Question
about 6 weeks ago, i was in a car accident. a few weeks after the wreck, my back and neck began hurting very bad, and the doctor gave me some kind of prednisone and vicoden. its been 10 days, and my back is better, but my neck is still crunching a lot, and ive been getting terrible headaches. it starts as a burn on the right back of my neck and spreads into my head. my arms also shake when i lift anything over about 3lbs, and feel weak. i am almost out of vicoden, and i don't want to take it anymore, but the neck and head pain are unbearable without it. can you offer some insight into whats wrong, and possibly a way to lessen the pain?  

Answer
Without a proper exam I am just speculating, but it sounds to me that you have many muscle strains in the neck region.  The burning in the back and into the head definitely sounds like muscle and the "shaking" in your arms is muscle related.  When a muscle contracts it uses energy, and when that energy is gone it "shakes" to keep that position.  The muscles involved are in "spasm" which means they are contracting all the time, which means when you use it more, they shake.  Beyond the muscle spasms, you could have some bone misalignment, which would explain the "crunching" sounds in your neck.  My suggestion is to seek a chiropractor, one that will work the muscles and re-align the bones, and not all chiropractors do this.  I am in a group that addresses the whole body, bone and muscle.  If you are wanting some pain relief without the medication, go to www.sorsi.com to find a doctor near you.  If you are in Minnesota near the Twin Cities, or if you have any other questions or concerns, please email me.

Dr. Starbuck