I have a heavy neck and lifting head when lying is difficult. Please advise.

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 22 year old male. I have a very heavy neck from the last seven months. When lying in the supine position, lifting the head up is very difficult (as if something is pulling from behind). While standing and looking up at the ceiling, I get a cracking sound which is quite loud and is prominent at the left mastoid process and at occiput. There is no pain in the neck. Only heaviness. Neck has total range of motion. No radiating pain in hands and no tingling and numbness in hands. MRI neck shows disc herniation from C2 to C6 with no cord involvement.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

In my opinion, with the limited narration that you have provided to me in your query, I feel you have less stability in your core muscles.

You should maintain posture while driving which can be achieved by placing a pillow behind your low back (in case you drive the car) or staying erect in case of a two-wheeler.

A couple of back strengthening and core stability glute stability exercises will help you fix your back.

Kindly provide me with additional details of your problem like how the pain started, what movements are limited, what aggravates the pain, what relieves it, etc. How is your pain at night and early morning, is there any pain radiating down the leg?

As of now, I advise you to ice your low back frequently.

Back arching will help you feel better too, it can be done as 15 reps of three sets in a lying face-down position.

For more information consult a physiotherapist online