Spaced out, drunk feeling, neck pain!?

Hi thanks for your reply appreciate it! I'm an electrian so head is being used a lot. It's more at the back of my head at the base. To the right of spine. I'm worried that it is a swollen lymph node! Hodgkinsons!!

Cocking your head up like an electrician would have to do can create trigger points in your suboccipital muscles which are located at the base of the skull. They can be very painful when they get tight...these muscles can squeeze on the occipital nerve creating a very sore scalp and some of the symptoms you speak of. These muscles staying chronically tight can can lock the first 2 vertebrae in your neck making it difficult to turn the head left to right or look over the shoulder. It can even make it difficult to look down or up without pain.. Forward head postures with an upper cross syndrome can create these problems: Did MRI show any bulging disc or loss of the cervical curve in your neck? Muscle pain is a highly neglected area of the body in the medical community....there just simply is not a doctor who specializes in muscle. However, when there are muscle imbalances going on it can create pain that makes it easy to believe is caused by something horrific...I am not saying this is what you have but you should look into it.  I am a nurse and a recovering neck pain patient. I was astounded that the medical community had never heard of this and how many people are afflicted with pain that is coming from muscle imbalances. And...the many more who will have it due computer usage.

Thanks for your reply again!!

Yes I did think due to work and boxing it could be muscle but the pain doesn't restrict my movement just constantly uncomfortable! Constant trying to click my neck. I'm sure whatever it is is pushing on a nerve and making me dizzy/whoozy! Saw GP yesterday said its anxiety and stress which is rubbish I do have anxiety now because I'm worried about this lump lol! MRI came back fine apart from squashed nasal passage from boxing. Anyway getting a full blood test today so hopefully that will show some answers!

Need to continually self manipulate is a sign of cervical instability...muscle weakness of the deep neck flexors also found in forward head posture and upper cross pattern of muscular imbalance. I had this problem and it created terrible pain at the base of the skull...sometimes felt like a severe pinch and other times a burning or like someone was trying to shove sticks up into the base of my skull. I had bizarre symptoms...dizziness, off balance, intermittent nausea, heavy headed, clouded vision, inability to concentrate, inability to hold a static posture (more comfortable standing and moving than sitting) pain that radiated into my shoulder blade and eventually, due to the muscle imbalance in my neck, destabilized my shoulder blade..the only thing that relieved it was lying down...every doctor I saw couldn't tell me what was wrong and only wanted to prescribe medicine to treat the symptoms but I was losing my life. I swore it was serious, and they were missing it. Tons of research...I found my answer...bad posture...and honestly I did not think my posture was that bad and still when I look at it, I don't feel it is that bad. Point is, lots of people think there posture is great when it really isn't. If your blood test comes back fine and the Doctors continue to tell you that your dealing with anxiety, try strengthening your deep neck flexors without activating your SCMs and see if this helps your discomfort. Good Luck to you!

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Thanks for your reply again really appreciate it! My blood results came back fine and my neuroglist gave me beta blockers to help with blood flow to brain but now my glands have come up in my groin and neck! I really hope this isn't linked to my neck and is just a considence!! I'm just wondering would something show in my blood test if there was something really wrong? Thanks!

Honestly, I am not sure what the Doctors were looking for on the blood tests....most blood tests can give data about how the body is generally doing by looking at different things. If they found something abnormal, this helps to guide the treatment plan or possibly warrants further testing or referral to a specialist for something...in other words if your concern was cancer, a doctor could not diagnose this on a blood test alone...he might see some abnormal blood work that leads him to believe further testing is warranted. However, you said you had a concerning lump in your neck and had an MRI....a neck MRI would've found a tumor that you say you are palpating with your hand...I think you may be feeling trigger points and not swollen glands...your first post said the muscle felt tender....and yes muscle imbalances and cervical instability of the neck can cause trigger points/ muscle imbalances throughout the body as the body tries to compensate for these imbalances...it can get darn uncomfortable.

Crystal how are you feeling now? I have the same symptoms you listed. Just now seeing a physical therapist. She is helping me with dizziness and neck pain.

Hi, Maria. I feel much better...it took a long time to get here. I know the discomfort you are going thru...ugh! I hope you have an excellent physical therapist who understands muscle imbalances, and I hope they are working at strengthening your deep neck flexors. I went thru several before I found the right one....they are not all equal...believe me. So...if your don't get progress, don't give up on the problem...find a new person to help you. Best wishes!

Thank you. I needed to hear something positive! I just started going to a physical therapist a few days ago because of reading all the info on this site . I am so happy to hear you are doing better. It gives me hope

Hi Crystal,

I know this was a few years ago now but I have very similar symptoms and have been diagnosed with upper crossed syndrome.

Could I pick your brain on how you recovered? Thanks, Adam

Hello, what exercise did you do To get over this muscle issue

Read lots of your posts. I would to know what you did to fix upper cross and other things. I know you posted links but they arent allowed on here. How do we connect? Thanks

Hi Crystal, I know this was a while ago but I'm wondering if I can get you help in the situation you mentioned. I have severe symtoms of lightheadedness, vision problems and muscle tightness which I think may be due to my deep neck flexors. I would like to know what you did and how you managed to overcome this problem any response would be highly appreciated thanks Jordan 😊

Chloe if you still haven't found what was wrong or anybody in this chat ,check if you have occipital neuralgia I've been having the same thing for a month only to find out it was this pls everybody check this out cause i was going crazy before I found out what I had