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Back and Neck Injury/Questions Answered by Expert Lawrence Gold
| Subject | Date Asked |
| C3,C4,C5 | 1/25/2012 |
| Q: Five years ago I had severe pain on the left side of my neck and arm that lasted for about ten days. ... A: Max, The first thing I would check is the state of your neck muscles. Tight muscles cause ... | |
| Low Back Pain MRI Results | 1/24/2012 |
| Q: I would like your ideas on if this new MRI result is just worsening from the original problem or if ... A: Kym, These results are moderate, compared to some I have seen. re: "disc desiccation" and "disc ... | |
| Severe neck pain | 1/23/2012 |
| Q: I have severe neck and head pain and have exhausted all the invasive treatments (traction, physical ... A: Janet. Sorry to hear of your distressing condition. Yes, I can help. Those are all symptoms of ... | |
| pinched nerve in neck | 1/14/2012 |
| Q: I have a pinched nerve in my neck that burns all the time. The pain runs down my neck into my ... A: Eric, I know the sensation. There is a permanent solution: retrain your control of the muscles in ... | |
| annular tear at L4-5 level and disc bulge. | 11/5/2011 |
| Q: 2 years ago I slipped on icy stairs and went flying down 25 steps on my butt and lower back. I ... A: Victoria. All painful accidents cause the same kind of response, a cringing or tightening of ... | |
| LOWER BACK PAIN | 11/4/2011 |
| Q: Hello I fell on some steps I feel like i might have twisted or pulled something And i already ... A: Carolyn, All painful accidents cause the same kind of response, a cringing or tightening of muscles ... | |
| Mystery Thoracic Spine Pain | 11/2/2011 |
| Q: A year and 5 months ago, a drunk driver hit me on my driver's side. For 6 long months, I saw a ... A: Terry, It's not that nothing showed up on your MRI; it's that the radiologist doesn't know how to ... | |
| foot problem when driving | 9/29/2011 |
| Q: Sir Since having a herniated disk L5 about 5 years ago I have had problems with my foot when ... A: Albert. Nerve damage need not be the case for the foot symptom you describe; nerve compression is ... | |
| bulging disc L4/5 | 8/24/2011 |
| Q: I am a 24 year old female in great health. No smoking, rarely drinking, and relatively a healthy ... A: Jol. The time span to heal from this condition is about two weeks -- using the approach I ... | |
| memory loss | 8/23/2011 |
| Q: I am a 40 year old female. I was in a car crash and ejected from the car. I had damage of the c2,c3, ... A: Puzzles and wordfinds use only the verbal mind, which depends upon memory and the entire ... | |
| memory loss | 8/23/2011 |
| Q: I am a 40 year old female. I was in a car crash and ejected from the car. I had damage of the c2,c3, ... A: Araylia, Vision is tied in with the musculature of the neck, which coordinate with the muscles of ... | |
| spinal pain | 8/22/2011 |
| Q: sir, i'm 21 yrs. old. about 2 yrs. before i lift my friend up whose weight is about 75 kgs and i was ... A: Manish. It's not a case of disc slip; it's a case of muscle spasm in your back. Please see the ... | |
| Back Pain and Numbness | 8/21/2011 |
| Q: As of yesterday, I have had a numbness/tingling feeling in my spine.. It is mostly in my lower back, ... A: Rachel, Stabbing pain in the back from movement usually comes from back muscles in spasm. You need ... | |
| neck, upper back and shoulder injury | 8/19/2011 |
| Q: Please help. Looking for answers. Doctors don't know what to do here. A friend was hurt on the ... A: Judi. The answer to your question, "What would make the muscles remain in spasm?" is Trauma Reflex. ... | |
| Sciatic Nerve | 8/18/2011 |
| Q: I'm a 57 yr old male in good shape. I've had sciatic nerve pain going from my rightside from my ... A: Roger. Basic suggestion: See my entry on the condition. Two common forms of sciatica exist, and ... | |
| L3-5 and loss of bladder control | 8/16/2011 |
| Q: Aug. 16 2011 I'm a 40 yr old female. I took a hard fall down my steps landing on my bottom down 3 ... A: Elizabeth. RE: "My G.P. said I may have a pinched nerve causing my loss of control, the bone and ... | |
| L5/S1 | 8/15/2011 |
| Q: whats the best way to treat a persistent right sided sciatica L5 S1 distribution. they said that I ... A: Surgery is appropriate only when a disc is ruptured. Otherwise, it's "ill advised". Most sciatica ... | |
| Lower back pain | 8/13/2011 |
| Q: gold, I'm Danny. I'm a 16 year old male with a problem. In the middle of the night when I went to ... A: Danny, Most cases of back pain come from tight, fatigued, sore back muscles -- often from long-term ... | |
| Back pain | 8/11/2011 |
| Q: I just had a MRI on my LSpine. The report writes Intervertebral discs - Degenerative disc disease ... A: Saha, "Degenerative Disc Disease" isn't a disease, despite the name. It's the consequence of very ... | |
| Brain scarring and chronic pain | 8/10/2011 |
| Q: Can scarring on the brain cause chronic head, neck and back pain or cause misfiring in the brain ... A: Christine. I don't think so. A brain injury generally causes paralysis or loss of sensory ... | |
| neck | 8/8/2011 |
| Q: ive had c4-c5-c6 fused. i recently had a ct scan done and here are the results. c5 partialcollapse ... A: Ann. Despite what orthopedists and neurologists say, vertebrae don't just "collapse"; they are ... | |
| degenerative disc disease, herniated and buldging discs | 7/7/2011 |
| Q: My husband, who is 31, was diagnosed with having bulging and herniated discs,and degenerative disc ... A: Jennifer. My offering is better than medication. First a few words. The bulging discs and ... | |
| Lumbar disc problems | 7/6/2011 |
| Q: In 2009 I was a victim in a car accident and had problems that at were first diagnosed as muscle ... A: Jim. First thing: while disc problems and stenosis might seem to outrank muscular contractions as ... | |
| Back Pain | 7/5/2011 |
| Q: Over a year ago I had a back surgery for a blown out disk in my lower back. While the doctor was ... A: Michael, To answer your closing question first, yes, I do have a suggestion: Please read my ... | |
| Recent Back Injury | 7/2/2011 |
| Q: I was wondering if you could help me make heads or tails of my current situation. I got my CT scan ... A: Jessica, The reason reflexes have gone and you have pins and needles is that reflexes and sensation ... | |
| head and neck pain | 6/30/2011 |
| Q: 69 yr female. had cracked vertabrae 30 or so yrs ago. Fell 4 yrs ago. no breaks at that time. Took ... A: Donna, In answer to your question, in a word, yes. Even injuries long ago prime the body to ... | |
| muscle strain? | 6/29/2011 |
| Q: I made the mistake (at least I think so) of going to a chiropractor last summer. When I got there I ... A: Tori. For convenience, I have interleaved my answers within your~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It sounded ... | |
| Recent Back Injury | 6/28/2011 |
| Q: I was wondering if you could help me make heads or tails of my current situation. I got my CT scan ... A: Jessica. The distilled essence of this report is that you have tight back muscles, which cause disc ... | |
| Balance disorder | 6/26/2011 |
| Q: Mr. Gold, Thank you for your time in responding to this forum. I am a 53 years old male. In December ... A: Steve, I could hardly have said it better, myself. What you have described is called "cervicogenic ... | |
| Cervical: Neck Pain | 5/26/2011 |
| Q: I am 58 years old, working as Attache in the High Commission of India, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.I was ... A: Pawan. Avoid surgery. It misses the point. Your neck muscles are highly contracted, causing ... | |
| neck pops and cracks | 4/26/2011 |
| Q: In 2001 I had a cervical fusion on C6 & C7. Last winter 9 years later in 2010, I fell outside in the ... A: Jill. The missing piece in understanding such injuries is the muscular contractions that ensue. ... | |
| Severe back pain & Cat scan? | 4/1/2011 |
| Q: I injured my back in 08 unloading a semi, I had partial laminectomy surgery on L5-S1. This did help ... A: Tiffiney, Well, sounds like you've "been through the mill". (Sigh) There is a way that is so much ... | |
| MRI of cervical spine | 3/23/2011 |
| Q: I was having fairly severe neck pain and was sent for an MRI. The Dr said I was OK - nothing ... A: This report indicates beginning appearance of bone spurs and minor disc protrusion -- both of which ... | |
| Back Injury | 3/22/2011 |
| Q: I am a 42yo female and had a work related injury to my back in 2003. Over the past 7 years I have ... A: Kristina. The findings of the x-rays are not causes, but effects; the cause is excessively ... | |
| Questions about cervical spine bulge and effacing | 2/24/2011 |
| Q: my husband lifts weights and about a week ago after a workout he was having some neck pain and left ... A: Jennifer, Disc bulges and nerve impingements (numbness) come from the same cause: tight and ... | |
| Neck Pain and Dizziness | 2/23/2011 |
| Q: I have a whiplash injury due to hitting a curb in my car. I have had a couple MRI's with nothing ... A: Yes -- it's obvious to me: Your neck muscles went into contraction. ... causing nerve compression. ... | |
| DDD, Bertolotti's, SIJ, ED, Hypermobility | 1/23/2011 |
| Q: Initially, thank you for being on here for people like us! It is appreciated. By way of ... A: Well, Ken, this all simplifies down pretty well: Your whole spinal musculature, including your ... | |
| Low back pain | 12/28/2010 |
| Q: I recently had an x-ray of my lower back are due to pain. The final report read as follows: Loss ... A: Joel. It means your back muscles are so tight that they are compressing discs and the contact ... | |
| painful burning upper back pain | 10/9/2010 |
| Q: i just recently cracked my upper back and neck by pulling my head forward. it felt like something ... A: Dan. Your need to crack your upper back and neck indicates that you had tight muscles that caused ... | |
| chronic back and neck pain | 10/7/2010 |
| Q: On May 4, 2009 I fell on my lower back since then I have had pain radiating down right leg with ... A: Kathy. It all reduces down to this simplicity: you have tight muscles along the length of your ... | |
| consultancy | 9/8/2010 |
| Q: I had harsh pains on my back bone when I did an x-rays I found the following - Straightening of the ... A: AH. Paravertebral muscle spasms result from conditioning of the brain and muscular system usually ... | |
| Back and Neck pain | 9/7/2010 |
| Q: Pain both side of my body mostly left. I get terrible headaches and pain in both side of my neck and ... A: Bea. Disc protrusions and loss of function indicate very tight spinal musculature at the level of ... | |
| back pain | 8/4/2010 |
| Q: I had a fall about a year ago and I am still hurting. I was knocked down about two years ago and ... A: Robyn, People have a universal response to pain or injury: We tighten up. Such tightness may last ... | |
| neck pain | 8/2/2010 |
| Q: I have been popping my neck ever since i was about 10 yrs old I am now 30 and for the past year my ... A: Heather. Your neck is tight. That's why you've had enough discomfort to want to pop it. A tight ... | |
| mid back pain | 8/1/2010 |
| Q: My old job consisted of repetitive lifting.I noticed that in my mid back where the thoracic and ... A: Rick. Recommendations: Locate and get sessions with a Hanna somatic educator, who specializes in ... | |
| mid back pain | 7/30/2010 |
| Q: My old job consisted of repetitive lifting.I noticed that in my mid back where the thoracic and ... A: Costochroniditis means "irritation of the rib cartilage", so the answer is, yes. But it isn't a ... | |
| neck | 6/28/2010 |
| Q: I have c4/5 and c5/6 bulging with mass affect on my spinal cord, and I get numb at some stage on all ... A: Linda. The MRI report restates what we have discussed, so my answer is the same. You may feel the ... | |
| mri results | 6/28/2010 |
| Q: I had a new mri done and to me it seems like it's not good. The first one ihad done 3 yrs. agosaid i ... A: Diane. You have disc bulges (herniations) and vertebral breakdown -- both the typical result of ... | |
| Narrowing of foreamen post injury | 6/25/2010 |
| Q: my brother was run over by a car some years ago, causing fractures to c4/5 and lumbar fractures. ... A: Stuart. What doctors almost always miss in this kind of situation is the muscular contractions ... | |
| Disc Compressionn - Lower Back Pain | 6/23/2010 |
| Q: Lawrence, I had a severe pain in my back while I was playing cricket 6 months back. I thought it ... A: Your doctor's recommendation of exercises was a sound one -- but the exercises did not take you all ... | |
| neck | 6/22/2010 |
| Q: I have c4/5 and c5/6 bulging with mass affect on my spinal cord, and I get numb at some stage on all ... A: Linda. As to the reason for face numbness, there are "spinal accessory nerves" in the neck that, ... | |
| neck | 6/21/2010 |
| Q: I have c4/5 and c5/6 bulging with mass affect on my spinal cord, and I get numb at some stage on all ... A: Linda. The common cause of disc bulges is tight spinal muscles. Surgery can't correct that; ... | |
| mid back pain | 6/20/2010 |
| Q: My old job consisted of repetitive lifting.I noticed that in my mid back where the thoracic and ... A: Rick. Here's the simple answer: Your work conditioned your trunk muscles into being musclebound. ... | |
| back pain ect | 6/17/2010 |
| Q: hello was told may last year 09 that i had start of inpichment of c4c 5 i now have a lot of ... A: Derek. I'd suggest you learn about nerve impingements and what it takes to clear them up. With the ... | |
| Question about symptoms i'm experiencing after 5 years after broken neck | 5/17/2010 |
| Q: 5 years ago i was in a 4-wheeler accident and broke either my c-3 or c-4(cant remember for sure) ... A: Kimberly, I can account for some of your symptoms: [intense neck, back, head, and shoulder pain] ... | |
| Neck and throat tightness & swelling | 5/15/2010 |
| Q: four weeks ago i started chiropractic care for a pain and numbness in my limbs, shoulders, and neck ... A: Jordan, The "rubber bands" feeling and your chiropractor's comment about the muscles getting a good ... | |
| MRI results, neck/shoulder pain | 5/14/2010 |
| Q: I have been suffering from neck/shoulder pain for about 2 months now. (some headaches as well) ... A: Terry, I can't give you insight as to what the treatment a neurosurgeon will decide upon. However, ... | |
| Hamstring/Back Pains | 5/12/2010 |
| Q: I am 17 years old. I am a gymnast (have been for 10+ years), as well as a diver and a pole vaulter. ... A: Jordan. If your hamstrings won't stretch out, then they are not flexible. With regard to sciatica, ... | |
| I want to know my opions and understanding whats in my MRI report. | 4/23/2010 |
| Q: I had a MRI back in 2/18/2010. I am 27 years old mother of 2 boys who are 5 and 9 yrs old. I am ... A: Sarah. Disc protrusions, osteophytes, and numbness point to nerve impingement by tight neck ... | |
| liteheadedness | 4/22/2010 |
| Q: I keep getting lite headed but it only seems to bother the right side of my head. To me it seems as ... A: Dale. About the first link, try again; if necessary, cut and paste the entire link into a browser ... | |
| liteheadedness | 4/22/2010 |
| Q: I keep getting lite headed but it only seems to bother the right side of my head. To me it seems as ... A: Dale. You've described three things: - stroke affecting your right side - lightheadedeness on the ... | |
| Neck and Shoulder Pain | 4/19/2010 |
| Q: I have been having this pain for the past three years. I have consulted Accupunture, chinese ... A: Bergeron. "Stiffness" means "tight muscles." Since your Physical Therapy exercise has been ... | |
| sharp head pains | 4/18/2010 |
| Q: My 11 year daughter has been getting severe head pains every 5-10 minutes apart for the last 2 ... A: Glenda. Neuralgic pain commonly comes from tight muscles; that may be the case for your daughter. ... | |
| mri- understanding condition | 4/17/2010 |
| Q: I have been having issues with my neck and down to the middle of my back. I recently had a c5-c6 ... A: Lori, The loss of signal may result from the surgery -- or from muscular contractions that led to ... | |
| Back pain | 4/16/2010 |
| Q: i'm 22 years old and i've been dealing with this back pain for quite awhile. It's in my lumbar ... A: Elizabeth. I can't answer for the reasoning of others. Something you say mystifies me: You say ... | |
| L4-5 central L5-S1 Lower back pain w/Annular Tear | 4/15/2010 |
| Q: Will cortisone shots or chiropractic spinal manipulations help with my lower back pain to heal? My ... A: Kenny. Cortizone is used as an anti-inflammatory -- and it has the effect of causing connecting ... | |
| advice on disc bulge | 4/14/2010 |
| Q: There is posterior disc bulge found in my mri scan. I have taken treatment from neuro surgeon and ... A: Rakesh, The report you attached indicates two conditions: 1) loss of normal lumbar curve 2) ... | |
| lower back injury, fall at work | 4/13/2010 |
| Q: 10/26/2009. I work in an ER and the custodian had put a slippery floor wax down and I came through ... A: Edie. I think the orthopedist is right, that it's muscular, but it's not a 'strain'; it's a ... | |
| Disc Dessication | 4/11/2010 |
| Q: I've been having neck pain lately so I had a MRI of my cervical spine performed. The MRI revealed ... A: Mike. Climbing could be contributing to the problem, given the very high state of muscular tension ... | |
| extreme pain | 4/5/2010 |
| Q: I am experiencing extreme pain in my lower right back. This is third time over the past few months ... A: Yes, Sara, there may be a direct connection between your urinary tract infection and your back pain. ... | |
| Chronic low back pain | 3/1/2010 |
| Q: I have suffered from chronic low back pain for 9 months and no one could find out why. I have 4 ... A: Mihajlo, Surgery is a desperation measure for sciatica. It's too soon for that. May I direct you ... | |
| Manual therapy on neck caused temp blindness | 2/27/2010 |
| Q: I was having therapy on my neck and when the therapist was going some manipulation he hit something ... A: Kim. The manipulations of the therapist may have caused a momentary pressure on a blood vessel to ... | |
| what to do with my back!!! please help me! | 1/25/2010 |
