Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Can arthritis cause Sudden loss of ROM in neck

18 months ago I had a bad accident at work. Broken femur in two places,crushed pelvis requiring metal plate to bolt it back together, punctured lung, 8 broken ribs, fractured lower back, torn rotator cuff, large gash on head and knocked out. Six weeks later I went to ER with massive blood clots from ankles to a IVC they had installed after my surgeries. I was non weight bearing, inactive with no blood thinner given which was the cause of clots. The ER put me on a strong blood thinner immediately. They did the clot busting procedure for 72 hours which they said got rid of 80-90 % of them.
Now 18 months later I still suffer from chronic neck pain and pain on back of head when I lie on pillow. I have had this pain from the very start of my injury. I had radio frequency ablation on both sides of neck which only helped ROM of neck to one side. No help in pain.The doctors recently gave me an MRI of the neck and head and said my pains are from age related arthritis ( I'm 66 years old) and no damage to neck from the work injury. The day before the accident I did NOT have any pains at all and I DID have 100 % Range Of Motion in neck. They are prescribing tons of pain killers to relieve symptoms. The pain Meds are making me dizzy when laying down, getting up, or if I had been sitting for awhile. I'm also using ice and heat to help with pain. Today I start EPIDURAL STEROID INJECTIONS between the T1 and C7 vertebrae. Maybe this will finally help my pain.

Is it possible after looking at the above information, this neck and head pain is only age related arthritis.

Has anyone ever dealt with a problem like this ?????


Hoping to be pain free
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Hello, sorry to hear of your pain and situation!
Indeed, I can attest to car accidents pushing underlying problems to the front pages! Looking back at a nasty car accident I was in, likely (I know it did now!) kickstarted the extreme flare up of an underlying condition I have (looking back, the beginning onset of more sx came/I see are directly linked to just after a nasty T-Bone accident I was in..). In my case, the accident likely pushed my already herniated brain further into my spine. I didn't realize this until somewhat recently...but it's pretty clear that there's a direct correlation between the car accident and the flare up, my Chiari rearing its ugly head. As well as already having DDD throughout cervical & thoracic spine, changes seen even there.
I hope you find some relief. Keep a journal I always say. As well as taking notes of what it was prior to accident and now after accident changes.
<3
~emme~
Helpful - 0
547368 tn?1440541785
Hi Rusty,

I'm very sorry to hear about your accident and the subsequent Chronic Pain. My heart goes out to you!

In my opinion it's impossible to know how much the accident contributed to your current cervical spine pain - but I'm guessing it played a large part. Indeed it's probably true that you had/have age related changes in your Cervical Spine now and prior to the accident.

It's fairly common that trauma can trigger an underlying condition into a flare or begin a cascade of symptoms (SX). I'll bet that that's what happened in your case. Many of us with early Spinal conditions won't experience any SX in the early stages of the disease/condition. It just doesn't present problems - until it reaches a certain stage. Trauma and/or Injury can speed the process up - or as I said, trigger the SX.

I don't want to sound cruel - or pessimistic - but it may be unrealistic to expect that you will be pain free. Sadly Chronic Pain (it sounds like that's what you are experiencing) is usually always with us. Our hope is that it can be well manged - or that it will improve. Pain free is unreachable and unrealistic for the majority of we Chronic Pain patients. I sincerely hope that you will be the exception.

It sounds like you are doing all the right things - and that you have a compassionate PMP. That is a true gift in today's opiate phobic climate.

I hope I've made sense to you. If not please ask for an clarification. I'm not always as clear as I would like to be - or I think I am! ;0)  

I wish you the very best - and I hope you'll be active in our community. We welcome new members. We know that together we are stronger and can offer the best support and information in numbers.

Please keep in touch!

Take Good Care of Yourself,
~Tuck
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Pain Management Community

Top Pain Answerers
Avatar universal
st. louis, MO
317787 tn?1473358451
DC
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
Could it be something you ate? Lack of sleep? Here are 11 migraine triggers to look out for.
Find out if PRP therapy right for you.
Tips for preventing one of the most common types of knee injury.
Here are 10 ways to stop headaches before they start.
Tips and moves to ease backaches