Cervical Facet syndrome / spine / and back problems

Cervical Facet syndrome

i got an ear infection about 3 months ago in the right ear. every since then I have had unbearable pain on the right side of my neck to the lower back of my head and my spine and back hurts.

The pain in my neck hurts so bad that pain pills don't do anything and i just want to cry. I am 35 years old and I am in nursing school. It hurts me to sit in a chair for long periods of time. I feel bad everyday and I have been unable to work.

I went to a chiropractor yesterday and he did this treatment with this instrument that makes clicking noises. Now my neck feels terrible and so does the rest of my body. I just dont know what to do because I wake up like this and go to bed like this.

My leg muscles also feel very weak when I walk please help!

Hello J,
What is unclear is the connection between your ear infection and the neck pain. Have you had neck problems before? It could be that the ear infection was just a coincidence. It's most unlikely that the infection would have travelled to your neck. Fever? Swollen lymph nodes?

Your neck pain sounds like the routine stuff we treat every day. Most common is the cervical facet syndrome... type the term into the Search this site function at C-H for more info. Certainly can make you feel miz. Funnily enough I was consulted by another chiro yesterday with similar symptoms. Chiropractors are chiropractic patients too! We also get sore necks and backs.

Because of the tendency of Americans to sue their doctors at the drop of a hat, we have developed this more conservative way of treating with an activator. It's less likely to hurt, but helps more slowly too. Perhaps ask him to adjust your neck in the normal chiropractic way if the activator isn't helping.

But Rome wasn't built in a day. You didn't expect him to fix a three month sore neck in one treatment did you. Miracles we do at once, but the impossible takes a little longer!

Sorry for being facetious, but you get the drift. Sometimes chiropractic works magically well and quickly, but mostly it takes a course of treatment and then some rehab exercises...

You don't sleep on your tum?

If you've had previous injury, and aren't getting better, get some X-rays of your neck.

A direct affect of your neck on your legs is unlikely at your age (cervical spinal stenosis) but it's one bod - when things go wrong at one end, it certainly can affect other body parts.

Perhaps print this out, and discuss it with your chirorpactor at the next visit.

I hope this has contributed.
Dr B