upper back, shoulder and neck pain?

QUESTION:
My major symptom is that I hurt like hell after about 5 hours of sleep, to the point where I have trouble finishing my 8 hours, and sometimes have to get up after 6-7 hours of sleep. Once I get up I feel better, though not great. Sometimes I hurt all day long. So, during the days, I SOMEtimes feel better, but I NEVER feel better during the night.

Is it the mattress? No, I do not believe it is. I have tried latex, Tempurpedic, Sealy, Spring Air, and other beds on vacation as well, and none of them make me feel any better.

I do stretches a lot which is what my chiro and PT told me to do, and insisted would get me over the pain - but after months of this, it still isn't any better, in fact it's worse now than it has been for a few months...

I am thinking of trying an inversion table, and/or a back stretcher (Lynx brand unit). My PT said it MIGHT help. Swimming seems to help, but I really don't have time to drive to a pool each day, plus not sure I could afford it.

ANSWER:
i got hit with high voltage (277) at the age of 27, electric work, which left me with third degree burns on both hands and a really screwed up body because it went crazy while the voltage was in control, it took me 4 days before i could get out of the bed to use the bathroom, my whole body was ripped, moving an inch hurt like a knife being stuck in me, ok, i slowly got better, well, not really, but moved along and was told by my mother to go back to work about 2 weeks after the accdent, i always listened to my mom but both my hands were bandaged up completely and i was still stiff as a board, my boss had called a few times to see how i was and wanted me to come back when i could, bla bla bla blabber, yaya, ok on to the point of this whole thing, my boss said i could come back to work and sit till i got better, ugh, i did, and found out later i had a back problem, a big problem, i sat around for 2 months whle my hands healed and my body went to crap, i've had back issues ever since, went to a few practers and did the routeen, my back was screwed up, so i quit my job to deal with it, ok, here we go, what i believe happen was during my 2 month healing process my body turned to mush from inactivy and only when i got my upper body strong again did the pain start to go away, you say swiming helps? i believe you and you have part of your anwser now :) well, i hope so anyway, i gotta run, this letter is killing me to write, but maybe that's good in a certain way, (working back to health) i'm no doctor as you can see by my crappy writing but i know what i know, I've been thinking of this myself, and am going to make an appt. with my HMO "primary care physician" to see if I can get him to approve an MRI.

However, aren't MRI's often unreliable when it comes to thes spine? It seems to me I've read this, but I'm not sure. Any knowledge or experience with MRI results on the spine?

One other "clue". I just have been noticing lately that if I use an ice pack on the area before going to bed, I sleep a LITTLE better, not well, but better. This indicates to me I do have inflammation, and so what is the inflammation from? Could it indeed be just bad posture? I am somehow doubtful of that...

It seems like it might have something to do with keeping your back in one position for an extended period of time. Have you tried sleeping in different positions, sleeping without a pillow or putting a pillow under your legs?

what i wouldn't give for a goood nights sleep, sigh" being so out of shape is what causes a lot of this issue imho, a new pillow does help however, for me anyway, they always flatten out after a few weeks and it's a pain separating the fibers to get it back like new again, or just drop another 5 bucks for a new one evey 2 weeks, someone needs to post a good place to get decent bed ware, i use a make shift body pillow made up from 4 pillows into a long pillow case, i keep it in front of me like my wife should be but that would create to much heat and movment would wakes us both, i just hold on to it and throw my leg over it, i'd be lost without it most likely, (linus blanket issue) foam is most likely the trick but i haven't the time to research everything i wish i could, or they cost to much, peace juba, many thanks for your thoughts...

 


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