Trapped nerve in neck is the absolute worst.

[ssssskssskchee]

Has anyone else had a pinched nerve in the neck / cervical radiculopathy?

2 weeks ago I suddenly woke up with shoulder pain which over a few days worsened to left arm weakness, loss of strength in the arm, awful nerve pain throughout my arm and shoulder, pins and needles etc.

Saw the physio who diagnosed a trapped nerve in my neck and both the physio and GP all said it would be anything from 4 to 12 weeks for recovery and I have to rest the nerve.

I'm slightly better with the aid of Amitriptyline although I’m groggy and exhausted. The pain is slightly more manageable. I’m not working or driving and I’m counting down the days till this is better.

has anyone been through it and got any words of advice? Or success stories to get me through?

I injured it during a Pilates session ironically!

I’ve had this. Very painful. Diazepam and physio.

The pain was awful. I also just woke up in agony. Mine started off in the top of my arm felt like sunburn and it just got worse and worse, then started travelling down my arm in to my hands and up in to my neck and shoulder. Constant pain with some shooting pains.

Probably the first 2 weeks were the worst before I saw a physio. By the 4th week the pain was ok and I stopped taking any medication and was back at work (working from home).

It was a private physio I saw that really helped, it was like she released something in my neck/ shoulder and from then on it got better. She did a gentle massage. I had another physio appointment the following week (she was unavailable) so I had her colleague and they made it worse again for gd few days they were being very hard it put me back several days if not around a week in my recovery😭 I was off work for 3wks total but would have been more if I had to physically go out the home for work.

Don’t drive and don’t be lifting anything if u can help it. I even struggled putting a baking tray in the oven or lifting the kettle. It was also my right arm. You have my sympathy, it’s an awful thing to get.

I am on week 10 of this. I spent five weeks in bed and it was the most excruciating pain (up there with childbirth.) I was x rayed and MRI scanned which revealed foraminal stenosis with radiculpathy c5-c6 c6-c7. I was given diazepam initially then codeine and amitriptyline. Nothing worked to relieve the horrendous pain. I was eventually given Gabapentin which took three weeks to work. I couldn’t sit at all and when walking I had to hold my arm in the air and lie down as soon as I could. The first consultant thought it was muscular. I knew it was nerve pain because of the arm pain. I saw three consultants privately and in the end had a steroid injection that was guided by x ray. It took 4 weeks to work and I was told it was 50-50 that it would work at all. I have had regular physio including massage and acupuncture. I’ve recently seen a cranial osteopath but I would not advise any of this before having an MRI as it could make it much worse. You have my sympathy it is the most horrendous pain. The steroid injection has worked, it took four weeks and I am now titrating down off the medication which is also horrendous tbh. Good luck I’m happy to chat further if it helps.