Can't rotate my head to the right...hurts so bad...

[MonarchX]

I had X-Rays done - my spine/neck are perfect. No MRI, yet.


This happened a few months ago. I don't know how.

The result is that I can't turn my head right. I can turn it right almost all the way, BUT at the very end (when chin is right above shoulder), it hurts like HELL. Its hard to tell what hurts. It feels like neck muscle (the one that attached neck to head).

What hurts more is if in that position (chin above shoulder), I LOWER my chin to my shoulder. Thats like the peak of pain.



It used to be that I had hard time turning my head right at all, so I forced myself to sleep on my stomach, and turned my head right. It hurt so bad, but it went through after a few nights!

Now, I just stretch my neck in all directions and also force my head to turn right to the peak and stay there or go past it for 30 seconds or so.




Anything else I should do?


P.S. Many advice to visit doctors.... I went to my physician, another physician, orthopedic center, and physical therapy. I had massage, chiropractor, and needles stuck in my neck. All these guys are CLUELESS. Its like they never went to a med. school. I went to docs in SC and NYC!

[MonarchX]

It also hurts if I LEAN my head to the left (not rotate, but lean).

So, hurts to rotate to right, lean to left, and touch shoulder with chin when rotated to the right.

[Horseradish]

Go to a different chiropractor.

[ITHURTZ]

This has been hurting for a long time? I only have that happen when I sleep wrong and when you look in the mirror one shoulder is lower than the other. For me 3-4 days and its gone

[tbush]

I hurt my neck (right said where it connects into the back of the head) 3 weeks ago and I have noticed pain in it up until today. It was similar, hurt when I rotated to the right and when I leaned my head in any direction. When it first happened I could barely move it in any direction but straight. However, it healed and went away on its own. I didn't force it to stretch out, and I slept with my head more or less facing forward.

[BradleyS]

I'm clueless as well buddy.

But, get a MRI done before you let anyone stick more needles in your neck or see a chiro. I'm not the biggest fan of chiros, as IMHO they can easily do more harm then good.

MRI is the way to go, as it will reveal much more then what an xray can (which i'm sure you already know). I've never personally had major neck problems. However, when lifting, always always ALWAYS keep your head straight ahead, NEVER look around. Once when I started lifting and did the chest press machine, a kid fell next to me and I looked. Bad idea, stiff and incredibly sore for a few days. Same with squatting, cept some fatass ran into the bar. It annoys the hell out of me when personal trainers spin their head in what seems like circles while trying to teach clients.

If it hurts to move it, why force it? Other then the fact it could possibly stiffen up...I wouldn't force it. I'm a big fan of ice, then heat.

[rockhuddy]

"Torticollis, sometimes called wry neck is not a virus at all. Torticollis is a muscle spasm in the neck, similar to having a charlie horse in your leg. A person will often awaken with it after being outdoors in the wind the day before or having slept with an open window that brought a cool draft into the bedroom. Having contracted this condition the alignment of my neck and spine did get somewhat contorted. I greatly benefited from a spinal adjustment from my chiropractor along with his advice to keep warm and relaxed. I wouldn't recommend a person going to visit their chiropractor immediately after contracting Acute Torticollis while the spasms are apparent and painful. As the spasms subside and the pain lessens getting a chiropractic examination would be helpful to get you back to a normal state."


Years ago (I was in 5th grade), I had a very bad case of this- a stiff neck that actually caused my cervical vertebrae to move out of alignment (subluxation). I required lots of therapy and at-home traction to fix the problem, and it was very painful. Finally they just had to pop the vertebrae back in, and after that it took another couple weeks to stretch out my neck to regain full ROM without pain.

My advice: F*ck the chiropractor. You need a real medical professional. It took some shopping around for me before I found someone that really knew his **** and could help, so keep at it.

[jacobcanfield]

As a sports chiropractor, I see cases like this on a daily basis and have great results. I've worked with the Detroit Red Wings and professional athletes in all sports. I wouldn't just say "f*ck the chiropractor." Humble opinions don't mean much to me as the research clearly demonstrates chiropractic has far better outcomes for neck pain and back pain than PT or visiting your physician. What I would recommend is hopping on healthgrades or google and finding a chiropractor that has a ton of reviews so you can see that they clearly get results. I prefer to not use a bunch of modalities like e-stim, ultrasound, etc. Usually a couple of specific chiropractic adjustments will get rid of your problem. Otherwise, your option's with your MD are drugs or surgery. Also, an MRI is most likely not necessary if you're having no shooting pain down your arms, decreased reflexes, or muscle weaknesses.

[fiebru1119]

Have you had these before?

I had a similar situation months ago, turned out to just be a muscle spasm. Get rest try massaging it and try some muscle relaxers if you can get your hands on them. Alternating hot/cold wouldn't hurt also.

[sgttom]

I've had this pain before but it went away after a couple weeks. I am guessing it was just some type of strain that happened during lifting.

[cinnamon123]

I had X-Rays done - my spine/neck are perfect. No MRI, yet.


This happened a few months ago. I don't know how.

The result is that I can't turn my head right. I can turn it right almost all the way, BUT at the very end (when chin is right above shoulder), it hurts like HELL. Its hard to tell what hurts. It feels like neck muscle (the one that attached neck to head).

What hurts more is if in that position (chin above shoulder), I LOWER my chin to my shoulder. Thats like the peak of pain.



It used to be that I had hard time turning my head right at all, so I forced myself to sleep on my stomach, and turned my head right. It hurt so bad, but it went through after a few nights!

Now, I just stretch my neck in all directions and also force my head to turn right to the peak and stay there or go past it for 30 seconds or so.




Anything else I should do?


P.S. Many advice to visit doctors.... I went to my physician, another physician, orthopedic center, and physical therapy. I had massage, chiropractor, and needles stuck in my neck. All these guys are CLUELESS. Its like they never went to a med. school. I went to docs in SC and NYC!

I'm suffering with the similar pain. How did you heal your neck pain?

[Kjetil1234]

You were extremely STUPID to force neck rotation to sleep on the stomach.

Now answer the questions in my signature, I need more info.

[klikker]

Try trigger points massage on scalene and stretching.