| Q: the 26th of January will be my 3 week anniversary of my horrible pulled muscle in my back(im not ... A: Emilie, "Pulled muscle" really means "muscle spasm". Yes, I think it's that. They don't "go ... | |
| Grinding of the neck | 1/24/2010 |
| Q: I moved my neck by flexing it and heard a pop.now when i move my neck to left and right and back i ... A: John, I can hear that you're frustrated. However, the answer is lengthy and already exists in the ... | |
| Grinding of the neck | 1/24/2010 |
| Q: I moved my neck by flexing it and heard a pop.now when i move my neck to left and right and back i ... A: John, My clients with neck trouble are typically very contracted in the neck muscles. In their ... | |
| low back pain | 1/23/2010 |
| Q: Should I be in this much pain? MRI results:l3-l4 there is mild circumferential narrowing of the ... A: Frank. Most back pain comes from muscular contractions, not from narrowing of the thecal sac or ... | |
| Sacralization | 1/22/2010 |
| Q: I have been to family Doctor, pain management specialist, and physical therapy, but I still have ... A: Sean. Your report on your results from stretching is consistent with my understanding. Let me ... | |
| Worried about my husband! | 1/20/2010 |
| Q: Every since I have known my husband he has had pain in his back. Here recently it has gotten worse. ... A: Mary Jane, If your husband elects to go the medical route before the more conservative, less ... | |
| siatic nerve pain | 1/20/2010 |
| Q: my name is Allison and i was wondering if there was anyway you could help me... about a year ago i ... A: Allison, Making an educated guess, I think your spinal tap (those are painful, aren't they?) ... | |
| Worried about my husband! | 1/19/2010 |
| Q: Every since I have known my husband he has had pain in his back. Here recently it has gotten worse. ... A: Mary Jane. Injuries trigger protective reflexes that override free movement. Medical methods deal ... | |
| Worried about my husband! | 1/19/2010 |
| Q: Every since I have known my husband he has had pain in his back. Here recently it has gotten worse. ... A: Mary Jane. I can't answer your question as posed -- because doctors have no effective way of ... | |
| Neck Curve | 1/18/2010 |
| Q: Will the posture pump reverse the curve in your neck and how long will it take to do, if I use the ... A: Lisa, You can't rely on a posture pump to change the curve in your neck. "The curve in your neck" ... | |
| Posterior Central Disc Protrusion at L5/S1 | 1/16/2010 |
| Q: I have lower back pain since 15 years. My most recent MRI states, "There is a posterior central ... A: Adil Farooq, Disc protrusions commonly result from excessive muscular tension in the neighboring ... | |
| atlas bone | 12/21/2009 |
| Q: i have level 2 hypertension. i'm bothered by gout. i heard today on an infomercial that the meds can ... A: Charlie. Public communications are often oversimplifications. This is a case in point. Habituated ... | |
| Cervical Spine MRI | 12/19/2009 |
| Q: Can you explain my MRI results. Mild spondylosis and/or posterior disc bulge, C4-5,C5-6,C6-7, ... A: Cathy, Your neck muscles are so tight that they are shortening your neck, compressing discs, ... | |
| Neural Foraminal Encroachment | 12/16/2009 |
| Q: My MRI report states "at L4-L5 there is mild disc bulging and facet arthopathy producing mild ... A: Megan. The report means that nerve roots existing at your lumbar spine are mildly trapped at their ... | |
| disc problems | 11/16/2009 |
| Q: i am 35 years old my back pain is ongoing most days of the week going away for a day or maybe two ... A: Jody, Degenerating discs usually come from excessive back muscle tension. Kyphosis usually comes ... | |
| Neck Pop! | 11/16/2009 |
| Q: my neck popped while i squatted 800lbs. is that something i need to be worry about? A: Yep. It means you making your muscles so tight that your neck popped. That can lead to disc ... | |
| T-Spine | 10/17/2009 |
| Q: This is my first MRI on 3/19/09: Findings: There is mild straightening of the thoracic spine. ... A: Tiffany. Here's the pivotal sentence in all of that: "There is straightening of teh cervical spine ... | |
| Upper back is bothering me constantly | 9/29/2009 |
| Q: I'm 32 years old, I smoke about 1/2 a pack a day, and to be honest, I'm a big mess at the moment. I ... A: Owen, Self-adjusting won't do any damage and you've made some good observations about the relation ... | |
| What next? | 9/29/2009 |
| Q: I am a 48 –year old male that woke up with stiff neck and muscle cramps(left neck and sholder) ... A: Greg, The keys are the degenerative disc changes and the formation of osteophytes (bone spurs); ... | |
| back pain | 9/11/2009 |
| Q: Iave been in my back pain sense 2008 and now i donne the mri and this is the result: I have ... A: Mulu, Your description sounds like tight back muscles. A simplified exercise for freeing back ... | |
| neck pain | 9/10/2009 |
| Q: Good afternoon sir, i was climbing down my staircase and my hand wa son the left side and it got ... A: You have muscle spasms. To free them, you need to re-assert control of the involved muscles through ... | |
| Bulges in C4-5 & C5-6 | 9/9/2009 |
| Q: I was advised an MRI of the brain and Cerical Spine, since i have this tingling feeling starting ... A: not cause to worry, but you might be uncomfortable! Without treatment, the condition may worsen, ... | |
| trapped nerve | 9/8/2009 |
| Q: i've just discovered that i have a trapped nerve btwn c5+6 due to damaged disc. i have planned to ... A: Lynz, The criterion for "is it OK" is, how much pain are you in? Neck muscles tighten up in ... | |
| MRI Interpretation | 9/8/2009 |
| Q: I would like to give you the results of my MRI - Routine MRI sequences of the cervical spine were ... A: Connie. Injections are probably irrelevant. Why? Disc bulges, bone spurs, and facet arthropy ... | |
| Re lower back injury | 9/7/2009 |
| Q: my husband had a lifting injury 3 years ago. He was diagnosed with L4 L5 disc bulges. His symptoms ... A: Audrey, The nerve specialist said there was no nerve DAMAGE. The symptoms sound like sciatica -- ... | |
| Neck injury | 9/5/2009 |
| Q: I am 30 years old male, 5-7 and 165lbs. I was pretty active before. I had back pain started 3 ... A: Emir, The MRI does not show a disc tear. It shows bone spurs. Finger numbness usually comes from ... | |
| slip disk | 9/4/2009 |
| Q: I've had a slipped disc for 4 - 5 months now, I've had acupuncture ( no help ) and seen a doctor who ... A: Martin, In general, it's better to be active. Rest doesn't change the kind of muscular ... | |
| Low back pain | 9/4/2009 |
| Q: I am an L.M.T. and have a client that was in an accident. She was riding in a hot air balloon and it ... A: Donna, It sounds like your client is suffering from Trauma Reflex. The universal response to ... | |
| regarding spinal stabilisation | 9/3/2009 |
| Q: i had recently suffered from back ache it was not too severe but recurring very often.i met a doctor ... A: Rajitha, Spine surgery is a drastic step that should be avoided unless more conservative measures ... | |
| lumbosacral spine | 9/3/2009 |
| Q: I have recently had flare up of extreme pain in my lower right back, I had a diagnosis of ... A: Ginny. Narrowing of intervertebral disc spaces, osteophytes (bone spurs) and spondylosis typically ... | |
| CERVICAL dISC | 9/2/2009 |
| Q: C-3 -C-7 ARE FUSED;i GOT A BILAT-CERVICAL MBBB-BECAUSE FOR THE 1ST TIME IN OVER 10 YRS. i HAVE HAD ... A: Mack, You're describing symptoms consistent with contracted neck muscles and nerve root ... | |
| back pain/stifness | 9/2/2009 |
| Q: as per my mri scan i am suffering from mild posterior disc bulge in L5-s1 in minor form. As per this ... A: Rakesh, Disc bulges typically result from chronically contracted back muscles. May I recommend ... | |
| Lower back pain.. | 8/31/2009 |
| Q: I have mild to severe lower back pain, and I am unsure how I did it. I think it had to do with an ... A: Heather, It sounds like you put yourself into muscle spasm by your way of training. No medication ... | |
| Lower Back Pain | 8/30/2009 |
| Q: I am a 30 year old 240 lb male experiencing lower back pain with no prior injuries or symptoms. I am ... A: David. If you have a big belly, the weight of it puts strain on your back muscles to keep you ... | |
| lumbar fusion | 8/29/2009 |
| Q: i had 3 fusions first 1979,1983,1985. l3,l4,l5,s1 first front way second back with harrington rods.i ... A: Such pain is usually of muscular or neurological origin -- probably a combination in your case. ... | |
| neck crunching and pain | 8/29/2009 |
| Q: I'm writing on behalf of my partner, he has a weird crunching when he turns his head and a pain in ... A: R. The crunching and pain, as well as the "strong" neck, indicate muscular contractions in the ... | |
| retrolisthesis and thecal sac tapering | 8/28/2009 |
| Q: I had an MRI done on my lumbar spine and I had a few questions regarding the findings and ... A: Tamara, The part of this report that is noteworthy is the retrolisthesis of L5/S1. Generally, the ... | |
| Rib injury...or pulmonary embolism? | 8/27/2009 |
| Q: I am a 29 year old non smoker- for about 10 days now I've been experiencing some odd symptoms. It ... A: Eva. Ibuprofen (pain medication) does not constitute self-help. It does nothing to the underlying ... | |
| neck injury | 8/27/2009 |
| Q: Is it common to have anything go wrong after 19 years from a hangmans fracture?I was injured in a ... A: John. The answer to your question is, "yes." People commonly have symptoms related to injuries ... | |
| neck, back and head pain | 8/27/2009 |
| Q: I always had neck and back and head aches. Lately my aches has gotten worse. I have a dull aches in ... A: Michaela, To be to the point, you don't need an MRI at this point. Your symptoms fit the ... | |
| Rib injury...or pulmonary embolism? | 8/26/2009 |
| Q: I am a 29 year old non smoker- for about 10 days now I've been experiencing some odd symptoms. It ... A: Eva. I agree with your husband. Sounds like you have some cramped intercostal (rib) muscles. That ... | |
| back and shoulder spasms | 8/25/2009 |
| Q: I have been have unbearable pain in my left scapula area which then radiates to my neck and head ... A: Bev. You got it right: you have spasms. Spasms are a reflexive action. They indicate the need to ... | |
| sacroiliac syndrome | 8/24/2009 |
| Q: my iliac-us and iliopsoas were tender and tested short, joint restrictions in the lumbar spine and ... A: Kimberley, Joints move when tight muscles pull on bones, as happens when an accident triggers ... | |
| pain/poor quality of life | 8/24/2009 |
| Q: Mr.Gold, I have had lower back/hip pain for a very long time and have attributed that to hanging ... A: Mike, Lack of muscle strength in the abdomen doesn't cause overcompensation in the back; it's the ... | |
| need mri translated to english | 8/22/2009 |
| Q: I had an mri of my cervical spine. i am experiancing pain down my back up the back of my skull and ... A: Kristy. The significant part of this report is: c5-6 minimal posterior disc prominence with mild ... | |
| neck and shoulder pain | 8/21/2009 |
| Q: i was involed in a car accident head on collision, i am a meter reader the accident was not my ... A: Kim, I can't answer what they will do; how could I? Different practitioners and therapists may use ... | |
| what dos this all means for me | 8/21/2009 |
| Q: can you help the MRI said this : conclusion:posterior central disc osteophyte protrusion at L4/5with ... A: Wendy, This report indicates no neurological source of pain; your spine is in good shape, which ... | |
| back pain | 8/20/2009 |
| Q: I have lower back pain sometimes, seems like one of my bones around that area are like little pine ... A: Lower back pain typically comes from musclebound (contracted) back muscles; your pain after running ... | |
| Tight TFL | 8/19/2009 |
| Q: i have seen your articles and the are very helpful, could i ask if you have any info on how to ... A: Paul. Apart from seeing a practitioner, (Oxford -- http://www.hannasomatics.com/practitioners), the ... | |
| Loss of strengh and muscle in shoulder and arm | 8/18/2009 |
| Q: Around a year and a half ago i had a fall of around 14feet onto an edge of a pool in Nigeria. across ... A: Philip, Injuries such as yours trigger protective muscular reflexes. Your writing indicates that ... | |
| chronic lower back pain that has progressed to legs | 8/18/2009 |
| Q: i injured my lower back repoing a large patient 8 months ago.i have been to numerous ... A: Rose, You went into spasm, which due to the cringing response of pain, spread. Go to ... | |
| Middle Back & Shoulder Pain | 8/17/2009 |
| Q: I am 54 old woman 5'3 230 lbs, hurt 3 times at work in grocery store, shoulder & back. First ... A: Carolyn, It seems you have muscle spasms. The ER gave you a muscle relaxant and pain med -- ... | |
| SI joint/DDD/PAIN! | 8/17/2009 |
| Q: I'm a 52 year old female, Type II Diabetic, Post Cervical Cancer 2001,and have bi-lateral SI joint ... A: Lynda. The report indicates that you don't have SI joint pain, but pain in the area due to nerve ... | |
| nerve root pain and paralysis | 8/16/2009 |
| Q: My friend just had a C-3 to T-2 posterior laminectomy and fusion 11 days ago. After the surgery he ... A: Lee, The reason you friend needed a laminectomy is probably the same reason as he now has nerve ... | |
| Bulging disk | 8/15/2009 |
| Q: Hello i have a bulging disk in my spine that have reinjured the Other day i had a tire blow out on ... A: Carolyn, Bulging discs usually come from overcontracted back muscles, as does most back pain. That ... | |
| MRI & CT Questions | 8/15/2009 |
| Q: At the end of April 09 had total hysterectomy, all went well. Three days later fever, extreme lower ... A: Gail. The part of the question I can address has to do with annular bulges of the discs and ... | |
| chronic back pain | 8/6/2009 |
| Q: I pulled my back at work 10 months ago,the pain was bad,i was taking pain killers for a few months ... A: Patricia, Habituated muscular contractions commonly form with repetitive lifting; such contractions ... | |
| pain/poor quality of life | 8/6/2009 |
| Q: Mr.Gold, I have had lower back/hip pain for a very long time and have attributed that to hanging ... A: Mike. Medical health professionals have little sophistication about the relationship between ... | |
| degeneration of disc and herniation | 8/5/2009 |
| Q: I am having back pain for the last17months and recently had mri scan which says degenerative disc ... A: Nisha, Degenerative disc disease is misnamed; it is not a disease of the discs -- it's the ... | |
| Spinal fusion and pain | 8/5/2009 |
| Q: I had a spinal fusion eight years ago on the fourth and fifth and I have been in and out of PT. ... A: Chrystal. My answer is, "none of the above." You've just discovered that surgery can't address ... | |
| Fluid between spine and hip joint | 8/3/2009 |
| Q: Approximately 16 years ago I had an accident and following an xray was told I compacted the discs in ... A: Beth, I can't answer about the fluid or what surgery your physician has in mind. You'd have to ask ... | |
| chronic back pain | 8/1/2009 |
| Q: I had an MIR done that states disc protrusions from c3 to c6 with protruding disc most marked in the ... A: Kylee, Disc protrusions are the common consequence of tight neck muscles, which cause disc ... | |
| lower back problems | 7/31/2009 |
| Q: I recently had an X-Ray and an MRI done for my lower back. My chiropractor read my X-Ray and said ... A: Dominique: I can simplify matters for you: drugs mask and do not correct the problem, which ... | |
| S1 L5 Fussion | 7/30/2009 |
| Q: I had surgery 9 days ago. I am now having severe right buttock and leg pain that it is difficult to ... A: Danielle, Sounds like your back muscles are in strong contraction. That's a reflexive response to ... | |
| numbness in thigh and groin area | 7/29/2009 |
| Q: I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY I GET NUMBNESS IN MY LEFT THIGH,LEFT FOOT,AND GROIN AREA I HAVE BACK PAIN ... A: Lal, Simple answer: nerve compression. The back pain comes from tight back muscles -- tight ... | |
| advise on surgery for degenerated disc | 7/28/2009 |
| Q: I am a 26 years working women. I have been diagnosed with sequestrated IVDP L5-S1 by my doctor. I am ... A: Nithya, Some microsurgery involves insertion of a needle to suck out disc fragments. It's about ... | |
| thunderclap like head pains frequent all day long | 7/27/2009 |
| Q: For the last 20 years I have been getting these thunder clap like head pains,, they started out ... A: Your description fits the profile of muscular spasms in the neck and base of the head. Given that ... | |
| left hip and butt pain, iliotibial maybe? | 7/27/2009 |
| Q: I was completing the stretch for triathletes and runners where you lay on your back and straighten ... A: Neumann, You've just discovered the fallacy of stretching. Muscles get tight (and appear to need ... | |
| Neck injury | 7/26/2009 |
| Q: My neck was injured by a flying object about 20 years ago but although it felt serious to me, ... A: You can recover. It's not the weight of your head that's causing the problem; it's the reflexive ... | |
| Neck / Back Injury | 7/25/2009 |
| Q: I was the driver of a vehicle that was stopped when I was hit by a DUI driver from behind at 65mph. ... A: Jason, Ligament damage is a red herring. The one thing in this report that has any useful meaning ... | |
| bulging cervical disc and cervical spurs | 7/25/2009 |
| Q: I am a 42 year old female who had my entire spine fused when I was 15 with a harrington rod ... A: Kimberly, You ask what kind of surgery you would need -- probably because you don't know of any ... | |
| MRI RESULTS | 7/24/2009 |
| Q: I hurt my back on July 8th 2009 pushing a patient in a hospital bed uphill in a long hallway at the ... A: Jackie, Your pain may have started, then, but I believe your underlying condition predates it ... | |
| Cervical MRI without contrast | 7/24/2009 |
| Q: I'm in constant pain and recently had the above MRI and need to know if I have a case for Workers ... A: Leon, I can't answer your Worker's Comp question. But I will tell you this: bone spurs grow in ... | |
| Headache/Neck pain from pushups | 7/23/2009 |
| Q: I recently started exercising, running about 3 miles every day since last week. In the mornings, ... A: Paul, The position you are in when the headaches start suggests muscle spasm at the back of your ... | |
