Question
I had been seeing a Chiropractor for a lifting injury until he was unable to correct a problem between my shoulder blades at the spine.  He sent me for an MRI.  His response to MRI showed Buldge Disc at C4,C5 and protrustions at C6-C7.  But no Thoracic.  Sent to Neurosurgen, he found thoracic pain, legiments strained sent to Physical Therapy.  P.T. treats with ultrsound, massage, tape up ribs front and back, water therapy.  Six months gone by no change. Worse problem I have is in early morning  5:00am  I am not able to move and the worse pain ever shoots down neck, back while lying still.  Takes me 3 positional steps to get out of the bed.  I have to hold my chest and ribs as I stand. The Pain falls down the spine as I stand, it will lesson as the morning goes while walking.  But I still have a shooting pain in the Heart and Lung area all day left side.  Muscel relaxers and Hydrocodine taken before bed.  Unable to take while working.  I am a shipping Manger and handel freight for a communications company.   Currently have been on a 5lb lifting restriction.  Any one can help, I would be so very very greatful.  I am 43 and to young for this. Thank you for your time.

Answer
Dear Victoria,

Sorry to hear of your situation.

All lifting injuries have one thing in common:  muscles in spasm.

Muscle spasms of sufficient intensity can cause discs to bulge in the neighborhood of the muscles involved (along your spinal column, including, apparently, your neck).

Sounds like the muscles between your ribs are also involved.

Muscles that get stuck in contraction can't be freed and brought to normal functioning by muscle relaxants; the brain is in control of muscular function.  The other treatments you described are indirect ways of affecting muscular control.  Direct retraining of the control of those muscles is needed.

If you were my client, we would do a series of training sessions in which you learn to control and then to relax the involved muscles.  I would be confident of a satisfactory outcome.

Please see my brief articles on pain management at somatics.com/page4.htm and feel free to contact me, again.

with regard,
Lawrence Gold