my muscles relax and my pain stop. I'm on an oral steroid for another 2 days and I'm sure repeated visits to this therapist, but I'm pain free for the most part, except that my posture is raised on my right shoulder still from tense but non-painful muscle tightening.