| Trap/Neck Pain | 7/23/2009 |
| Q: Yesterday while I was doing a reverse cable fly, I felt a a popping sound followed by extreme pain ... A: Frank, Sounds like a neck spasm with vertebral displacement and nerve impingement. Please see my ... | |
| Lower back pain/leg pain. | 7/22/2009 |
| Q: I've been dealing with this same back pain since Dec. '08. It started in my lower left back, now it ... A: Amanda, Here's the key thing: the disc protrusion. The common cause of disc protrusion is ... | |
| lumbar | 7/21/2009 |
| Q: Three months ago I had six nerve roots surgically decompressed plus a multi-level fusion. I'm still ... A: Steve, I can't answer the question, "Did this surgeon botch this complex surgery?" without close-up ... | |
| Hamstring tightness | 7/17/2009 |
| Q: I am 35 yo male. I was regular at the gym 2 months back and in great shape. I was doing some leg ... A: Jason, To clarify your PT's words, "this is an old chronic tight hamstring problem which has got ... | |
| pains of neck | 7/16/2009 |
| Q: how to avoid the pains of neck A: Wesainawad, To avoid pains of the neck, free the movements of the neck by relaxing and improving ... | |
| C6 C7 ligament injury | 7/14/2009 |
| Q: I went to the Dr. last week as my right hand has been going numb for about a month. The numbness ... A: Jenny. First, some clarity on your diagnosis. A ligament injury, in itself, won't cause the nerve ... | |
| bilateral sacroileitis | 7/13/2009 |
| Q: I have been diagnosed with bilateral sacroileitis. What kind of exercise can I engage in? Would ... A: Rosa, In my opinion, you should be doing exercises that specifically improve coordination and ... | |
| back pain after a fall | 7/12/2009 |
| Q: sir. i am staying in a hostel..last week i slipped and fell such that i fell and SAT on my buttocks ... A: Eashwar, The hard landing triggered muscular contractions and the involved muscles are still ... | |
| Confused and Discouraged | 7/11/2009 |
| Q: I have been to see 2 neurosurgeons because lower back pain and nerve damage from accident I recieved ... A: The key to getting the outcome you want is to ask the right questions. If your real question, here, ... | |
| Herniations etc | 7/10/2009 |
| Q: I just had a MRI done and the doctor said I have the following issues. Is there any other ... A: Disc bulges typically come from tight spinal muscles compressing vertebrae together. In many cases, ... | |
| Bulged disc in my neck | 7/10/2009 |
| Q: I am 23 and I have been diagnosed with a bulged disc in my neck 9 months ago. Since that time I ... A: Jeff, You should come to understand how you formed the bulging disc. That will answer your ... | |
| Lower back horrible pain | 7/8/2009 |
| Q: Ive already had t8-t9 fusion so I know a little. I littererly woke up one morning and the litte ... A: I understand. Here it is, in brief: Injuries trigger muscular contractions; muscular contractions ... | |
| Neck pain | 7/5/2009 |
| Q: I have been diagnosed with a large disc bulge/ herniation behind c5/6 with cord and thecal ... A: Your boyfriend is half-right: exercise will help, but not the kind of exercise he has in mind. You ... | |
| Neck Spurs | 7/2/2009 |
| Q: L4-5-6-7-are having to be replaced by surguery. Had whiplash accident in 2005, also 2007 and 2 other ... A: Paula, Generally, bone spurs form at the attachments of tight muscles, in response to their pulls. ... | |
| thoracic hernitated discs | 6/3/2009 |
| Q: The findings of my MRI read as follows; A broad-based right-sided disk herniation is noted at T7-8 ... A: Rita, In my opinion, you should neither continue injections nor seek a surgeon until you have dealt ... | |
| headache due to bachache | 6/2/2009 |
| Q: I have acute spinal stenosis in L4 and L5. I am currently getting PT but the pain radiates to my ... A: Maria, Massage and/or going to the pool are not somatic exercises. For perspective, you might read ... | |
| headache due to bachache | 5/31/2009 |
| Q: I have acute spinal stenosis in L4 and L5. I am currently getting PT but the pain radiates to my ... A: Maria, Prozac will do nothing to alleviate the muscular contractions that cause the pain to radiate ... | |
| pain in the back of shoulder | 4/20/2009 |
| Q: I am aged 35 years living in india.My blood sugar and lipids are within normal.ECG,heart and ... A: The shoulder pain and changes in the cervical (neck) vertebrae suggest vertebral comprsesion and ... | |
| Permanent Correction of Atlas Vertebra | 4/17/2009 |
| Q: Is there a permanent correction for misalignment of the atlas vertebrae? I have seen every ... A: Danielle, Bones go where muscles pull them. If your atlas keeps wandering from its centered ... | |
| CT scan results | 2/9/2009 |
| Q: i got the results of a CT scan done and do not understand what it means... it says L3 L4 and L5 ... A: Sharon, The results indicate bone breakdown of the lower three lumbar vertebrae and pressure on the ... | |
| Arm shaking cause fractured neck?? | 2/7/2009 |
| Q: I had a fall and got xrays which doctor said showed I had a fractured cervical vertebrae and ... A: TJ. You have reflexive muscular contractions triggered by the fall and fracture. Moving your arm ... | |
| neck and shoulder pain | 2/5/2009 |
| Q: I got injured at work and i was taken to the clinic and evaluated and given medication for pain for ... A: Injuries provoke a universal response: reflexive muscular contractions. It's a cringing response, ... | |
| neck upper back and lower back | 2/4/2009 |
| Q: was recently in a head on collision that totaled both cars. ER stated that nothing was broken. I ... A: Juanita, Muscular reflexes are triggered by the sudden movements of motor vehicle accidents. ... | |
| 8 month back pain | 2/3/2009 |
| Q: I have had a very bothersome back pain since mid July 2008. It started while I was running around a ... A: Back pain is usually of muscular origin. If your pectoral muscles are tight, they interfere with ... | |
| Thoracic Subluxation and Rib Head Dysfunction | 2/2/2009 |
| Q: I am from an attorney's office and we have a client who was in an MVA. Through chiro treatment she ... A: Michelle, It's almost certainly correctible. First thing, they may call it "rib head dysfunction," ... | |
| neck pain, dizziness | 2/1/2009 |
| Q: I had a severe case of vertigo. Went to the emergency room and they thought it was a migraine. A day ... A: Karl. Two words: cervicogenic dizziness "Cervicogenic" means "coming from the neck." "dizziness" ... | |
| MRI results | 1/28/2009 |
| Q: My MRI results find is noted as : Alignment is normal. Vertebral body heights are preserved. No ... A: Gary, Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the bony passageways through which nerves pass. It doesn't ... | |
| Pinched nerve in lower back? | 1/27/2009 |
| Q: My boyfriend has been having shooting pains down his left butt and thigh for the past several ... A: Massage may help, temporarily -- or it may trigger more spasms. Hot/cold packs may temporarily help ... | |
| neck, chest muscle and sternum | 1/26/2009 |
| Q: My neck is sore and when I turn it certain ways it cracks/pops and sometimes I can feel something ... A: What you've described sounds like the effects of muscles in contraction between your ribs and in ... | |
| back injury | 1/25/2009 |
| Q: i have had back pain for the last 30 years, having slipped discs L4/5 when i was 26yrs old, in my ... A: What all your doctors have missed is the role muscular contractions play in spinal alignment ... | |
| sacral pain | 1/24/2009 |
| Q: I need to start off by saying I have been dx with osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and have chronic ... A: Starr. All of your symptoms, with the possible exception of osteoarthritis (and probably that, ... | |
| Pinched nerve in lower back? | 1/23/2009 |
| Q: My boyfriend has been having shooting pains down his left butt and thigh for the past several ... A: Kari, It does sound like sciatica. No drugs can help with that; it usually (I'd say 'always,' but ... | |
| chronic ?sciatic pain | 1/22/2009 |
| Q: Gold, I'm female,34 years old.,about 1 year ago i started to have pain in my right leg.Pain was ... A: Kira. First, read my brief article on sciatic pain at somatics.com/sciatica.htm. There is a ... | |
| extruded disc after fall | 1/21/2009 |
| Q: I fell at work and recent CT findings showed a unilateral inferior facet fracture and a following ... A: Misty. Disc extrusion usually indicates disc rupture; disc protrusion indicates disc bulge. ... | |
| Re: neck knots | 1/18/2009 |
| Q: I found that website very interesting. The details provided for tension headaches sounds exactly ... A: Aaron, On Somatics on the Web, page7.htm details available self-help programs. For neck tension, ... | |
| Knots in neck / headaches | 1/17/2009 |
| Q: Over the last couple of months, I've been having troubles with my neck. There are two knots, one ... A: Aaron. Muscular contraction patterns form for a number of reasons, but all amount to the same ... | |
| neck and back injuries from an auto acccident | 1/16/2009 |
| Q: I was involved in a auto accident in 2/08 in Michigan, The person was at fault as he hit my ... A: Kathy. Your question about compensation is outside my area of expertise. Your injury is my area of ... | |
| forward head & upper thoracic hump | 1/15/2009 |
| Q: slightly over weight (can't get rid of those 20 lbs which I gained over the last 3 years). In the ... A: Anna. You are describing what is called "a dowager's hump." It's a development resulting from ... | |
| Degenerative disc disease | 1/14/2009 |
| Q: I recently found out that I have degenerative disc disease, although it is just in the beginner ... A: Odette, First thing: "Degenerative Disc Disease" isn't a disease, even though it's called that. ... | |
| Back pain after falling twice | 1/13/2009 |
| Q: Dr. Gold, I fell down the stairs at my friends' house about 3 weeks ago and hit the middle portion ... A: Stella, Whatever inflammation you may may have, you also have muscular contractions. Both feel ... | |
| Tingling and pain | 1/5/2009 |
| Q: "Hello, A little history, Last April I was in a horse riding accident, which left me in CCU for the ... A: Marie. Migraines, pain down the arms, bulging discs, "slipped" discs, all come from the same cause: ... | |
| pain,aches | 1/4/2009 |
| Q: From a previous accident I had three bulging disc in my lower back,over the years I had grown ... A: Your accident triggered protective neuro-muscular reflexes that painfully tighten muscles and pull ... | |
| Back pain | 1/3/2009 |
| Q: around 2 weeks ago I had a heavy landing after sliding down a rope from a 3-story height, landed ... A: Ray. Your description sounds like back muscles and psoas muscles in spasm. The radiating pain ... | |
| throbbing pain | 1/1/2009 |
| Q: my problem started when i felt a little dizzy especially if i woke up after 2 hours of sleep and it ... A: Sonata, What you describe sounds like "cervicogenic dizziness," caused by reflexive connections ... | |
| Hip and Leg Spasms (start after a 3rd epidural shot) | 12/31/2008 |
| Q: Lawrence, I am trying to do all I can to help my wife. She was in a car accident about a year ago ... A: I would recommend Hanna Somatic Education. DDD is commonly a result of reflexive muscular ... | |
| Neck Injury | 12/30/2008 |
| Q: My car was rear ended while stopped at a redlight & the impact was very hard, my car totalled. I ... A: Lisa, You need to check things out with a neurologist to rule out anything severe or irreversible, ... | |
| tub slip whiplash injury | 12/29/2008 |
| Q: I apologize in advance if there's too much info here but I'd rather that than not enough. Firstly ... A: Justin, It simplifies down to this: Whiplash injuries provoke a protective, postural reflex that ... | |
| Neck and back pain | 12/28/2008 |
| Q: I have severe neck and back pain that I've been suffering with for about 3 years. No car accidents ... A: Andre, Sounds like you have a muscle spasm ("marble sized lump") in the posterior scalene muscles ... | |
| back pain | 12/27/2008 |
| Q: I woke up with a back pain on the right side of my middle to upper back. What could have been the ... A: Irina, That sounds like a typical muscle spasm. Sometimes, muscle spasms fade out; at other ... | |
| MRI results | 12/26/2008 |
| Q: I recently asked a question about my mri results and what the next step was for treatment. Results ... A: Tina, My preview answer was: It means that muscles in your neck went into contraction and are ... | |
| chest and back strained | 12/22/2008 |
| Q: Now however i seem to have developed for no particular reason a extremely painful strained back in ... A: Joel. I can't tell you how long the pain will last. I'm not sure, from your description, that you ... | |
| Neck Surgery | 12/20/2008 |
| Q: I had 4 5 and 5 6 disc replacement in the neck on Dec 1st. I am in my third week of recovery. I am ... A: People often ask how long a muscular condition will go on (untreated) -- but it's a question that ... | |
| Explanation about Cervical MRI | 12/19/2008 |
| Q: I have had migraines and back pain for decades. I have tried acupunture, chiropractic, natural rx, ... A: Jill, Headaches and back pain come from the same cause as disc bulges: excessive muscular ... | |
| MRI Results | 12/18/2008 |
| Q: I was just given the results of my MRI (lower back). I cannot understand the report, can you please ... A: This is a reading of a "not very serious" condition. The disc protrusions indicate excessive ... | |
| Constant headaches and cracking in back of skull | 12/17/2008 |
| Q: I have been having headaches and the back of my skull has been creaking which has been getting worse ... A: David, Now that the doctors have ruled out fracture, what's left is the neuromuscular reflexive ... | |
| neck pain | 12/16/2008 |
| Q: I had a car accident back in July and have had neck and shoulder spasm since after 5 month of PT ... A: Tammy, The herniations are an effect, not the cause, of the spasms. Spasm is a common protective ... | |
| piriformis muscle | 12/15/2008 |
| Q: I've been having this problem for 2 months now..not sure what triggered it but i started to get a ... A: It doesn't explain the spasms in your left buttock. That's another issue. Muscles don't cause each ... | |
| piriformis muscle | 12/14/2008 |
| Q: I've been having this problem for 2 months now..not sure what triggered it but i started to get a ... A: Hi. Sciatic pain goes down the back of the leg, not the front. Sciatic pain is a nerve ... | |
| L5-S1 | 12/13/2008 |
| Q: I have a severely compressed disc at the L5-S1. I live with constant pain. What is the best or most ... A: Kerry, "The best" and "the most common" are two different things. The most common: chiropractic ... | |
| dizzy everytime i lie down and get up | 12/12/2008 |
| Q: I underwent a open heart surgery last month. Now I am suffering from a severe pain starting on my ... A: It's a frequent problem with open-heart surgery. To open the chest, they fold back the ribs, which ... | |
| Chronic back pain and bladder function | 11/22/2008 |
| Q: I am 44 years old and in March 2008 I had a lumbar decompression and discectomy on my L3-4 and L4-5 ... A: Carlene, Disc problems of the type you describe commonly result from overcompression of discs by ... | |
| bulging disc burning pain | 11/20/2008 |
| Q: Hello you have been very helpful on my answer before I have bulging disc in my spine it burns I was ... A: Carolyn, Burning pain can be muscle-fatigue ("the burn"); if nerve pain, it appears at a distance ... | |
| NEck and shoulder pain | 11/19/2008 |
| Q: I am a 29 year old guy,doing my PHD in DNA repair and cancer. i am from india and now am in europe. ... A: Medication of any kind is not an effective approach to disc degeneration or disc compression. That ... | |
| back pain | 11/18/2008 |
| Q: Mr Gold, Almost a year ago I experienced a severe back spasm, where my muscles contracted so hard I ... A: Ed, The clue you have given me is that you do power lifting. Sounds like you have a back spasm ... | |
| Neck trouble - what gym excercise to avoid? | 11/15/2008 |
| Q: After experiencing worsening pain in my left arm and eventually neck pain over a 4 month period, I ... A: Consuelo, Avoid any exercise that causes you to build muscle tone in the muscles of the neck or ... | |
| pain in lower back | 11/13/2008 |
| Q: xrays showed: grade 1 L3/4 retrolisthesis of 6 mm. Also mild sclerosis of the apophyseal joints at ... A: Lynn, That's a significant displacement. With regard to a possibly herniated disc, bring that ... | |
| MRI lumbar spine | 11/12/2008 |
| Q: I am hoping that you can explain the findings of my MRI scan because i am not able to understand the ... A: Naomi, My understanding of annular disc tears is that they are a surgical situation. The pins and ... | |
| neck and shoulder pain | 11/11/2008 |
| Q: I was in a head on collision almost a year ago. I have since been going to physical therapy, and a ... A: Branden, Your doc is in the dark -- almost. You've said it, yourself: you're on muscle relaxers. ... | |
| whip lash injury | 11/10/2008 |
| Q: 1- Mild dehydration affecting c4/5 and c5/6 discs. Disc heights are well maintained 2- Minor bulging ... A: Tammie, The headaches with pins and needles indicate excessive muscular tension in your neck, ... | |
| numbness | 11/9/2008 |
| Q: i hurt my back at work im a roofer.and now i have a burning killer pain and stay numb 80 percent of ... A: Sounds like a "lift and twist" injury -- basically, muscle spasms. If your balance is precarious ... | |
| Back pain/injury | 11/8/2008 |
| Q: A week ago tomorrow, Nov 8, I injured myself riding my back. I my right leg, elbow and shoulder ... A: Theresa, I'm glad to tell you that, however painful it may be, the situation is probably not as ... | |
| numbness | 11/7/2008 |
| Q: i hurt my back at work im a roofer.and now i have a burning killer pain and stay numb 80 percent of ... A: Don, I don't know what tests they are going to do to you. Nor do I know if it will ever go away, ... | |
| neck grinding | 11/5/2008 |
| Q: hi for the last 2 months now when i look left then right i can hear a grinding noise its like when ... A: Andrew, Your neck muscles are so tight that vertebrae of your neck are rubbing against each other. ... | |
| pain after adjustment | 11/4/2008 |
