FAQs

I've been watching the Olympics and thinking maybe I should get back into some kind of exercise program. But I've had neck pain off and on (especially when I do try to exercise). What can I do about this? Neck pain is a common problem among all age groups and often for different reasons. Women seem to be affected more than men. High-level athletes, weekend warriors, stay-at-home moms can all experience neck stiffness, pain, dizziness, and loss of muscle control. There doesn't have to be a major ...

I've been told that my dizziness is probably coming from an old neck injury from high school but no one seems to know how to correct the problem. Can you suggest anything? Any exercises that might help? Oculomotor control (the use of the eyes and head together) is a complex system that relies on the coordination of neck and eye muscles, cervical spine movement, neck stability, and even something called neck repositioning acuity.Any injury to the neck (even mild sprains, strains, and contusions) ...

I'm seeing a physiotherapist for neck pain from a car accident two months ago. She says I have "trigger points" that have to be released before I'll get my neck motion back. Is this a normal problem to have after a whiplash injury or am I unusual? Up to 40 per cent of individuals who hurt their necks in a car accident end up with chronic pain and loss of neck motion. It's likely that trigger points (TrPs) are a large part of the picture both in cause and effect. We'll explain what that means.Fir...

I've had neck pain for years so I Googled 'neck pain' and your site came up first. Without seeing me, what can you tell me about the best way to get out of this hole I'm in? It is always a good idea to see a physician and make sure there is nothing serious going on. Infection, tumor, and fracture are the three most important things to rule out. If it turns out you have mechanical pain (caused by soft tissue structures), then you have several options.Treatment choices for chronic biomechanical ne...

I've seen my regular doctor, a physiotherapist, and a chiropractor for a whiplash injury I got three months ago. I'm still no better and in pain every day. I don't know what to do next. What do you advise? After all you have been through, this may sound a bit odd but studies show it may be possible to get too much medical help too soon after a whiplash injury. A recent review examining the results of early treatment for whiplash may be of interest to you. The researchers showed a surprising amou...

About six weeks ago, I had a car crash that put me in a neck brace for a month. Now that I'm out it's very difficult to turn my head. I certainly can't turn quickly and that's a major problem driving. What can I do about this? Anyone who has had an accident resulting in a whiplash injury knows the neck pain, stiffness, and loss of motion that can develop afterwards. Many people recover in a few days to a few weeks. But just as many develop chronic symptoms referred to as whiplash-associated diso...

I had a car accident last week that has left me shaken. I expected neck pain and got it. What I didn't expect was to be so dizzy. How long does this last? Studies show that up to 40 per cent of people involved in car accidents, with neck trauma in the form of whiplash develop persistent symptoms. Dizziness is one of three most common symptoms after whiplash trauma. Pain and postural unsteadiness are the other two common problems reported.The presence of dizziness early on after whiplash injury m...

I saw a special on TV about whiplash injuries. I was especially interested because I had a car accident three years ago and still have neck pain. What I wonder is how do they get those X-rays showing what happens to the neck during the sudden stop. Is it all just photo-shopped in? Sometimes computer simulated graphics are used to depict what happens during an accident causing injuries such as whiplash. But even those simulations are based on actual biomechanics studies conducted in research labo...

Please help me out here. I'm seeing a physiotherapist for neck pain following a terrible car accident I had three months ago. She tries to tell me some of my pain is coming from fear of movement. She says, "motion is lotion" meaning I have to move more. I tell her that the reason I can't move more is because it hurts. We don't seem to be getting through to each other. What do you suggest? Fear of movement (also known as fear-avoidance behavior or FAB) is fairly common after whiplash injuries. So...

I'm a college football player. The doc says I've had one too many stingers and the problem has become "chronic". What does that mean? As you already know, a stinger is an injury to a nerve in the neck. It's a common injury among players involved in contact sports (football players being the most commonly affected athletes). Getting hit on the head from one side is usually enough to do it. A cervical nerve (coming from the spinal cord to the arm in the neck) gets stretched or pinched.Besides neck...

Mother has been complaining about neck pain and stiffness for the last couple of months. She has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis but it's only in her hands. Is it possible these new symptoms could be from the arthritis, too? Although rheumatoid arthritis (RA) seems to target the small joints of the hands and feet, in fact, it can affect any joint in the body, including the cervical spine (neck).Head, neck, and/or arm pain with or without numbness and tingling of the arms and/or hands c...

Can you please explain a brachial plexus injury to me? My brother is a garbage man. His arm got caught in the automatic trash compactor. They say he has this type of nerve injury and may never recover fully. Brachial plexus injuries refer to stretching, avulsion, or rupture of a group of nerves that come from the spinal cord in the neck. Avulsion tells us the nerve root is torn from the spinal cord where it attaches. Rupture refers to a complete tear across the nerve dividing it into two or more...