Help with a trapped nerve.

[Justcarrymehome]

Last November I had a trapped nerve in my neck/shoulder that lasted for four months. Over the last few days the pain has returned in the same place but a whole lot worse.

I have had about 2 hours sleep due to the pain. Ibuprofen and paracetamol is not touching the pain at. I’ve been doing the exercises provided last time and using hot and cold compresses. I’m currently at work in absolute agony, I need to close up and pull down a shutter which just makes it worse. I can’t get to my GP until next week, should I try out of hours?

Is there anything else I can do that I haven’t tried?

Ouch, so sorry you’re in pain. Heat did it for me. I bought one of those microwaveable cushions and it helped. Do you have a chemist near? You can buy stick on pads that heat up. Or Voltoral Cream... but be careful how much painkiller you have had already as it counts as a dose.

After a car crash I had a trapped nerve in my neck and had physio over a number of weeks where I sat on a bed and my head was put in a kind of traction machine/crane that gently pulled my head upwards, stretching my neck.

It worked. This was nigh on 30 years ago so I don’t know if they still do this!

I didn’t have pain in my neck, my symptoms were in my right arm and leg.

At home I used to lay on my bed on my back with my head over the edge with my head hanging down and that seemed to gently stretch the neck.

The pain is centred around the trapezius muscle. It’s a burning pain starting there and moving down my arm. The area feels very tight. I’m going to try a hot water bottle when I am home.

That’s the pain I had, burning down my arm.

Tilting my head back over the side of my bed helped me more than a hot water bottle.

Thanks, will give it a try.

I found this weird neck brace thingy from Amazon helped loads amzn.to/2mqLN47

osteopath or some acupuncture ?

@Takemymeditation thank you for that link it looks fantastic.

It's amazingly good. I thought it would be crap, but it makes my head feel less heavy.....if that makes sense

You could try co-codamol instead of paracetamol? Try alternating heat and something cool as well. I found deep heat helpful when I had a trapped nerve.

I feel for you OP - I woke up with a trapped nerve in my neck one night and thought I was having a stroke. Co-Codamol got me through it

Don't use heat at all or have a bath it makes it swell up. Make sure you get some Naproxen. If there is a walking clinic ask them for a prescription.
Poor you.

@Takemymeditation I’ve ordered the inflatable neck thing and just showed it on Amazon to my husband who laughed but after reading the good reviews I think it looks brilliant!

Your husband is right to laugh, you'll feel like a dick head 😂
It does help though.

The only thing that is helping is putting pressure on area. I’ve had my OH and DS massaging it all night.

I’m in Scotland so need to phone Nhs24 to get a referral to docs on call but not really sure they can do much, as last time when I went to my GP they told me I just need to wait it out and gave me a sheet of exercises for people with arthritis.

An osteopath sorted mine out with gentle manipulation.