A weird neck muscle question | Arthritis Information

Ok, so I have been having a lot of problems with my neck/upper back/shoulder area again this weekend. I mean the pain is totally unbearable. I have had to take the max on the ultracets & robaxin and still I had no relief.

I was wondering ... if the tighening of my neck muscles could have caused me to have those stroke like symptoms last year. Because last year my neck was always like this. Could have the neck muscles have cut of flow?

I just know... this pain needs to go away. And that I need a new muscle relaxer. LOL!

I can't raise my arms to take my shirt off. The pain is making me have headaches. The pain is running down my neck and to my collarbones. It hurts to lay down, sit up, walk, stand, anything.... except lay on my back. But I can't lay on my back because it hurts my knees.

Good thing my RD appt is tomorrow!

I do not this is RA but Fibro with a little bit of RA mixed in.

I can't answer about the stroke connection- I just don't know. Have you tried to let the hot shower pound on those muscles? Do you need a new pillow? Are you stressed out? Sometimes these things cause those kinds of pains to be worse.Got a new pillow a couple months back. Hot shower does not help. Nope, not stressed out.

I use to get it all the time before I started Remicade. It goes away after I remicade infusions and comes back when it starts to wear off.

It has been like this since Friday. I did not even get to go out for valentine's day to my dinner & movie because I was in so much pain.

It is actually a little better today, but my shoulders still hurt.

The days before ... you could see the muscle pulled tight on the right side of my neck. And my head was tilted to the right because the muscle was pulling it.

I tried to do neck rotations, but there was to rotation LOL! It was just right side and then it stopped and would shoot a pain down my back like under my shoulder blade. Like something was pulled. It is just very uncomfortable and the muscle relaxers are not working.

Is there an AI disease that effects the muscles?

I think my neck/upperback/shoulder muscle problem & my right thigh muscle problem might be caused by the same thing.

joonie2009-02-16 13:00:57I wass having muscle spasms in the neck/shoulder/upper back area. It took 2 months of physical therapy and the addition of flexeril to stop them. For me the spasms were causing migraine level headaches..daily, the inability to turn my head and numbness.

in PT we did some exercises but it was mainly deep muscle massage and stretching. Its amazing what difference that made

I have been doing the neck exercises my neurologist gave me sheets on to help with my neck, but it does not work all the time. Just like the muscle relaxers do not work all the time.

I am going to tell my RD about it tomorrow. I have told her before, but she kept saying it was fibro.

try stretching your arm/shoulder as well...lay on your back and try to bring your arm up over your head...if you can't do it on your own have your husband do it for you....very gently. The problem is that the neck exercises only work in one direction on the muscleOk... will try it. That was not one of the exercises on the paper.

only PT I have been RXed was tens machine, and that was last July. I did not do it, but that is what he said would help me.

Thanks buckeye!

Well by the look of your knees you are swelling. So I am sure you have swelling in your shoulders. I get it in the joint where my neck and back joint. So when that spot swells and the shoulders swell the swelling rubs into swelling. Anything i think can happen.

For years my flares have started out with what i would to myself call one of strokes coming on. I would honestly be numb on one side of my body. I think because of swelling around the spine. I never had droopy eyes. But i certainly walked funny. Then the carpul Tunnel would set in and i would start dropping everything. I just think swelling causes nuerological symtems. Especially in the neck and spine. But your meds and fast pulse rate probably did not help.

How long have you been taking Remicade? Do you think it is working very well for you? Has your blood pressure gotten any better scince you switched meds?

Hang in there Joonie. Feel better soon.