| Q: My sister has for some time let her husband "adjust " her spine, by laying on the floor with arms ... A: Gail, Without the X-rays, I'll tell you what happened: nerve impingement Your sister now has ... | |
| mri results - fall | 11/2/2008 |
| Q: I had a nasty fall four months ago during which I broke my shoulder. I also developed a 'dead zone' ... A: Arf! Without knowing the particulars of your incident, it can be from the fall. Pressure on the ... | |
| back pain from bulging disc | 11/1/2008 |
| Q: Hello i was diagnosed with a bulging disc in my spine and neck about 6 years ago I have had ... A: Carolyn, The bulging disc and the pain you're describing point to muscular contractions in the ... | |
| Recovery time from clevical laminectomy? | 10/31/2008 |
| Q: I had a clevical laminectomy C5-C6 on the Sept.24 and was wondering if the numbnes in my left arm ... A: James, Those symptoms are typical of nerve impingement. A laminectomy doesn't take care of the ... | |
| health concern | 10/29/2008 |
| Q: I have been recently told after several X-rays,that i have an extra rib.I have been suffering from ... A: Nadine, The "extra rib" explanation for pain and loss of strength of the type you describe is a ... | |
| neck pain/tightness/swallowing issues | 10/28/2008 |
| Q: 1.5 years ago, I started having problems with swallowing (followed by pretty acute neck pain). Not ... A: Beth -- not scar tissue, but reflexive muscular contractions, triggered by your previous incidents. ... | |
| Neck injury: Tingling feet/tailbone? | 10/26/2008 |
| Q: Over the summer I somehow managed to injure my neck, probably while running (this is when I first ... A: Since your symptoms abated, the answer to, "Is this consistent with with a herniated cervical disc? ... | |
| upper back pain caused by poor posture? | 10/25/2008 |
| Q: I have frequent upper back pain and have always had poor posture. What can I do to help this problem ... A: Wendy. Upper back pain is usually muscle fatigue caused by a too-forward head position, which in ... | |
| My back! | 10/24/2008 |
| Q: I was wondering if you could help with some problems.... I fell on some stairs a couple of years ... A: I don't know from your description, David, what it might be. I would expect a hard mass (contracted ... | |
| migraines/sleep apnea due to neck injury? | 10/23/2008 |
| Q: 10-22-08 I have been diagnosed with cluster migraines and undergone several means of therapy for ... A: Tony, To the point, it is my experience that migraines and other cluster headaches are directly ... | |
| MMA Training / back injury? | 10/22/2008 |
| Q: I was training in jiu jitsu two days ago and at one point i was sitting straight up. My training ... A: Too soon to say. The popping may have been the rib-heads or facet joints of the vertebrae changing ... | |
| Tricep Atrophe | 10/21/2008 |
| Q: Gold, at the end of July I noticed the lower half of my left tricep looked really small and my left ... A: Steven, Nerve conduction problems are a common consequence of nerve impingement by tight neck ... | |
| Chronic neck pain | 10/20/2008 |
| Q: I am a patient of Migraine since my childhood. Now I am 33. Since last two years I am suffering from ... A: Rohit. Tight neck muscles and migraine go together -- particular tight muscles at the sides of the ... | |
| sever back and thigh pain with numbness | 10/18/2008 |
| Q: I am 36 yrs old and my occupation for the past 19 yrs has been H.H.A.C and Construction with heavy ... A: Jim. You say it's not bad, but in my estimation, it's bad enough to have warranted a medical exam ... | |
| pain | 10/16/2008 |
| Q: I have at C5/C6 moderate to severe stenosis of the right neural foramen. Can this cause neck ,arm ... A: Diane, It can, but the more common cause of that kind of pain is nerve entrapment by contracted ... | |
| pinched nerve-shoulder & arm pain | 10/14/2008 |
| Q: I was trying to push something and felt something in my shoulder. That night I had a pain in my ... A: Mary, Sounds like a nerve pinch, to me. The clicking in your neck supports that view. Usually, ... | |
| neck and head pain | 10/13/2008 |
| Q: I am 32 years old and suffer from one sided (right side )pressure aches. I have a lot of pain in my ... A: Heidi, Your symptoms suggest a nerve impingement at the C4/C5 level, the result of myospasm (muscle ... | |
| Recently injured back, which coincided with sudden constipation | 10/12/2008 |
| Q: I'm 24 years old, and fell victim to a pretty gnarly herniated disc when I was 19 or 20 (with back, ... A: Josh, To the point, it sounds like your psoas muscles are very contracted. They attach behind the ... | |
| Back/Leg pain MRI results, and what they mean | 10/10/2008 |
| Q: I have a couple questions if you can help me. I'm not sure my company Dr is really doing what is ... A: Joey, Given work situation you described, your symptoms sound like a muscular conditioning problem: ... | |
| tingling feeling | 10/8/2008 |
| Q: i have been workin as a waiter for the past two years. I have this pain on my mid right side of my ... A: Joe, Based on the little information you have given me, I reckon that you might have tight muscles ... | |
| Auto Accident/RearEnded in April 2007 | 10/7/2008 |
| Q: i'm a 20 yr old female 18 at the time of the accident my birthday is 5/31 In April of 2007 i was in ... A: Ashley, You've told me the answer to yourYou have a lot of muscles in contraction in your neck and ... | |
| Lower back, hip, and leg pain | 10/6/2008 |
| Q: I am a 28 year old female. I began having sever lower back pain following a surgery on April 2, ... A: Misty. Your symptoms suggest muscle spasms along the spine at the low back or in the buttocks (more ... | |
| neck, shoulder, arm pain, numbness, dizzy | 10/5/2008 |
| Q: I am a very athletic 44 year old male and work 8 plus hours a day on a computer. I recently ... A: Tom, The changes noted in the MRI suggest you mahy need surgery -- but before surgery, I recommend ... | |
| Low Back Spondylolysis | 10/3/2008 |
| Q: I'm 25. I was wondering if you could tell the best sleeping positions and just about anything ... A: No sleeping position will relieve back pain of the type you describe -- and do you want to have to ... | |
| severe back pain because of disc bulge | 10/2/2008 |
| Q: I am 40 years old. I am suffering with severe back since four years. Of late I am getting numbness ... A: Sekharsarma, Not only is that kind of problem usually correctable without surgery, it is also ... | |
| Spasms and Neck Pain | 10/1/2008 |
| Q: Dir Sir, I am a 28 yr old female suffering from extreme and widely dispersed muscle spasms, nerve ... A: I believe I can help you. The general array of symptoms and the presence of the palpable "lump" at ... | |
| Numbness | 9/30/2008 |
| Q: last night while standing at my counter my legs got numb and tingly (and my buttocks tingled) and i ... A: Given your history of LBP and your use of an orthotic, I infer that you have tight low back muscles. ... | |
| Back injury-- herniated discs x 2 | 9/29/2008 |
| Q: ... First of all let me thank you in advance for answering my question. I have been searching for ... A: Robyn, First, I'll say that disc injuries are not my specialty. However, I can say some things ... | |
| mri of lumbosaral and thoracic spine | 9/28/2008 |
| Q: Am 52 yrs old male and have been suffering from varied types of back pain ranging from middle to ... A: The key observation is "2,paraspinal muscles spasms". Such muscle spasms cause displacement of ... | |
| back and neck pain | 9/27/2008 |
| Q: i landed on my neck falling from a trampoline and its been 4 1/2years and im still getting no ... A: Sure. In your fall, the landing triggered a protective, reflexive response to tighten the muscles ... | |
| Lower back pain | 9/26/2008 |
| Q: I have chronic back pain. I recently had an MRI. I just talked to my doctor about the results and ... A: Disc herniations/protrusions commonly result from overtight muscles pulling vertebrae together. The ... | |
| Recurring headaches from year old car accident | 7/26/2008 |
| Q: Last year, August 3rd, 2007, my mother, my cousin, and I were in a car accident, where we were rear ... A: How can we prove what another is feeling?? Your mother's best option is to get the headaches ... | |
| trapezius pain thru the neck | 6/26/2008 |
| Q: I work as a CNA and I been having pain in my trapezius thru the neck it is been very painful, taken ... A: Jenny, Muscles get tight from three major causes: injury emotional stress repetitive use ... | |
| Pain in arms | 4/27/2008 |
| Q: Dr, My name is Michelle. My question to you, is I have been having pain in my forearms. I thought ... A: Since you have had medical attention, I surmise that what you have is not a medical problem. You ... | |
| c1 fracture | 4/26/2008 |
| Q: I have a fractured c1. Do you know someone who can fix it? the nerosergens here never had such a ... A: Johnny, If you had a fractured C1 vertebrae, any healing that must occur should have occurred long ... | |
| compression fracture | 2/27/2008 |
| Q: Six weeks ago I suffered two compression fractures in my T-9 and T-11 vertebrae during rowing ... A: Your rowing has probably caused you to become musclebound, with attendant muscle fatigue and ... | |
| Can you help me? | 2/26/2008 |
| Q: Good day, I would appreciate any help in proving that my current physical issues were related to ... A: Brenda, The neck and back pain sound like they could easily be related to your injury, as ... | |
| Neck pain | 12/4/2007 |
| Q: Gold I am 24 year old female who is suffering with neck pain for over a year now. I have no idea ... A: Maria. I don't think you should try nerve block or steroids until you have tried somatic education. ... | |
| Interpreting MRI | 12/2/2007 |
| Q: I had a serious MVA 2 years ago when a Mack truck ran a stop sign. Immediately upon consciousness I ... A: Nancy, The MRI results are inconclusive. Simple as that. Nothing in those results conclusively ... | |
| T11-T12 injury | 11/25/2007 |
| Q: My back got "jarred" after a friend came and picked my up from behind. I jarred to the right while ... A: Jackie, Therapists have a tendency to think in terms of categories of diagnosis that align with the ... | |
| Neck and lower back pain | 11/23/2007 |
| Q: I have fallen 3 times on my backside with a lot of force during my life, but never got it checked, ... A: Stella, Osteo-arthritis is not a disease in its own right, but the common consequence of joint ... | |
| Nerve regrowth | 11/21/2007 |
| Q: I broke my neck Aug 1987. Compresses Fracture of C3 between 4 and 5. All are fused together with ... A: Paul, It would seem so -- but that's not my area of expertise. Would I would do, if you were my ... | |
| C5 | 11/19/2007 |
| Q: My C5 is set in from the C4 and C6. Is there anyway that this can be realigned please. I know my ... A: Steve, Bones go where muscles pull them. One or more displaced vertebrae usually indicates ... | |
| Neck Pain | 11/18/2007 |
| Q: I know whiplash is a violent movement back and forward usually from a car crash but what about too ... A: Pat. In a word, yes. Chiropractic adjustments involve a sudden stretch to muscles attached to the ... | |
| lower back pain including pain in the right leg | 11/17/2007 |
| Q: I injured my back from a fall 12 years ago and I've experienced lower back pain every since, ... A: Tawanya, Changes of spinal curvature and lower back pain point to muscular contractures reflexively ... | |
| neck shoulder and arm pain | 11/14/2007 |
| Q: 4,5,6,7th vertabre.I also have terrible pain across my shoulder down my left arm front and back and ... A: Carole, Arthritis won't cause the symptoms you are experiencing. You seem to have nerve ... | |
| injury resulting inchronic pain and stiffness | 11/13/2007 |
| Q: About 3 years ago in Iraq,i was injured by an ied explosion about 3 feet behind me. There were no ... A: Josiah, Rib separation or not, you sound like you've got some very tight back muscles. Shocks and ... | |
| Neck tenderness / r sided headaches | 11/12/2007 |
| Q: My daughter is 13. About a year ago, she developed rt sided headaches which occur daily. At that ... A: Your daughter's tenderness and headaches sound related to muscular tensions, which cause headaches. ... | |
| C1 vertebrae fracture | 11/11/2007 |
| Q: Not sure if you have any experience working with people with this type of injury but, long story ... A: Brandon, Since I don't know your doctor's rationale for avoiding contact sports, I can't address ... | |
| shoulder blade pain/injury | 11/9/2007 |
| Q: last 6-7 weeks, pain in my right shoulder blade.towards center of my back.cant sleep on my right ... A: Kenneth. Doesn't sound like a shoulder blade injury; sounds like pinched nerve in your neck -- if ... | |
| Impairement rating | 11/7/2007 |
| Q: I just had a disk replacement last year in October. I had a blood clot due to the surgery and was in ... A: Mike. Your questions about ratings and legalities are not within my area of expertise. But I can ... | |
| "Whiplash"???? | 11/6/2007 |
| Q: In March of "06" I was in a fairly minor car accident where I was rear-ended at a red light, I got ... A: Nikki, Muscle spasms, headaches, and alignment deviations point to one thing they have in common: ... | |
| Upper right back pain- diagnosed Myofascial pain | 11/4/2007 |
| Q: I have had back pain since May 2005. I can't narrow down the injury to a specific day or event, but ... A: Erik. Here's the bottom line: muscular spasms that produce the type of symptoms you're describing ... | |
| Low Back Pain | 11/3/2007 |
| Q: I was involved in a car accident on 11/4/06. A couple of weeks after the accident I noticed a ... A: There's hope. The disc bulges and bruising are secondary. The primary problem are muscular ... | |
| L5-S1 injury related to prostate pain? | 11/1/2007 |
| Q: First I'd like to offer a little background to put my situation into perspective. Twelve years ago, ... A: Brian. Lower back injuries usually mean lower back muscle contractions. With a head trauma, the ... | |
| neck pain, arm pain, hand pain, headaches | 10/30/2007 |
| Q: In 2002 I was injured in a multi car collision. My car was impacted on all sides, totaled. I had ... A: Most of your symptoms, including change of neck curvature and disc bulges, are consistent with ... | |
| The real story about my T12/L1 injury | 10/29/2007 |
| Q: In 1984 while standing on a 6 foot stump I was hit with a 100 foot log around the right hip area. ... A: Milton. What's wrong is that you have chronic Trauma Reflex activity -- muscular contractions set ... | |
| T12/L1 fracture | 10/28/2007 |
| Q: I fractured my T12/L1 vertaba. I have had severe pain for for 12 years, then it slowly changed to ... A: Milton, There is a universal response to injury: we tighten up in muscles related to the injured ... | |
| strained muscle | 10/5/2007 |
| Q: I've been very curious about this. I started to experience soreness in my upper back, left side, ... A: Tanya, You've just described how tension patterns form: repetitive use in poor position. We ... | |
| L5-S1 L4-5 | 10/4/2007 |
| Q: I was injured 8-17-05 at work and am finally getting medical treatment.I have severe pain in my ... A: Dana: clinical somatic education Sounds like you have impingement of the sciatic nerve from ... | |
| Bulging disk in neck | 10/3/2007 |
| Q: I have just been for physiotherapy as I had shoulder pain, with severe pins and needles down my arm ... A: Jackie. What you are describing are effects of muscular contractions in your neck: the pull ... | |
| spondylolisthesis | 10/2/2007 |
| Q: I have been having lower back pain off and on for several years. 8 weeks ago I bent over and ... A: Nicole, Displacement of vertebral alignment, as in spondylolisthesis, commonly results from ... | |
| BACK AND LEG PAIN | 9/29/2007 |
| Q: 2 Years ago I had a fall at work and discovered that I have 2 protruding disc from the trauma,since ... A: Amy, Here's what happens when we suffer an injury: muscles go into contraction from the pain or the ... | |
| son has neck pain | 9/28/2007 |
| Q: my son whom is in his second year of college went to work out at the college gym a couple weeks ... A: Mia. I think your son provoked a muscle spasm from improper workout technique. Three weeks with ... | |
| C-5 to C-7 Stenosis, Bulging Disc + trap and hand pain | 9/27/2007 |
| Q: I'm a 49 year old relatively healthy female. 20 years ago I was rearended by a truck which totaled ... A: ... what doctors are telling people ...(sigh) People have a universal response to injury: they ... | |
| Cervical disc herniation | 9/24/2007 |
| Q: I am a 44 year old female. My job involves heavy computer use 8 hours a day. In June I started to ... A: I can't really answer your question about continuing PT. It depends upon the results. Some PTs are ... | |
| neck pain/shoulder pain | 9/23/2007 |
| Q: I am feeling a burning,aching pain on my sine right under my skull down between soulder blades and ... A: Lisha, That kind of pain usually results from muscles in spasm. One would expect such a spasm to ... | |
| Sudden Neck Pain | 9/22/2007 |
| Q: I was awakened in the middle of the night last night due to a very large "pop" at the top of my neck ... A: Your description sounds like a muscle spasm, which would also change the alignment of vertebrae and ... | |
| Cervical disc herniation | 9/21/2007 |
| Q: I am a 44 year old female. My job involves heavy computer use 8 hours a day. In June I started to ... A: Janice, First thing: surgery is not the answer. Neither is Neurontin a "treatment" for the ... | |
| Car Accident | 9/20/2007 |
| Q: My husband was in a car accident - T-Boned by someone who ran red as he was going thru green, and ... A: Leanne, Commonly, tingling, numbness, and back pain are related to muscle spasms reflexively ... | |
| Painful scapula/back pain | 9/19/2007 |
| Q: For several yrs now I've been c/o pain in my scapula. The pain would sometimes radiate down my arm ... A: Andrea, It sounds like you are experiencing two different patterns of reflexive muscular ... | |
| still having neck pain | 9/18/2007 |
| Q: i had surgery on my disc t1 and 2 in december.they put plates and screw and a piece of my hip ... A: James. Surgeries typically provoke a reflexive muscular reaction to the pain of the surgical wound ... | |
| multi-level disc degeneration in the cervical and thoracic region | 9/17/2007 |
