Question
Hi,
I had an accident in mid of 2007. C1 and C2 fracture after a dive into a shallow lake. Followed by a C2 surgery which fixed the dens with a titan screw. I guess I was lucky since the dens punched the spinal cord and caused a temporarily paralysis. After 3 months rehab I got back to an almost normal life. But since then I have severe neck pain. Some days are better than others. Which means that some days I am almost pain free but than there are others where I just wanna go back to bed! It's a feeling almost as somebody would suffocate me.
On these days I'm taking 400mg Ibuprofene or Naproxene sodium.
I know those are not really potent pain killers but it helps so far. But I don't wanna take them forever.

I wondered if there are any other treatments like Chiropractics or similar?

cheers
Alex

Answer
Hi Alexander,
   First off I would recommend you see a neurologist or neurosurgeon to make sure the pain is not being caused by something having gone wrong with the titan screw or new injury caused by the screw.
The fact that Ibuprofen and Naproxen works well to relieve the pain suggests that the pain may be caused by inflammation. Ask your doctor about ultrasound therapy and/or massage therapy. Ultrasound therapy uses ultrasound to send heat deep into muscles, joints and the spine. Massage therapy will of course relieve any pain caused by tension in the neck and shoulders. Using both of these therapies together may give you a good deal of pain relief.
Since you have hardware in your spine (the titan screw) I would recommend you avoid a chiropractor.
You might also try consulting a pain management specialist.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
     Thanks
       Tracy