hi, good to see you again,
i'm sure the solutions for the neck probably differ according to what is causing the neck pain.
for me it is muscle spasms.
when my upper back's trigger points kick in, all the surrounding muscles spasm including the neck. and then the muscles all weaken due to all the spasming (at least that's the way it was explained to me by the PT and physiatrist). when it all first began, it went unabated for 1.5 years before i found someone who could help me, so the neck muscles were very very weak by then, so every little thing sent them into spasm. its been awhile but some of the things my PT did that helped the neck was light massage, gentle traction, ultrasound of the upper back. i found i had to swim to get the neck strong again. now, it doesn't get nearly as bad.
for me, sleeping on the thinnest of feather pillows flat on my back is the only way i can sleep. any pillow that pushes my neck up even a little sends it into spasm. i find that i have the best results if i scrunch the feather pillow around my neck so its gently supporting it
i have to make sure i never turn my head to one side for very long, i need to have conversations, watch tv, etc looking straight ahead.
i take muscle relaxants (zanaflex) each night before bed; they are really miracle pills for me. i tried other muscle relaxants but they made me way too drowsy for too many hours. zanaflex clears the body in 6 hours.
when my upper back trigger points are active, the neck is more of a problem, so for me, keeping my upper back happy, helps keep my neck happy.
to keep my back happy, i have to be careful of sitting.
if things are spasming, ice and heat back and forth (ice pack til its no longer cold, microwavable hot pack til its no longer hot, repeat, repeat...) seem to help the most with both the neck and upper back / shoulder area. and then i'll go get ultrasound for my trigger points and maybe trigger point injections if its a really bad case.
as for the swallowing. no trouble with that for me, but most of my problem is on the left in the back and along the side. often some numbness along the jaw and at the temple. if i can keep that numbness at bay, i know i'm doing well.
i did have laryngitis when the PT massaged my neck too exuberantly, but not swallowing problems.
if you can't manage it on your own, i've found that PT really helped me a lot when i needed it. now, i use what i've learned there and can do everything myself except for the ultrasound and tp injections. but usually i don't need to resort to that.
hope your neck feels better soon,
sue