| Q: what does this mean ( subject ) because i have just been diagnosis with this and also with snapping ... A: David, It means that your back and shoulder muscles are so tight that they're pulling vertebrae ... | |
| Cronic back pain | 9/15/2007 |
| Q: was in an a auto accident and for the past 6 months severe chronic back pain, thoracic area. mostly ... A: Melissa, There is a universal response to injury: we tighten up. It's a response of the nervous ... | |
| Back fusion | 9/14/2007 |
| Q: My husband was involved in two car accidents, neither of which was he at fault. He is due to ... A: Expected range of motion is a question to be answered by your husband's surgeon. However, I call ... | |
| Questions Regarding MRI Reports... | 9/12/2007 |
| Q: MRI Reports: There is a disc protrusion/herniation at T5-T6. This is primarily a right paracentral ... A: Interpreting MRI reports is not my specialty; however, tingling and numbness generally indicate ... | |
| diffuse posterior disc bulge | 9/11/2007 |
| Q: my name is Elizabeth, I am writing regarding my 43 year old mother, Ann. She has been working in ... A: Elizabeth. If Ann has been doing repetitive tasks that involve leaning forward, she has probably ... | |
| Headaches, Neck and Upper Back/Shoulder pain | 9/10/2007 |
| Q: I had an accident just over two years ago whereby I was unloading a container of washing machines at ... A: Hall, If you were my client, I would be examining you to determine if you had high muscular tension ... | |
| Neck Injury | 9/9/2007 |
| Q: My son (age 24) had a bicycle accident last Monday. He went over the handle bars and landed on his ... A: As to the accuracy and motivation of the doctors' caution against turning the head, you must ask ... | |
| 6 year old sons neck pops when he nodes it up and down | 9/7/2007 |
| Q: My 6 year old son's neck pops every time he nods it up and down. Does any one know what might have ... A: Rachel. That's a bit unusual, for someone his age. Usually, popping in the neck results from tight ... | |
| severe back pain | 9/5/2007 |
| Q: I have severe pain in my right shoulder, all day long my muscles contract, and several times every ... A: Your problem isn't a chiropractic one, nor one that can be fixed permanently by an adjustment; it's ... | |
| Balancing things out. Core vs. lower back | 9/4/2007 |
| Q: Some time ago, I found out I am grossly out of balance. Physiotherapist suspected that my 'core ... A: My original comment about the kind of exercises you do not being capable of reaching the psoas ... | |
| Back injury | 9/3/2007 |
| Q: I have a left shoulder injury. I have a burning sensation on the edge of my shoulder blade. It pops ... A: Julie, What you describe sounds like more than a shoulder injury; it sounds like the aftermath of a ... | |
| General Pain in Lumbar and Mid to Lower Thoracic when Laying Down, and Other Symptoms | 9/2/2007 |
| Q: Hullo. Looong question. :) For some time now I have been experiencing a pain in the lumbar and mid ... A: Emily, Your description sounds like you have a pattern of contraction along your spinal musculature ... | |
| neck pain and more | 9/1/2007 |
| Q: I am 9 months pregnant. The added weight to my chest has given my upper back some pain for months, ... A: You don't need to have a herniated disc to have these symptoms; muscular contractions in your upper ... | |
| Back problem | 8/31/2007 |
| Q: Please help... My husband who is 28 years old is suffering terribly with the back pain and is not ... A: Maria, The problem with sitting at a computer all day at a high level of attention and with little ... | |
| lower back pain/tightness | 8/30/2007 |
| Q: I am 23 155lbs. I hurt my back one day stepping out of truck. well its six months later and i've had ... A: Keith, The problem with back spasms is that they are controlled by brain conditioning and can't be ... | |
| mri results | 8/29/2007 |
| Q: i was hurt at work while leaning over to pick up a 75lb oxygen concentrator. I am 42 mri results ... A: Margaret, Lifting injuries usually involve back muscles going into spasm. That same spasm can ... | |
| mega back and neck pains | 7/12/2007 |
| Q: hey i had an accident on my bike bout 6 years ago as i fell straight over the handle bars at a high ... A: Matthew, When we get injured, there is a universal response: muscles tighten up related to the ... | |
| leg pain | 7/12/2007 |
| Q: I fell at work 7 months ago I had surgery for a herniated disc on the right side. I am 4 months ... A: Theo, 1: yes disc pressure on a nerve root can cause pain 2: Surgery is usually not a good answer ... | |
| miserable back pain and no insurance | 7/11/2007 |
| Q: I'am 22yrs old with two children,and for the last three years my back aches and throbes90% of the ... A: I have an answer for you -- but first. . . When you see your doctor, have him PALPATE (he knows ... | |
| Cervical spine pain:Headaches | 7/11/2007 |
| Q: I have had headaches everyday for years. I have had sinus surgery and still my headaches are ... A: Shelia, All those disc bulges and changes of spinal curvature point to one thing: muscular ... | |
| Neck pain and dizziness | 7/10/2007 |
| Q: I have been experiencing dizziness for over 2 years. Doctors have ruled out an inner ear issue. My ... A: Mike, There is a condition called, "cervicogenic dizziness." When muscles in the neck are ... | |
| please help | 7/9/2007 |
| Q: my leftside neck ,shoulder hurts heat lot of heat,swelling in the shoulder its been like this for at ... A: Annette, Your follow-up question leads me to suspect that you have a nerve plexus in your neck ... | |
| please help | 7/9/2007 |
| Q: my leftside neck ,shoulder hurts heat lot of heat,swelling in the shoulder its been like this for at ... A: Annette, I need the kind of information a physical examination would reveal: what's behind the ... | |
| Middle back pain only in morning while sleeping | 7/9/2007 |
| Q: I am experiencing pain every morning starting around 4:00AM in my middle back on the right side of ... A: Rose, Sounds like a muscle spasm. Rather than an injury or strain, it could have to do with a ... | |
| please help | 7/8/2007 |
| Q: my leftside neck ,shoulder hurts heat lot of heat,swelling in the shoulder its been like this for at ... A: Annette, Hmmm. Swelling. That implies tissue redness and puffiness -- which could be a number of ... | |
| neck/back pain-dislocated disc? | 7/7/2007 |
| Q: Im a 23 year old female who has a history of back problems (due to a car accident 6 yrs ago) that ... A: Nicole, Unforunately, there's a big missing piece in people's understanding of injures -- and it's ... | |
| neck injury - bad headaches | 7/5/2007 |
| Q: Just over a week ago I strained the muscles in the left side of my neck. When the incident occurred ... A: Lindsey, Sounds like what's causing your symptoms is what you describe as having "strained the ... | |
| mid back strain feels like its in front of or behind the spine | 7/3/2007 |
| Q: Im 16 and for about a month now when i lean forward there is a strain in my mid back. it doesnt hurt ... A: Sounds like you have some tight muscles that are pulling on ribs or vertebrae in a funny way. Try ... | |
| neck/back pain | 6/30/2007 |
| Q: Three weeks ago I was lifting in the the gym, I warmed up and stretched as I normally do. After ... A: Sounds like possibly you contracted your neck muscles so hard that you caused vertebrae to go out of ... | |
| Sciatica | 6/30/2007 |
| Q: My husband was diagnosed with Sciatica two months ago. For the last three weeks, his ability to walk ... A: Leena, The first thing is, I would advise against surgery, as it doesn't address the problem ... | |
| neck & shoulder pain | 6/27/2007 |
| Q: I sustained a right shoulder injury at work lifting a large pan out of the refrigerator. Having a ... A: Yes, traction could have made things worse, brought on the tics and worsened the headaches. When ... | |
| Neck and Back pain | 6/26/2007 |
| Q: I am 41 and in fair shape. On Saturday April 8, 2007, I was trying to move my 23 ft boat. The pin ... A: Sorry for the delay in responding; I haven't been getting timely notifications of questions from ... | |
| back pain | 6/26/2007 |
| Q: DR.GOLD I have bad muscle spams from the middle of my neck and it goes all the way to my lower ... A: Muscles spasms occur when conditioned reflexes -- generally from injury or stress -- take over ... | |
| neck & head pain | 6/25/2007 |
| Q: While working out two days ago I was doing a seated leg press excruciating with 380lbs of weight. ... A: Mehran, First piece of advice: stop doing 380 lb leg presses. You're conditioning yourself to be ... | |
| neck back buttocks pain | 6/25/2007 |
| Q: i was in a car accident in june, 05. a truck lost control and hit the driver's side of my car. i ... A: Stacy, From your description, along with possible torn ligaments, you have muscles in contraction ... | |
| Neck Strain, Thoracic Pain | 6/23/2007 |
| Q: I had been seeing a Chiropractor for a lifting injury until he was unable to correct a problem ... A: Sorry to hear of your situation. All lifting injuries have one thing in common: muscles in spasm. ... | |
| upper back pain | 6/23/2007 |
| Q: I missed a step climbing down a ladder. Fell back hard against a couple wooden steps. Have upper ... A: Lou, You might have to wait a long time for it to heal itself. That said, healing is probably not ... | |
| whiplash | 6/22/2007 |
| Q: I'm at my wits end with trying to get help for a whiplash injury in a rear impact auto accident. It ... A: Sorry to hear your situation. If you were my client, I would be checking your neck for muscular ... | |
| Pregnancy, car accident and herniated dick | 6/19/2007 |
| Q: I was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler carrying a 33,000 pound load when I was 36 weeks pregnant. My ... A: Alyssa, It's common for people to go into muscular contraction in reaction to an incident of the ... | |
| Neck | 6/17/2007 |
| Q: When I turn my neck to my right side, it pops or cracks. This is really annoying and i am ... A: Matthew, That's typical of people with tight neck muscles. In my practice, as a person learns to ... | |
| Neck, Arm Pain | 6/15/2007 |
| Q: I woke up a week ago with burning in my neck/shoulder area. I could not lift left arm higher then my ... A: Joy, From your description, I can't be sure what the lump is; it could be muscles in contraction, ... | |
| Dizziness and neck cracking | 6/15/2007 |
| Q: Back in early April 2007 I had a fall. I thought I might have a concussion, but a doctor examined ... A: Mike, Dizziness such as you describe is related to neck tension through reflexes related to eye ... | |
| Cervical Question | 6/15/2007 |
| Q: Gold, I am 28 years old. I sit at a computer for work, but I have since developed good posture ... A: Bonnie, The disc protrusion is indicative of heightened neck muscular tension, as is the change of ... | |
| Expertise | 6/14/2007 |
| Q: Gold, I have read many of your posts, and am concerned. Your answers all mostly the same and only ... A: Leatherman, First, I must address the tone of your public communication. Your excorciating comment ... | |
| Mri results and Would this be causing all my pain and Numbness? | 6/14/2007 |
| Q: My X-ray results read: There is straightening of the normal cervical curve. No bony degenerative ... A: Kacey, The curve of the neck changes according to the tension of neck muscles. Indications are ... | |
| back pain | 6/13/2007 |
| Q: hey im cory, im 16 and I have random back pain. It also happens sometimes when I workout or play a ... A: Hey, Cory, Most back problems are the result of tight back muscles. You sound like your row ... | |
| Right shoulder tightness and excessive neck cracking | 3/26/2007 |
| Q: Back in the beginning of January, I noticed that I was having lots of trouble with my right shoulder ... A: Rachel, Tight muscles account for your problems. You're musclebound there and the muscles are ... | |
| clicking at base of skull with head rotation | 3/24/2007 |
| Q: Today while shopping I suddenly noticed a clicking sound and slight grinding feeling at the base of ... A: Kelly, Clicking and a grinding feeling in the neck indicate moderately tight neck muscles causing ... | |
| lower back pain 2 surgeries | 3/24/2007 |
| Q: I fell 8 years ago and injured my back I have had pain throughtout the years but nothing i couldn't ... A: Tricia, There are two S1 nerve roots -- left and right. The pain in your leg sounds like nerve ... | |
| Somatics for a chronically locked triceps? | 3/23/2007 |
| Q: My wife had a succesful operation for slipped disks in the neck part of her spine two years ago. ... A: Thomas, Contracted muscles in the neck cause both disc problems and can cause nerve entrapment, ... | |
| NECK INJURY FROM AUTO ACCIDENT | 3/22/2007 |
| Q: I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN NOV. 06. I HAVE BEEN GOING TO P/T 3X A WEEK SINCE, MRI SHOWED 3 BLUGING ... A: Susan, One can't predict a time-line independently of your learning to relax your neck. "Learning" ... | |
| lower back pain 2 surgeries | 3/22/2007 |
| Q: I fell 8 years ago and injured my back I have had pain throughtout the years but nothing i couldn't ... A: Tricia, You had a ruptured disc. The surgery removed the disc material that was pressing on the ... | |
| head numbness | 3/18/2007 |
| Q: I have had about 3 instances over the past month or so where I wake up with a slight feeling of ... A: Mike, The numbness, no. It's probably a product of the neck tension. Over time, however, problems ... | |
| upper back right pain | 3/16/2007 |
| Q: the pain is on right side,just below shoulder and upper lat muscle. i do lift weights, and played ... A: Paul, Sounds like you have cramped muscles. The fatigue accounts for the weakeness. You can't ... | |
| pain in traps and in neck | 3/9/2007 |
| Q: i do not think i am working out unevenly, i do plenty of workouts which incoroporate me trap ... A: For the answers to your questions, please see the article On Weight Training at ... | |
| pain in traps and in neck | 3/9/2007 |
| Q: and cannot figure out how it happend, or how to fix it..i am a weight lifter, and im into working ... A: Michael, I think your first guess is the correct one: you are musclebound from your way of working ... | |
| MRI results translation | 3/8/2007 |
| Q: can you please tell me what this means in everyday language: There is degenerative disc disease at ... A: In general, a disc bulge signifies the presence of excessive muscular tension in the affected area. ... | |
| Tests negative???? | 3/6/2007 |
| Q: I took a spill at work that I cannot remember because of a concussion I received when it happened. ... A: It's common for muscles to go into contraction from a blow. You hit your head and your neck muscles ... | |
| Lower body numbness | 2/26/2007 |
| Q: For the last 5 days when I lower my chin, I feel a radiating numbness from my hip area down past my ... A: Pinched nerves don't necessarily ease up. It's not a question of the nerves easing up, but of the ... | |
| Unxplainable mid-back pain | 2/22/2007 |
| Q: Here are the basic stats: Patient is in early 50s, a dancer and choreographer, who was in good ... A: If you see a Hanna somatic educator, a breathing session (which involves free rib movement) would ... | |
| Bulging Disc | 2/22/2007 |
| Q: I am 18 years old about 6-2 180 pounds. About five months ago I hurt my lower back in a lifting ... A: Matthew, This doesn't sound like an injury; it sounds like a muscle spasm (muscle(s) stuck in ... | |
| can you read my MRI? | 2/17/2007 |
| Q: I was injured in the military (thrown from the turret of a humvee) I am out of the military now but ... A: John, It's pretty straight-forward. Your fall sent your neck and back muscles into spasm (fixated ... | |
| back | 2/16/2007 |
| Q: the other day i hurt my back playing with my kids i kinda bent over and was stuck. it has been 3 ... A: Sounds like your psoas muscles are in spasm. This is not an injury, but a conditioning problem. As ... | |
| MRI results | 2/15/2007 |
| Q: Please advise; thirty year old female RN by trade has become overwhelmed with pain and inability to ... A: Jennifer, Sounds like the stress of your job led to hypercontracted paraspinal muscles, with ... | |
| Suddenly Stopping Exercise | 2/15/2007 |
| Q: To your knowledge, are there any dangers in suddenly stopping a vigorous workout routine? For many ... A: Stephen, It's rather the reverse of what you think. It's not stopping that caused the problem, but ... | |
| lumber discs | 2/13/2007 |
| Q: My 15 yr old daughter has been experiencing low back pain for about 2-3 months. Xray reports from ... A: Low back pain is the common result low back muscles that are too tight and compress discs. The pain ... | |
| back and leg pain | 2/12/2007 |
| Q: my mri showed central soft disc protrusion that contain annular tear my family doctor has me going ... A: A soft disc protrusion indicates muscular contractions in your back that can probably be relieved by ... | |
| numbness in right hand | 2/12/2007 |
| Q: For a long time at night when im under the covers my right hand just goes dead,i cant feel nothing ... A: Bernadette, Sounds like either a circulatory condition or a pinched nerve -- the nerve either at ... | |
| popping in neck after automobile accident | 2/11/2007 |
| Q: my 13 year old son was involved in an automobile accident a few months ago. He is experiencing a ... A: It's possible, but the muscular contractions that form in the neck during such an incident are ... | |
| 22yr. old male with Sciatica | 12/20/2006 |
| Q: I am very interested in Somatics and feel very strongly that with the right practioner I can be ... A: Robert, Basic information on sciatica exists at somatics.com/conditions.htm. It's possible that ... | |
| Post Surgery Problems | 12/20/2006 |
| Q: the surgery was due to extreme pain in my left arm and I could not sit or stand due to the pain. An ... A: The only things that would put more pressure on the nerves when you use your arms is muscles. I ... | |
| can you help | 12/20/2006 |
| Q: I'm writing to you for my boyfriend. He works out, lifts weights and runs on a regular basis. His ... A: Kim, Good he stopped working out; I would have suggested that. Pinched nerves come from overtight ... | |
| pain in r shoulder and in the middle of shoulder blades | 12/20/2006 |
