Pain relief...

[#1]

Currently I am suffering from chronic neck pain which is like an almost constant feeling of cramp in my neck.

As we all know getting a doctor's appointment for less that two weeks away is nigh on impossible plus, by then, there is a good chance the pain will have gone thus wasting mine and the GP's time

So I am currently relying on a mixture of Solpadeine Max then bean bag heat packs when they wear off. Which got me thinking... Pain relief does nothing to cure any underlying issues so could we be making ourselves worse by relying on such treatments even if only until we finally get to see the quack?

[#2]

Have a look at

https://community.plus.net/t5/General-Chat/A-Pain-in-the-Neck/m-p/1375308/highlight/true#M209481

You could try the Amy / Sheldon method !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7V_2XU-XX4

Most effective for myself was Tesco Heat Rub 

Works in seconds...

Only needed the once each time

[#3]

Hypnotism may be worth considering, seriously. Lots out there via Google.

[#4]

I've got a 5% w/w Ibuprofen gel.

I don't actually use it very often but its very effective for pain relief of all muscular pain.

I think its a prescription medicine, but you could make own with a pestle and mortar and some skin cream.

[#5]

Best to get the cause figured out sooner rather than later, as I was in similar situation with my back and later hips.  5 years on after first reporting it, first four years when I saw the GP's from my previous practice who kept saying take paracetamol and ibuprofen, I finally saw a physio after moving and practice.  She diagnosed osteoarthritis, I had worked for a courier firm who didn't have aids to dealing with the stock, so manually moving between 15-20 tonnes of stock a day between the two of us.

So now because the damage was made worse over time after doing some voluntary work, I am on prescription strength co-codamol and have to do exercises each morning to keep my lower back and hips loose.

If it hurts there is a reason, don't wait to find out too late

[#6]

You should sue that company.

I know what's wrong with me and the cure is gentle exercise over a period of months.
I somehow managed to acquire a Achilles tendon injury (which is very painful in the mornings).

[#7]

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VileReynard wrote:

You should sue that company.

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Have you ever tried sueing someone and proving they are at fault?

It really isn't as easy as one of the PI companies on the TV would have you believe.

@Mav I've often wondered myself if pain suppression is a bad thing. I'm on prescription painkillers for pain that has been troubling me for many years now and it does help me to forget about the pain.. but at the same time these painkillers have been known to cause pancreatic cancer in mice. Strangely I now have a painful and swollen spleen (one of the symptoms). With regards to seeing your GP, have you tried making a phone appointment as soon as they open? - EG if they open at 8am, ring them bang on 8am - not a minute later. My surgery is constantly busy but if you get them right on the minute you'll get an appointment.. one or two minutes past and you can forget it. I start ringing a minute before the hour and then keep hitting redial until I get through. If that still doesn't work you need to change to a different doctors surgery.

[#8]

@Mav  I usually find a pack of frozen peas on the area works as well as anything - but wrap it in a tea towel first though

I seem to be quite lucky, having suffered or suffering with sciatic nerve problems until cured by major spinal surgery, and almost constant arthritic knee pain, I seem to be able to mentally switch-off the pain and get on with life. (A previous GP once quipped that I would have made a good spy under torture)

There are uncomfortable side effects of taking pain-killers so that I find the discomfort of the aches and pains preferable to the chronic constipation that goes with them, and you don't need to take many for that to happen.

[#9]

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Mav wrote:

As we all know getting a doctor's appointment for less that two weeks away is nigh on impossible

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Must be a regional thing, my GP surgery is usually same or next-day with their appointments, especially given there's only two doctors in there (with a couple nurses)...

That said, back where I lived in Lancashire, yeah, they were always booked up solid, wasn't worth trying cos by the time you got to see the doc, everything had cleared up, but that said, that particular doctor was useless, so, I rarely wanted to go see him...

[#10]

I had a problem with my neck last week. I went to a physiotherapist on Saturday and she used various gadgets on me. Worked well and the pain is barely there any more. One more session on Friday and that should do it. My physiotherapist charges £37 a time and well worth it.

[#11]

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Mav wrote:

...As we all know getting a doctor's appointment for less that two weeks away is nigh on impossible plus, by then.....

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Is it that you are always directed to your personal GP? My surgery runs a duty doctor surgery, that sees patients on the day or soon after. Consultations are shorter than  the normal 10 minutes, and only one issue is dealt with.

[#12]

I pulled a neck muscle earlier this year which then went into muscle spasm and was pretty painful. After 3 weeks of pain killers it started to ease, but eventually I found that reducing the height of the pillows in my bed took away the problem. I now sleep with just one thin pillow.  My daughter who is a senior physiotherapist says it is often small adjustments can ease short term injury pain.

[#13]

My doctor allows me to make appointments via internet (maximum of two).

Why not make a rolling weekly appointment, not forgetting to cancel unwanted appointments.

[#14]

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Minivanman wrote:

Lots out there via Google.

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But self diagnosing by web search needs to be done with care as there is a lot of mis-information. Stick to trusted sources such as

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/neck-pain/Pages/Introduction.aspx

[#15]

@Mav

in relation to the OP, yes pain killers are bad in those terms, pain is the bodies way of telling us to stop and be still,

but we need to get on with stuff so we drop pills and often make things worse in the long term....

on the other hand the type of pain relief we opt for can be more harmfull as well, many over the counter pills cause other problems especially if used regularly or for protracted periods, other more holistic substances don't have these side effects,

indeed if you were to have some high strength hemp oil (yes its legal, no you cant get "high" from it) it might do nothing or it might work 100x better than those pills, heck you can even get flavoured stuff because natural tastes vile....

myself I moved over to using more traditional things after several years of looking stuff up and through trial and error have found they work well for me (often better than the prescribed stuff and without the stoner effect from them)

of course its your body so what you choose to put into it is up to you, but bear in mind all those degree educated folks are out to make share holders richer and those lab created chemical concoctions are often bad for you because then they can sell you another cure...