| Q: i have been having pain in my right shouler and in the middle of my shouler blades and sometimes in ... A: Edie Benoit, Sounds like you're musclebound and sore in the involved areas, as odd as these places ... | |
| shoulder & neck pain | 12/19/2006 |
| Q: I was in a auto accident in September, we were hit from behind while we were sitting still. I had ... A: Jodi, The sudden movement of the accident triggered muscle spasms. That's the pain. TIght neck ... | |
| Post Surgery Problems | 12/19/2006 |
| Q: After C6 and 7 surgery I have had continuos pain. But what worries me the most are two things that ... A: The swelling in your neck is in the C6/7 area, and it may not be swelling, but muscular contractions ... | |
| pain | 12/12/2006 |
| Q: I was in an auto accident a couple years ago. MRI report showed at C4-5 and C5-6 mild central disc ... A: Tina, It means that muscles in your neck went into contraction and are compressing your discs, and ... | |
| C5-C6 protrussion and annular tear following car accident | 12/12/2006 |
| Q: I am a 35 year old female who had a car accident back in Feb 2006, since then I have suffered ... A: Collette, Back off the idea of surgery, for now. The symptoms indicate compressed nerves, the ... | |
| headaches | 12/11/2006 |
| Q: I sometimes get throbbing headaches that I think may be related to cracking my neck/back. Sometimes ... A: Emily, The desire to crack your neck comes from the discomfort of tight neck muscles. Tight neck ... | |
| Numbness in thigh | 11/30/2006 |
| Q: I am 28 years old and have had no history of back pain or any back-related problems. (Occasionally ... A: It's already gone away; what you want is for it to come back. Back pain indicates excessive ... | |
| Cervical double disc fusion surgury | 11/30/2006 |
| Q: I have been suffering for roughly 6 years with neck,arm/hand and shoulder blade pain,as well as ... A: Renee, Disc bulges indicate excessive tension in back muscles. Your neck, arm and shoulder blade ... | |
| strained muscle inside ribcage (back) | 11/29/2006 |
| Q: I am a 45 year old form carpenter. A couple of months ago, while at work, I think that I pinched a ... A: Deborah, Could be (and sounds like) a displaced rib head, probably pulled out of position by ... | |
| anterior annular tears | 11/27/2006 |
| Q: do you have any experience of anterior annular tears in the upper lumbar area causing localised ... A: Francis, I don't have experience with anterior annular disc tears. However TOS originates from ... | |
| Severe Muscle Strain? | 11/20/2006 |
| Q: Dr. Gold, In May I hurt my neck...nothing that stands out happened. It was as if it came out of the ... A: By now, you know how effective adjustments, massaging and stretching are for the muscle spasms in ... | |
| Auto Accident Back Pain | 11/20/2006 |
| Q: I was rear ended at about 35 mph. I was wearing my selt belt. Other than initially feeling shook ... A: The ER people were wrong. It's not muscle strain (implying damage); it's muscle spasm (contraction ... | |
| Neck strain that never heals | 11/19/2006 |
| Q: Occasionally I get a strained neck muscle while sleeping. Pain on flexing of the deep muscle that ... A: Martin, It's important to distinguish between an injury and a spasm. Injuries require time to heal ... | |
| back pain ankle pain | 11/11/2006 |
| Q: In Dec 2004 i fell down a man hole,my right leg went completly down the manhole my left ankle stayed ... A: Alex, The muscular reaction to injury is universal: muscular contractions. That alone can account ... | |
| herniated disc | 11/10/2006 |
| Q: My name is Tina and I'm 20 years old. I got herniated disc 4 month ago while I was in the labor. I ... A: Tina, Yes. I think the pain is from contracted (tight, fatigued) muscles. The herniation is a ... | |
| back/neck/arm problem | 11/8/2006 |
| Q: Pain started in right upper back w/spasm; radiated into shoulder and right lower arm. I have a ... A: John, Since you understand that you have a muscle spasm, the question becomes, "how do you end the ... | |
| back is locking up | 11/8/2006 |
| Q: my back is locking up which causes me to fall. the concerning thing that the dr's can't figure out ... A: Chris, Your car accident is why your back is locking up and why you have bulging discs; the typical ... | |
| Herniated disc | 11/3/2006 |
| Q: After two MRI's and two catscans, the doctors came up with different diagnosis.My symptoms began ... A: Ronn, A herniated disc is usually a sign of muscular contractions, which compress the disc. The ... | |
| constant pain | 10/31/2006 |
| Q: my doctor says ive damaged my discs in my spine,ive been in constant pain for about 10 months now. I ... A: Lisa, Disc damage is either a long-term consequence of muscular contractions in the muscles along ... | |
| Problem Abs | 10/29/2006 |
| Q: Am a 36 years old Indian male working in Dubai. I have been suffering from a condition since past ... A: Kalim, The first thing is to stop opening the door that way. You've conditioned your muscles to go ... | |
| tingling fingers | 10/28/2006 |
| Q: When i sit upright my left hand tingles,if i tilt my head to the right ,it goes away.What could ... A: Mo, Sound like a typical nerve impingement in your neck. If so, tight muscles are involved. You ... | |
| area above the hip | 10/19/2006 |
| Q: I have reduced somewhat the functional scoliosis that I did have as well as various bad posture ... A: Sounds like your obliques are involved and possibly the iliacus muscle. But no stretching or ... | |
| numbness in hands and feet. | 10/17/2006 |
| Q: I was the victim of a brodside("T"boned) accident on may 2 2005 the result was minor wiplash and ... A: Chris, You can discount the degenerative disc disease and loss of disc height; these are long-term ... | |
| Neck injury | 10/15/2006 |
| Q: I got into a car accident a couple of days ago, the other party was at fault, right afterwards my ... A: Laura, Delayed soreness is common with whiplash injuries. That sounds like what you've got, ... | |
| Head & neck injury | 10/13/2006 |
| Q: I am doing some research for a friend. She was hit by a forklift at work 2yrs ago. Was knocked ... A: Sherrie, The first thing is that your friend must take responsibility for her own recovery. That ... | |
| back craking | 10/13/2006 |
| Q: A: Yep, you're musclebound, probably the result of how you work out. Cracking and being musclebound go ... | |
| neck pain part ii | 10/12/2006 |
| Q: I wrote Sunday about aggravating a neck injury from 1997. I saw a spine specialist on Tuesday, and ... A: John, While cortizone is an anti-inflammatory, it also causes breakdown of connective tissue -- and ... | |
| Disc/head pain | 10/11/2006 |
| Q: Trying to keep this brief...For the past 16 months, I have had a head discomfort. It is very hard to ... A: Ronn, Do not get a nerve block until you have tried the option I suggest. Surgery is irreversible. ... | |
| Clicking in lower back | 10/11/2006 |
| Q: I have clicking in L4/L5 part of my spine. I also have a broadly herniated disk there and an MRI ... A: Could be bone-on-bone friction at facet joints or the twanging of tendons as they pass over bony ... | |
| Tingling Face | 10/10/2006 |
| Q: A couple of months ago, I got my first neck adjustment from a chiropracter. A few weeks later, my ... A: The symptoms you describe are typical of contracted neck muscles. What's frightening to people is ... | |
| neck,sholder and arm pain | 10/10/2006 |
| Q: i have pulled a muscle in right side of neck which pain goes all down forarm sometimes to wrist most ... A: Steve, Sounds like you have a muscle spasm. No fun, but not dangerous. Understamd your condition ... | |
| Ruptured Disk | 10/10/2006 |
| Q: I am a single 73 yr old female with a ruptured disk which pinched the sciatic nerve with gel loss. ... A: Dr. Basmajian's exercises are harmless and can help with lower back pain. You should not refrain ... | |
| Ruptured Disk | 10/9/2006 |
| Q: I am a single 73 yr old female with a ruptured disk which pinched the sciatic nerve with gel loss. ... A: Betty, It is my understanding that surgery for a ruptured disc involves aspirating (sucking out) ... | |
| Trampoline Injury | 10/8/2006 |
| Q: I'm 37 and in good health/shape. 4 months ago I was at a party and got on a friend's trampoline. ... A: Will, They're right about one thing: it involves your musculature. But I think they're wrong ... | |
| leg & back Pain | 10/8/2006 |
| Q: I have this severe pain in my lower back and my left leg. The worst pain is in the left leg. It has ... A: Diana, Sounds like muscular contractions, in this case a conditioned response, probably to a past ... | |
| neck pain | 10/8/2006 |
| Q: This past summer I aggravated an old neck injury from 1997. In the initial injury, I fell headfirst ... A: John, Your doctors missed the obvious: muscular contractions -- typical of any kind of ... | |
| Herniated disc | 10/6/2006 |
| Q: I have been suffering with back/leg pain for the past 5 years. I was afraid to get a MRI done so my ... A: Lisa, A more conservative (less invasive) approach is called for, first. I won't speculate on what ... | |
| Neck Pain | 10/6/2006 |
| Q: I'm a 50 year old man and for about 5 years now I have had painful neck stiffness on the left side ... A: Brison, Yes -- what causes neck muscles to tighten (they don't stiffen) is your brain, the control ... | |
| Pinched Nerve? | 10/5/2006 |
| Q: Last night I was awakened by terrible leg pain that seemed to run from the side of my hip all the ... A: Briana, Worry, no. Act, yes. You may have had a spastic tensor fascia lata, a muscle that ... | |
| cervical collars | 10/5/2006 |
| Q: is there a way one can get relief from pressure points while wearing cervical collar. My daughter ... A: Mary, Until the tissues affected by surgery heal, the collar should be used. However, the reason ... | |
| BACK AND LEG PAIN | 10/3/2006 |
| Q: MY DAUGHTER IS 9 YRS OLD AND SHE IS HAVING LOW BACK PAIN AND LEG PAIN THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 5 ... A: The "knot" in your daughter's back is in fact the most significant indication of what's going on: ... | |
| posible confusion | 10/3/2006 |
| Q: Is it true that damaged nerve by epidural can't be fixed?My name is Tina and I am 20 years old. A ... A: Tina, A damaged nerve can't be "fixed", but nerves sometimes regenerate (heal) by themselves. It's ... | |
| posible confusion | 10/1/2006 |
| Q: My name is Tina and I am 20 years old. A three months ago I gave a birth with epidural. I start to ... A: Tina, I can't answer your question about nerve compression from a herniation being confused with a ... | |
| Neck pain whip lash they said | 9/30/2006 |
| Q: Answer - Scott, Whiplash injuries happen just the way you described. Muscles go into contraction ... A: Have you read the article, as I suggested? Once you handle the muscular control issue, the pain and ... | |
| Back problems causing dumbness | 9/28/2006 |
| Q: two weeks ago a got a severe pain in my left side behind my ribs. less than two hours later I ... A: Barb, Sounds like nerve impingements. Surprised that MRT and CT didn't show that. Perhaps the ... | |
| back | 9/28/2006 |
| Q: i was rolling a very heavy client on the bed which should have been two carers and there wasnt and ... A: You have contracted back muscles in a state of fixation. Please see the articles on back pain at ... | |
| back pain prevention | 9/28/2006 |
| Q: I'm an amateur boxer from Belgium. After a training on the bags and some shadowboxing, I felt a ... A: Here are answers, in order. 1) Embark on a program of conditioning that improves your ability to ... | |
| undiagnosed back injurie | 9/28/2006 |
| Q: I work on a shipping dock. While at work the product that I was lifting slipped on lotion that was ... A: Your doctor has missed the obvious: you have back muscles in spasm, provoked by the sudden ... | |
| Back/Leg Pain | 9/27/2006 |
| Q: I fell down a flight of concrete stairs and have had 2 fusion surgeries (L5-S1 & L5) and also have a ... A: Cathy, First thing, don't panic. Both injuries and surgeries provoke the same kind of ... | |
| pain in middle toupper back between shoulder blades | 9/24/2006 |
| Q: for about a month now ive been experiancing pain in my middle to upper back between my shoulder ... A: Muscular contractions cause those sensations, as well as the cracking and stiffness of the neck. ... | |
| C5-C6 Herniation | 8/14/2006 |
| Q: What are some good exercises/stretches I can do to help with the stiffness? I sit all day at a desk ... A: First, stop thinking in terms of stretches and think in terms of getting enough control of your neck ... | |
| Arm and leg numbness with pain | 8/13/2006 |
| Q: About 3 months ago I sustained a lifting injury with shooting pains from my buttocks and down my ... A: Sounds like nerve impingements with possible disc problems, provoked by your lifting action. Muscle ... | |
| Bulging L5 disc and annular tear of same disc | 8/10/2006 |
| Q: I started having severe back pain in early 2002. I saw my internist, who ordered an x-ray. The x-ray ... A: Kristen, Whereas annular disc tears cause their own problems, the additional possible problem is ... | |
| Back Pain | 8/8/2006 |
| Q: I have been experiencing some back pain in the middle of my back on the left side. It feels like a ... A: Pinched nerves usually come from tight muscles. Medication can't help with tight muscles, since ... | |
| lower back | 8/7/2006 |
| Q: I was on a trampoline about 2 and 1/2 weeks ago. I was jumping very high with another jumper and the ... A: A constant ache sounds like muscle tension. Try the movement pattern at somatics.com/page4.htm -- ... | |
| Neck/upper back injury | 8/6/2006 |
| Q: I was at a child's playbarn on thursday when I fell backwards from a low height landing on my neck ... A: Anna, I can't be sure, from your description. Tingling down the arms could be from muscular ... | |
| Shoulder/side pain/MRI | 8/5/2006 |
| Q: My husband had neck surgery about 8 years ago and back surgery approximately 6 years ago. For the ... A: The condition at L5-S1 would have nothing to do with shoulder and rib pain. Muscular contractions ... | |
| Shoulder/side pain/MRI | 8/5/2006 |
| Q: My husband had neck surgery about 8 years ago and back surgery approximately 6 years ago. For the ... A: Here's the contribution of another Somatic Education provider: Mala J. Aeto: Lawrence, if the guy ... | |
| headache | 8/4/2006 |
| Q: I am a 17 adolescent who always experience headaches and dizziness. I also felt very tired even ... A: Edwin, Sounds like you are beset by muscular contractions. Were you in a car or sports accident? ... | |
| neck pain | 8/4/2006 |
| Q: i was in a car accident over 2 years ago i have been having neck pain ever since i have been to a ... A: Bones go where muscles pull them. Whiplash injuries set up muscular contractions in the neck. ... | |
| Chronic Back Pain with nerve damage | 8/2/2006 |
| Q: I have had three back surgeries at L5-S1. The first a discectomy, the other a lumbar fusion, and ... A: Your inquiry reveals the basic flaws in surgery as an approach to back pain. There are two. 1) ... | |
| BACK AND NECK | 8/2/2006 |
| Q: HAD A LIFTING INJURY OVER 2 YEARS AGO INJURED BACK AND NECK MOST PAIN IS IN RT SIDE HAD MRI ON BACK ... A: Yes. Lifting injuries typically involve back muscles going into spasm (contractions that don't let ... | |
| Herniated Disk L-5 S-1 | 7/31/2006 |
| Q: I am a 42 year old female. I am obese, have carpel tunnel in both hands, arthritis, Asthma, ... A: It's unlikely surgery would help. Tingling and numbness are signs of nerve impingements, almost ... | |
| no subject | 7/28/2006 |
| Q: male 54 yrs. old ,not sure how this started ,either lifting weight or as the result of sitting long ... A: The disc bulge is only one aspect of the problem and not the cause, to begin with. Being crooked is ... | |
| BACK INJURY /FITNESS | 7/27/2006 |
| Q: I fell down a flight of stairs a year ago and the end results are spondylolistsis L4 & L5 grade 2 ... A: Tanya, First, understand that apart from tissue damage (ruptured disc), muscular contractions ... | |
| disc bulge | 7/24/2006 |
| Q: I used to be an elite athlete rowing twice a day. September 09 2005 i no longer could row, the pain ... A: Daer Ashlyn, A disc bulge isn't an injury and therefore healing is not the issue; it's a sign that ... | |
| neck and face tingling | 7/23/2006 |
| Q: I have been experiencing a few strange symptoms for the past 3 months. These include tingling in ... A: In a word, yes. Sounds like a nerve impingement. Generally, these results from entrapment of a ... | |
| Past Surgery | 7/22/2006 |
| Q: I have had disk removel at L5/S1 with ray cages about 7 years ago with great results, about a year ... A: Bob, Here's the germaneWhy did you need to have the disc removed? Before you answer, go to the ... | |
| Lower Back Injury | 7/22/2006 |
| Q: About three weeks ago I jumped off of a 40 foot cliff into water at a lake and sustained a lower ... A: Lyndsey, Sounds like you got shocked by the fall and have muscular contractions in your low back, ... | |
| disc degeneration following a road traffic accident. | 6/19/2006 |
| Q: I was in a road traffic accident in october 2005 and I was diagnosed with whiplash injuries and and ... A: No, Nicola, you aren't losing your mind. Your medical practitioners just don't understand whiplash ... | |
| neck injury - chronic pain | 6/17/2006 |
| Q: I strained my neck weightlifting about 26 years ago. I was doing a hack squat, and foolishly threw ... A: Dwight, Years ago, I had as a client an Olympic power lifter with a similar problem: neck spasms ... | |
| Central disc protusion | 6/14/2006 |
| Q: I just got my results of my MRI of The Cervical Spine and the following was noted, what does this ... A: Leticia, Disc protrusions indicate excessive pressure on the discs, generally due to overtight neck ... | |
| Thorasic Spine | 6/12/2006 |
| Q: Around four years ago, I was in a car accident, hit from behind at a stop light. MRI's of the ... A: Louie, I'm sorry to hear of your suffering. The key to understanding your condition has to do with ... | |
| spinal cord | 6/11/2006 |
| Q: Can a mild curvature in the spine cause chronic pain for an adult, especially while sitting ... A: It's not the curvature the causes the pain, but the muscular actions that cause the curvature. ... | |
| Neuralgia... Sciatica??? | 6/11/2006 |
| Q: Gold, Let me give you a little bit of my history: Almost 2 years ago I was injured on a roller ... A: It's not true that there's not much you can do for nerve pain. Actually, it's a pretty basic ... | |
| Back Injury Recurrance | 6/9/2006 |
| Q: I had a laminectomy of the L4-5 a few years ago. Everything worked out great and I even resumed my ... A: Dan, In a word, no -- at least, not usually. Surgery is not an appropriate treatment for sciatica ... | |
| Injury | 6/6/2006 |
| Q: Yes, I would appreciate a reccomendation from you, that would be great. These muscles spasms mainly ... A: The problem is that muscles don't relax when in resting positions unless your brain conditioning ... | |
| Injury | 6/6/2006 |
| Q: I beleive that I have injured my external abdominal oblique muscle on my right side. I have been ... A: Pain does not necessarily (or with muscles) usually indicate an injury, but a state of contraction. ... | |
| back pain | 6/3/2006 |
| Q: Hey Lawrence, i'm a 15 year old athlete from Buffalo, NY. My back has been killing me... mostly my ... A: Jake, Tight back muscles get sore and lead to the desire to crack your back. You need to improve ... | |
| Could my dizziness be from a neck problem? | 5/30/2006 |
| Q: I have had problems with dizziness for about 2 years now. I can no longer have a job. I have had a ... A: Your subject line, Angela, is more on-point. Neck, eyes, and balance centers (inner ear) are all ... | |
| Lumbar disks and sciatica | 5/28/2006 |
| Q: In 2001, I had a multi injury resulting in rotator cuff tears bi-lateral, torn bladder and ... A: I think that you have a good option available to you, other than pills or the usual medical pain ... | |
| Back/Neck Injury | 5/27/2006 |
| Q: I fell down a storm drain about 6 months ago. One of my legs had been hurting for quite awhile and ... A: I wish I could be there to help. I suspect that the symptoms result from the shock to your nervous ... | |
| Am I out of options.... | 5/26/2006 |
| Q: I have an L5 bulging disc as a result of suden weight gain. I gained a lot of weight in a short ... A: You have more than one option. First, we look to the reason you needed Prozac. Emotional distress ... | |
| Movement of bones in neck | 5/25/2006 |
| Q: I am 28 years old. I was involved in a minor accident about 7 years ago and I suffered whiplash. I ... A: In my practice, when a person has neck trouble, we see three stages. At the worst stage, the ... | |
| Annular disc tear L5/S1 | 5/24/2006 |
| Q: It is very helpful. I tried to view the pages you suggested, but it requires an authorization ... A: There should not have been an authorization password (technical glitch) and the problem has been ... | |
| MRI result/head and neck pain | 5/23/2006 |
| Q: I'm still confused. I have had neck pain and burning sensation since Jan.05 and torn tendon in the ... A: In a word, yes -- but that's a bit of an oversimplification. Body posture and movement reflect ... | |
| Annular disc tear L5/S1 | 5/23/2006 |
| Q: The MRI shows an annular tear L5/S1 and a herniated disc L4/5. The herniation is 15 years old and ... A: Christine, In my experience, annular tears require surgery. On the other hand, the symptoms may ... | |
| MRI result/head and neck pain | 5/23/2006 |
| Q: I have had neck pain in the occipital area. I usually have right neck pain which radiates down my ... A: An array of symptoms can come from neck muscles in contracture, headaches being one of them. ... | |
| thorasic/neck/shoulder pain | 5/22/2006 |
| Q: I was involved in a car accident 2 years ago. I was knocked out and was taking to the ER. I suffered ... A: Your therapists have, in my view, identified the situation: "... shifted vertabrae due to muscles ... | |
| L5-S1 mild posterior disc bulge | 5/22/2006 |
| Q: I just had a MRI on my LSpine. The report reads L5-S1-mild posterior disc buldge that slightly ... A: Marybeth, It means that your back muscles are so tight that they're pulling your vertebrae too ... | |
| neck pain | 5/22/2006 |
| Q: I have intense pain and swelling in my neck and below the shoulder on my right side. I have a clear ... A: You are musclebound in the involved areas. The direct solution is somatic training, whereby you ... | |
| back problems | 4/28/2006 |
| Q: i have suffered with back pain for a while in my lower back,i woke up 6 weeks ago with chronic pain ... A: Your condition is a typical pattern of back spasm. Your back muscles are musclebound and the only ... | |
| somatics | 4/24/2006 |
| Q: Mr. Gold, BACKGROUND: About 5 years ago, I had a spinal compression injury which slightly ... A: Bones go where muscles pull them. Stretching and chiropractic can trigger "rebound" spasms and ... | |
| Neuralgia/Neurontin | 4/22/2006 |
| Q: After an injury that I sustained on a roller coaster injury a few years ago, I'm still having ... A: Your description is typical of muscular contractions the follow whiplash injuries, that, in turn, ... | |
| arm and hand numbness | 4/18/2006 |
| Q: I wake up many times a night with a totally numb arm and hand. The side actually switches from night ... A: Jane, None of the conditions you cited is responsible for your symptoms; they are all secondary to ... | |
| what could this mean? | 4/9/2006 |
| Q: : I went and had a catscan on my brain and neck the results of brainscan was all normal but the neck ... A: Kitty, These questions are better answered by your doctor. However, mucosal thickening shouldn't ... | |
| I was wondering if throwing... | 4/8/2006 |
| Q: I was wondering if throwing out a disc can be caused by the same things that cause other minor back ... A: Jeff, You can't throw out a disc; discs are attached to (actually part of and continuous with) ... | |
| Undiagnosed problem | 4/6/2006 |
| Q: I have been experiencing some right rib cage pain for about 4 months now. I first noticed the pain ... A: Kristy, Odd that all your doctors missed the obvious: muscle spasm. It fits your descriptions. A ... | |
| what could this be? | 4/1/2006 |
| Q: my grandaughter layed her head back on my chest and i felt a popping stinging sensation above my ... A: The pain is likely muscular tensions between the involved ribs, which go around to the back. Tight ... | |
| What's wrong with me? | 3/7/2006 |
| Q: I'm a 25 y/o female, 5'3 and 108 lbs. I've been experiencing right side pain for the last 3-4 months ... A: Kristy, Sounds like you are feeling a very contracted psoas muscle -- contracted and sore. Your ... | |
| Muscle question | 2/23/2006 |
| Q: I have had a problem that has occured on the right side of my abdomen, which escallates to the right ... A: The simple answer is to feel. Use your hand. Pressure will evoke soreness if it's a contracted ... | |
| whiplash | 2/16/2006 |
| Q: I was in a car accident 7 weeks ago where I was hit hard on the side passenger door by one car and ... A: Casey, I am not an advocate of traction or especially of massage therapy, as neither improves ... | |
| Symptoms related to back injuries | 2/16/2006 |
| Q: My boyfriend fell down stairs and hurt his tail-bone. He ate dinner afterwards, but a little while ... A: Well, a fall shocks a person. There's a reaction in the nervous system. If it doesn't clear up by ... | |
| Back problems | 2/15/2006 |
| Q: Since a couple of years I have lower back problems that coming and going.I'm 43 now and I'm training ... A: Andreas, The sensations you describe usual come from tight muscles, incapable of relaxing due to ... | |
| herniated disk | 2/12/2006 |
| Q: i have a herniated disk that cause pain to my left foot,what is my options ,i take medicines arcoxia ... A: Yes. Disc herniation (bulge) is caused by overcompression of discs by tight back muscles. The ... | |
| lower back pain | 1/2/2006 |
| Q: I have the following problem "When I sit down and after half an hour I get up, I cannot stand ... A: What you have sounds like a muscular tension problem, particularly of the psoas muscles. An ... | |
| I have degenerative disc disease... | 1/1/2006 |
| Q: I have degenerative disc disease and multiple herniated discs, including in the cervical spine area. ... A: First, understand the origin of degenerative disc disease and herniated discs: disc overcompression ... | |
| whiplash | 12/26/2005 |
| Q: I was in a car accident on Sat. morning and I think I have whiplash as a result of it. I will ... A: Casey, The point is not whether one receives PT, but whether one restores normal muscular control ... | |
| Somatics book vs Free Yourself from Back Pain | 12/19/2005 |
| Q: I have had back pain since the age of 18 am now 48 and have suffered many rounds of back spasms and ... A: In a word, yes. But keep on with and complete Thomas Hanna's somatic exercises. If you want, you ... | |
| NHS treatment of slipped disc | 12/17/2005 |
| Q: I am suffering from severe sciatica which I beleave is due to a slipped disc. I had a sudden ... A: I'm going to bypass most of your questions and go to the heart of the matter. Sciatica can be ended ... | |
| lumps on my back | 12/5/2005 |
| Q: I recently was feeling extreme pain on my lower back. The pain was like no other pain I ever felt ... A: Miguel, When muscles contract, they shorten and thicken; those are the lumps. Contracted muscles ... | |
| Pain in Neck and Back | 12/2/2005 |
| Q: I have been having pain in my neck and back for a minimum of 6 years. I am now 23 years old and at ... A: OK. In brief, you need to retrain your control of your neck muscles, and that should be altogether ... | |
| Bulged disc in neck | 10/24/2005 |
| Q: I am 23 years old. About 4 years ago, I noticed this 'burning' type of pain in my back/right ... A: Rachel, What you're describing sounds like one or more tight muscles in your neck. Tight muscles ... | |
| head pain and neck pain | 10/24/2005 |
| Q: I am 27 and i am female, white. I have been diagnosed with migraines and high blood pressure. For ... A: The doctors who said you have muscle spasms are correct. If your other doctor doesn't listen to ... | |
| herniated disc | 10/17/2005 |
| Q: I have a herniated disk in my lower back. I have been seeing a chiropractor and his tretments have ... A: Yes to a recommendation: First of all, understand that it's not the strengthening that is helping; ... | |
| Noticed bumb right below tailbone | 9/18/2005 |
| Q: I noticed a second bump about 1/4-1/2" below my tail bone. It goes down through (for lack of a ... A: There is no second bone -- but there is a muscle, the "levator ani" (look it up). There's a ... | |
| chronic neck pain | 9/18/2005 |
| Q: my boyfriend can't laterally turn or flex his head to either side. It began about two weeks ago, ... A: There's nothing you can do. He has to retrain those muscles, himself. His best bet is to see a ... | |
| neck injury | 9/17/2005 |
| Q: In June I was lifting an overstuffed laundry bag and felt a pain at the left side of my neck and ... A: The likelihood that the incidents are related is high. However, you almost certainly already had ... | |
| back pain (UK) | 9/4/2005 |
| Q: Hope you can help. When I was 16 (now 36)I worked in a brewery and used to wash out the beer ... A: Tony, Sounds like you are muscle-bound in your back. You need to reset the resting tonus of those ... | |
| back problems | 9/4/2005 |
| Q: I have a friend who's been having back and hip problems. He said it's always there. It has its good ... A: N. Most of the symptoms you describe may originate from muscular tension and muscle fatigue -- ... | |
| Surgical possibility? | 8/29/2005 |
| Q: Seven years ago, I was involved in a car crash. I was at a complete stop, as was the car in front ... A: Surgery is a crude option. Understand that discs don't just sort of ... "bulge" ... They get ... | |
| arm and leg numbness/aching | 8/22/2005 |
| Q: I recently began a new job where I am sitting at a desk all day. I noticed in the first week of ... A: The feeling of limbs falling asleep is probably due to nerve impingement (probably in your neck and ... | |
| neck pain | 8/22/2005 |
| Q: I watch a seven month old baby 2 days a week .I notice on these days that i get a pain sometimes on ... A: Avoiding jokes about babies being a pain in the neck, that kind of pain is usually from tight, ... | |
| SI JOINT / piriformis stretch | 8/21/2005 |
| Q: i am now a 38 year old male of good health except i have all kinds of problems or possibly pain ... A: Let's cut to the core of the issue: stretching. Stretching, despite the overwhelming popular and ... | |
| hip muscle spasms | 8/17/2005 |
| Q: I am a 67 year old active retiree. I have recurring problems with spasms of the large muscle over ... A: Yes, Mary, Muscle spasms occur in muscles over which you have lost some control. The reasons for ... | |
| Dear Sir, My husband had... | 7/27/2005 |
| Q: My husband had two back operations to remove cartridges from discs 4/5 then again in discs 5 and 1. ... A: If your husband is having nerve pain, then something is pressing on the nerve, somewhere along the ... | |
| Back Pain | 7/24/2005 |
| Q: My name is Daxton, and I am 26 years old. Firstly, and I hope this email does not turn into a ... A: The pain and loss of function you describe correspond to excessive muscular tension in the areas of ... | |
| Back pain | 7/22/2005 |
| Q: I have been suffering from lower back pain in my kidney areas on both sides for about ten years now. ... A: As to water, start with small amounts many times during the day. Without adequate water, it is very ... | |
| Back pain | 7/22/2005 |
| Q: I have been suffering from lower back pain in my kidney areas on both sides for about ten years now. ... A: Your kidneys are not in your lower back area; they are in your mid-back area. Sounds like you're ... | |
| neck | 7/9/2005 |
| Q: Compresed disc at C5,C6.in injury in 1998. Had injection treatments in 2000. am now haveing stabing ... A: C.J., I can't address your memory loss -- except that by observing your spelling, it makes me ... | |
| BACK INJURY | 7/6/2005 |
| Q: ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO, I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT AND WAS REFERRED TO A CHIROPRACTOR FOR MY LOWER BACK ... A: See an orthopedic doctor to rule out vertebral fracture or disc tear. If your problem is strictly ... | |
| Lower Back pain and Vax D | 7/5/2005 |
| Q: I have lower back pain, had it now for probably 10 years, I have had some Chiropratic, and it has ... A: I don't have information on Vax D. The method I recommend does not rely upon external devices or ... | |
| defining a medical term | 7/5/2005 |
| Q: could you kindly explain what the term "permanent and stationary"as it pertains to a disability.i ... A: The term, "permanent and stationary", means that your medical practitioners believe there is nothing ... | |
| Chronic Low Back Pain | 6/27/2005 |
| Q: I have had chronic low back pain for 10 years. It started with my last pregnancy (#2) and worsened ... A: The array of symptoms you describe point to pinched nerves exiting your spine at the low back. If ... | |
| Low Back 5mm disk bulge | 6/26/2005 |
| Q: I have experienced low back pain for 6 months now. I had twins a year ago. Eight weeks after I ... A: Cameron, I am a yoga instructor with expertise in prenatal and postnatal fitness and yoga. I ... | |
| back pain and carrying of babies | 6/24/2005 |
| Q: using biomechanics to explain, can a woman with back ache in the lumbar region carry a baby on the ... A: Akosua, On further consideration, I believe I misunderstood your question. Carrying a baby on ... | |
| lower back pain | 6/24/2005 |
| Q: I have a lower back injury, caused possiably by lifting or strain. However i am worried that it may ... A: Tim, The whole thing sounds like muscular contractions and muscle fatigue (soreness). Accidents ... | |
| compressed disc | 6/23/2005 |
| Q: My mom had a hip replaced and now has a compressed disc that is painful. Any connnection between ... A: Neil, The common response to injury and pain (including surgical wounds) is to cringe/tighten up. ... | |
| Back pain | 6/20/2005 |
| Q: 4 years ago I had surgery for an L2/3 hernation. It has left me with numbness to the left of the ... A: Elaine, First clarification: muscles don't cause other muscles to tighten up; the brain causes ... | |
| neck, back, jaw injury | 6/15/2005 |
| Q: About 3 months ago, I was injured when my airbags deployed in my car. Since then, I have been ... A: Your GP is incorrect. Dizziness is a common consequence of neck tension, as the muscles of the ... | |
| spinal cord injury | 6/11/2005 |
| Q: i injured my spinal cord about 3 years ago. my right leg felt like a sudden lightning bolt from my ... A: If your paralysis went away, then you didn't injure your spinal cord. You probably had a pinched ... | |
| I need to know which treatment may be best | 6/9/2005 |
| Q: I have had two back surgeries, both for hearniated disk. Since my last surgery a year ago, I have ... A: Of the two options, negative pressure is the better choice -- but neither is the best choice. The ... | |
| Reptured Disk | 6/5/2005 |
| Q: " I have a reptured disk in my lower back,causeing pain down my right leg.about 2 mounths ago i went ... A: Please see the articles on back pain at somatics.com/page4.htm for detailed answers to your ... | |
| Posture/pain | 6/4/2005 |
| Q: I am 19 and for years now my family has yelled at me because I have a bad habit of leaning my head ... A: Tom, That kind of posture is usually NOT the result of weak back muscles, but of overly tight ... | |
| neck posture | 5/29/2005 |
| Q: i am a 22 year old female ,all through grade school to college i remember being the only one ... A: The pain has nothing to do with chocolate, but a head-forward position puts strain on the back and ... | |
| Mri Results and treatment options?? | 5/13/2005 |
| Q: I just recently had a lower back MRI after experiencing numbness is right foot, outside right lower ... A: Disc herniations commonly result from overcompression. Overcompression is most commonly caused by ... | |
| back pain | 5/12/2005 |
| Q: About a month ago, my airbags in my car deployed unexpectedly. Since then, I have had neck ... A: It's probably not about your jaw, but about the shock of your car's airbags inflating and the blow ... | |
| Lifting injury | 5/10/2005 |
| Q: I received your e-mail with the preview and will have to get instruction on how to download it, in ... A: Until you get those muscles under control, they are likely to cause the same problems with the same ... | |
| bulge of L4-L5 disc | 5/9/2005 |
| Q: among the other back problenms that i have i also have a bulge of the l4-l5 disc. that is what the ... A: You have proceeded in a most intelligent manner. There is something effective you can do. The ... | |
| lower back pain | 5/8/2005 |
| Q: My boyfriend has been to many specialists including an orthropedic surgeon nothing seems to help he ... A: Michelle, Lower back pain is usually a result of tight back muscles. These muscles often relax to ... | |
| Lifting injury | 5/5/2005 |
| Q: I'm a female, 52, good health. Lifting rocks started my current problem. I have read your Q&As and I ... A: The pinching usually comes from tight muscles in the area. Likewise, soreness. Thinning of the ... | |
| Micro Discectomy and Laminectomy | 5/4/2005 |
| Q: I had a microdiscectomy and laminectomy of the lumbar 4-5 area. I herniated the disc all the way out ... A: Most often, herniated discs result from muscular contractions of the muscles along the spine, which ... | |
| Neck discs | 4/3/2005 |
| Q: Had an MRI and it showed degenerative disc disease with narrowing of spinal canal.Disc 4-5,5-6,6-7. ... A: The multiplicity of symptoms indicates that more may be going on than spinal problems due to ... | |
| lower back pain | 3/29/2005 |
| Q: What type of exercises and stretches should I do to strengthen my back so that I can avoid lower ... A: Leighton, Generally, back problems involve muscles in contraction (the back muscles being ... | |
| Pinched nerve | 3/24/2005 |
| Q: I've been experiencing pain & numbness in my legs for over 3 months. If surgery is necessary what ... A: James, I can't answer the question as you have asked it; not enough information on your special ... | |
| lower back injury - safe exercises | 3/24/2005 |
| Q: My husband has had 8 lower back surgeries and a failed pseudo-fusion in the past 10 years. He has ... A: Yes! First, Shari, reconsider stretching. A better approach than stretching is available: ... | |
| Ibuprofin Long term Use | 3/20/2005 |
| Q: I take 800 - 1600 mg of Ibuprofin daily for back and neck pain from disc issues (issues since 1984). ... A: Dave, You're asking the wrong question. The question to ask is, "What are the long term ... | |
| Cronic Back Pain | 3/16/2005 |
| Q: My husband has had 3 back surgeries and now had a herniated disk and siatica. He is on high doses ... A: Nancy, Herniated discs and sciatica typically result from contracted muscles. No surgery can ... | |
| Back probs | 3/10/2005 |
| Q: I have been seeing a chiropractor now for a few mths as some low left back pain started back in ... A: Nicola, Muscles can get conditioned to stay too tight and that can cause pain and joint locking. ... | |
| MRI reading | 3/1/2005 |
| Q: I had an MRI done of my cervical area. The results came back as degenerative disc disease with 3 ... A: Debbie, Bone spurs, narrowing discs, headaches and nerve symptoms arise from heightened and ... | |
| muscle recovery/pain | 2/28/2005 |
| Q: An injury occured on my left rotator cuff a couple years ago when im out on the driving range ... A: Soreness and restricted movement are indications that the muscles involved are tight and fatigued. ... | |
| neck/shoulder pain | 2/24/2005 |
| Q: I have had pain in my shoulder area for about 3 years. I have recently been told that I have a ... A: Pinched nerves commonly come from muscular contractions in the area of the pinch. Disc herniations, ... | |
| lower back spasms | 2/20/2005 |
| Q: I have recently began the first somatic lessons (loosing extensors and flexors) from Hanna's ... A: Spasms are a sign that you haven't developed enough control of the involved muscles or that muscles ... | |
| MRI Report | 2/15/2005 |
| Q: I have been having almost chronic lower back pain for about 5 months. I have been going to a ... A: Disc bulging, pain, nerve sensations (around hip bones) and scoliosis are typical consequences of ... | |
| lumbar strain | 1/11/2005 |
| Q: I have a lumbar strain this is the 2 time. I would like to know if a back support would help me not ... A: Sherri, The problem with lumbar pain is generally tight muscles; those are all there is to get ... | |
| BULGED DISC IN NECK W/CYST AND ARTHRITIS | 1/6/2005 |
| Q: I had an MRI FOR THE FIRST TIME OF PAIN FOR 3 YEARS NOW, I was told 3 years ago that I had a Cyst in ... A: Crissy, The cyst may require surgery, but should be relatively minor surgery. Discs bulge when put ... | |
| Question about pinched nerve?? Well possile pinched nerve??!?! | 1/6/2005 |
| Q: Yes, I am a white female in her mid to late 30s and for the past 2 months I have been noticing ... A: Tammy, It does sound just like a pinched nerve in your neck, and it won't cripple you, but you ... | |
| bone spur--neck | 1/5/2005 |
| Q: The Somatics website looks very interesting but will take me awhile to go through it all. I now ... A: Steve, The matter of dietary deficiency (or excess) wouldn't explain why bone spurs form WHERE they ... | |
| bone spur--neck | 1/5/2005 |
| Q: I had an x-ray because of neck pain. The x-ray showed I had a bone spur. Do you know what causes a ... A: Steve, A bone spur forms at the attachment of tendon (muscle-end) to bone and forms in the ... | |
| ears or neck | 1/3/2005 |
| Q: ----DEAR LAWRENCE it's so hard to believe that muscles can cause so much agony and fear i guess you ... A: The best option is to see me or a somatics practitioner proficient in dealing with that area of the ... | |
| ears or neck | 1/1/2005 |
| Q: need some help here have recently been having some problems with ears..nose and throat...I have had ... A: Helen, There are muscles that run down the back of the throat and up to the eustachian tubes. ... | |
| Nerve freezing | 12/31/2004 |
| Q: My wife had a polar fusion in her back back in February. The original pain in her back is gone but ... A: Can't answer about success rate, but there's another factor. It is most common for back trouble to ... | |
| back pain | 12/25/2004 |
| Q: "sir/madam..my age wife 40...my wife get back pain in early morning after intercourse on night..what ... A: If your wife has back pain, it's probably because the muscles are tight and fatigued (sore). ... | |
| pinched nerve | 12/23/2004 |
| Q: my husband has been in pain for 2 months with a pinched nerve in the shoulder and first they said it ... A: What you have described sounds typical of a pinched nerve. Anti-inflammatory meds are not useful, ... | |
| Neck pain | 12/20/2004 |
| Q: 8 months ago my 6 year old son was hanging on the back of my hatch back of my suv and brought it ... A: The typical response to any shock or injury is to tighten up -- in this case, the muscles of your ... | |
| muscular physique | 12/19/2004 |
| Q: Are overdeveloped muscles permanent? If not, what is the best way to lose them? A: Jane, One reason muscles overdevelop is that they are opposed by other muscles that are too tight. ... | |
| Neck Problem | 12/16/2004 |
| Q: In late Auguast 2004, I was thrown off a mule in Yosemite Park. I was airlifted to a hospital and ... A: Joel, It's probably related to the fall -- as a whiplash injury, which sets up neck muscle tension. ... | |
| Back and neck pain | 12/16/2004 |
| Q: My partner has recently been diagnosed with having muscular sketetal spasms after 15 months of ... A: There is indeed hope for your partner; there is at least one good method of alleviating muscular ... | |
| neck vertabrae | 12/11/2004 |
| Q: In 1991 I was in a rollover car accident, I was fine, I thought, until 2 weeks after when I started ... A: Holly, Yes, the problem could be muscles. It's typical of whiplash injuries (and surgeries) that ... | |
| Shoulder & side rib/abs with chronic pain | 12/7/2004 |
| Q: For 3 years I have had a pain which is I think - in my muscles around the right ribs and this ... A: Robert, You're describing what sounds like tight intercostal (between the ribs) muscles. Have you ... | |
| Pain in Right Arm | 12/6/2004 |
| Q: Last week I had a pain in my neck on the right side, what older people called a "crook in the neck", ... A: Sonja, First of all, the technical term is "crick" in the neck. Nixon was a crook. Do you have ... | |
| lower back spasms | 12/5/2004 |
| Q: Husband, 65, has for over a year experienced a 'deep abdominal/lower back spasm' as soon as he goes ... A: Your description sounds familiar. It will be necessary for your husband to learn to relax those ... | |
| bulging disks | 12/3/2004 |
| Q: I posted earlier in the week regarding my MRI results: IMPRESSION: 1. Broad-based central disk ... A: It's always possible that something other than muscular tension is involved, but unlikely. Yoga, ... | |
| Pinched nerve problem? | 12/1/2004 |
| Q: I had a whiplash neck injury in 1995 and have had chronic pain ever since. In the past year, I have ... A: I all sounds related to muscular tensions set up in your neck at the time of the injury. Your ... | |
| MRI results | 12/1/2004 |
| Q: I am a 30 year old female and have been suffering from low back pain and recently had an MRI. Could ... A: The radiologist's report indicates that you have so much muscular tension in your back muscles that ... | |
| best method for recovery from chronic pain | 11/8/2004 |
| Q: I am 47 years old and have had a history of injury to my neck, 3 car accidents involving jaw and ... A: To dispense with the quickest question, first, I can't advise you on legal recourse. Your symptoms ... | |
| Stiff neck | 11/6/2004 |
| Q: My husband is in severe pain caused by a stiff neck. The pain started in the top of his shoulders ... A: Inflammation is probably not the issue. Sounds like your husband has some very contracted neck ... | |
| Back pain | 11/5/2004 |
| Q: I was injured on the job on July 29th of this year. I am a flight attendant and during severe ... A: The shock of injury is often sufficient to increase the resting tension level of muscles (this is a ... | |
| lower lumbar herniated and torn discs plus cervical fusion done and thoracic discs ruptured | 11/4/2004 |
| Q: I had cervical fusion C4-5,C5-6,C6-7, inserting cadabor (sp?) bone etc. My surgeans admitted ... A: Understand, first, that with spinal problems, there is almost always a muscular component to the ... | |
| sciatica | 11/4/2004 |
| Q: I have a herniated disc [l5 s1][i think]..have had terrible pain down right leg and back. I am now ... A: Herniated discs are a symptom, usually, of highly contracted low back muscles. You need a ... | |
| diagnosis for back/neck injury | 11/3/2004 |
| Q: On July 30 2004 I fell asleep on my back with my head on the arm rest of a couch. I believe I may ... A: The dizziness and headaches you describe are typical of neck muscle contractions which, through ... | |
| myofascial pain | 11/2/2004 |
| Q: i think i have myofascial pain but i am not sure. i am now a 38 year old male who has been involved ... A: The first thing to understand is that muscles are controlled by the brain and can't be caused to ... | |
| Auto accident / pain | 10/28/2004 |
| Q: I was involved in a car accident and suffered injuries. I'm much better than I was but still having ... A: Janice, Most such injuries involve muscular contractions in reaction to the shock / pain of injury. ... | |
| old bones | 10/22/2004 |
| Q: ------could you tell me about somatics im from australialast year i suffered from frozen ... A: The best way to learn about somatics is to read the brief articles I have prepared to answer your ... | |
| old bones | 10/22/2004 |
| Q: last year i suffered from frozen shoulder...and stiffness in my left shoulder,,,,it took over 12 ... A: The missing link in people's understanding of muscles is that muscles are controlled by the brain ... | |
| chronic back spasms | 10/20/2004 |
| Q: Gold--I have been searching for five YEARS for the answer to my chronic back pain. I'm 43 years ... A: The key to ending muscle spasms is to learn better control of the involved muscles. Muscles ... | |
| how? | 10/19/2004 |
| Q: itseems that the muscles in the side of my throat are tightening and causing ear and jaw ... A: A good massage therapist could check for the tension of your neck muscles -- although massage is not ... | |
| CHRONIC BACK PAIN | 10/18/2004 |
| Q: I HAVE HAD CHRONIC BACK PAIN FOR 11 YRS. WAS ON VIOXX, WHICH TO ME WAS A WONDER DRUG, NOW I AM ON A ... A: Yes, Jan, You're treating with drugs a condition which, in most cases, comes from muscular tension. ... | |
| I feel like no one cares about my pain | 10/18/2004 |
| Q: I have had back pain for about 15 yrs. I was in a car accident when I was 16 and my back pain ... A: Sorry to hear of your trouble. I understand your frustration. However, there is a solution. First ... | |
| Bulged disc in neck | 10/18/2004 |
| Q: Ive had a neck injury for about 7 years now. I woke up with it and thought i had slepy funny. I ... A: Scott, First advice: steer clear of surgery. It's inappropriate for muscular conditions of the ... | |
| Neck Pain | 10/15/2004 |
| Q: I'm a 51 year old man and don't have any injuries. However, for the last 5 years I keep getting a ... A: Your friend has the right idea, but, generally, neck muscles require more precisely patterned ... | |
| neck injury | 10/14/2004 |
| Q: I fell backwards off my service truck in jan 04. I was standing about 4 foot off the ground and was ... A: First thing: The pain in your shoulders, neck and skull result from muscular contractions in ... | |
| Neck injury | 10/7/2004 |
| Q: My name is Cassandra, I'm 18 and I am contacting you regarding a neck injury that my father (He is ... A: The twitching is a sign -- of a loss or deficiency of control of certain muscles in your father's ... | |
| Lower back pain | 10/7/2004 |
| Q: I am a 15 year old male. I have pain on my lower back sometimes when I run or move really fast. It ... A: First thing -- there is nothing to heal as you are not injured. You have some muscles that are so ... | |
| neck and back clicking | 10/6/2004 |
| Q: Recently I started hearing loud clicking noise coming from my neck. People around me could hear the ... A: The clicking is typical of people with moderately tight muscles in the neck or back. When the ... | |
| check symptoms | 10/6/2004 |
| Q: -------------------------Could he be having petit mal seizures? Is this caused by his medication? ... A: Susan, Petit mal is a form of epilepsy and is not caused by drugs. Epilepsy is a neuro-electrical ... | |
| trapped nerves - neck and shoulder | 10/3/2004 |
| Q: I am sufferng from trapped nerves in my neck and which lead to excruciating pain in my arm and upper ... A: The limitation of chiropractic is that it doesn't restore your ability to relax those tight neck ... | |
| sciatica | 9/26/2004 |
| Q: the pain started 4 days ago down my leg. went to dr., and he perscribed bextra. pain has gotten ... A: You have just described sciatica -- a condition of nerve impingement/entrapment caused by tight ... | |
| Bursitus | 9/24/2004 |
| Q: My husband has had his elbow drained today. His doctor told him it is bursitus (Popeye Elbow). He IS ... A: Bursitis is commonly associated with an excessively tight muscle, whose tight tendon passes across ... | |
| Back | 9/21/2004 |
| Q: Hey there. My names Hugh and Im 17. When I was over in europe i sat down on some stone steps, and ... A: Hugh, The thing to check is whether the muscles of your back are very tight and sore. You check ... | |
| Can you please tell what causes this? | 9/17/2004 |
| Q: I am 50 year old female from Australia,I suffer from panic and agoraphobia since I was 21 year old ... A: You've given me a clue about your situation with your description of your breathing. I would say ... | |
| pinched nerve in back | 9/13/2004 |
| Q: For the last several years, I have suffered with occasional episodes of severe pain in the right ... A: Since you're working on better posture and movement, I would recommend you obtain self-care ... | |
| Post-surgery neck pain | 9/13/2004 |
| Q: Im writing for my wife, she is 37 years of age and has had two neck fusions, if Im right it was ... A: Muscular contractions are a common aftermath of surgery; it's the body's reaction to injury. Pain ... | |
| Trachea popping in neck | 9/11/2004 |
| Q: Have you ever heard of this? My daughter 9 was continually popping her neck just by slightly turning ... A: Yes, sounds like your daughter has some overtight neck muscles, the discomfort of which is prompting ... | |
| results recent MRI on lumbar spinal chord area | 9/9/2004 |
| Q: The MRI results show"severe" compromise of the spinal chord in L4,and L5 and moderate compromise in ... A: From your description, I don't know that inflammation of the spinal cord is a factor in the ... | |
| MRI of the lumbar spine | 9/2/2004 |
| Q: Below you will find the results of a MRI that I had done. The doctor is sending me to a pain ... A: The key findings, here, have to do with the discs between the lower three lumbar (low back) ... | |
| patient with herniated disc | 8/29/2004 |
| Q: I'm a naturopath and have a friend/patient who has a bulging disk. Medical doctors only recommend ... A: Wright, There are some conditions that respond to nutritional approaches that affect body chemistry ... | |
Back and Neck Injury
Answers by Expert:
Lawrence Gold
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Questions concerning: back pain exercises back muscle pain back muscle spasms degenerative disc disease disc bulge dizziness groin pain groin pull lifting injuries lower back pain lower back exercises sciatica whiplash injuries Hanna Somatics headaches iliopsoas bursitis iliopsoas muscle iliopsoas syndrome iliopsoas stretch movement limitations psoas stretch psoas muscle pain psoas stretch psoas major psoas muscle somatics somatic exercises somatic education TMJ Dysfunction / TMD
Experience
In practice since 1990. Two years on staff at a hospital Wellness and Rehabilitation Center.
Organizations belong to
Association for Hanna Somatic Educators, Association of Bodywork and Massage Professionals, Association for Humanistic Psychology
Publications
Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, American Journal of Pain Management, Somatics: Magazine-Journal of the Mind-Body Arts and Sciences. More complete listing at somatics.com/gold.htm
Education/Credentials
Certifications: Hanna Somatic Education, the Dr. Ida P. Rolf method of Structural Integration (partial list)
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