What helped you with stiff neck? Is there streches? Arnica cream? All I was instructed was 1-2 hours activity then I had to lay flat for 30-60 minutes. I get the staples out in 3 days. Does it hurt? I know 20? Right…going crazy laying flat I guess. Thanks for any advice!!
Thanks Beeba! I hope to use the arnica cream once my allergic reaction clears up. I have red itchy bumps all over ny neck traps throat and chin. Must be from something they put on me like iodine or cleaning solution.
I was advised while watching TV to look at all the corners in the room by turning my head. I had a rebuilt C Spine also and PT was not recommended and I have total range of motion. I didn't wear a neck brace to strengthen my neck muscles. I do swear by Arnica & if you have neck, shoulder and arm pain, please see a pain specialist for ablation therapy. It hurts, but works incredibly.
I still get very bad neck pain and nothing really seems to help, but it usually only lasts for a couple of days. It gets bad maybe couple of times a month. My surgery was 17 months ago. It doesn’t hurt when staples are removed, the skin is just a little tender.
See if you can get a script for tizanidine. It’s not addictive or narcotic and it works amazingly well. I had SO much neck pain after my surgery. Went to see pain specialist 1 week post op. she gave me a script for it and that combined with the moving exercises I have almost no neck pain at all and I’m now 6 weeks post op. I do still take it at night before bed though after a couple nights of sleeping wrong and waking up crying… I cannot stress enough the importance of moving your neck as much as possible. Even shoulder shrugs and rolling help a lot. Feel better!! I know it’s hard but you CAN do it, I promise you should feel better within days!!!
Thanks all!
I can't help on most of your questions but I did have a c-section and when my staples were removed most of it just felt like a tug but a couple of them felt like a slight pinch, not painful at all.
Staples being removed wasn't painful at all. At most, it felt like getting a necklace caught in one of the little, downy hairs on the skin at the back of the neck.
In terms of the neck, just turn your head to look over one shoulder, as far as you can COMFORTABLY turn it. Feel it stretching, but not hurting. Hold it for a couple of seconds, and then look the other way. Repeat three or four times. This helps me tremendously.
I just got my staples out a week ago. I was told to keep the neck still until after staples come out. They put me into PT after they removed the staples and a week later my stiff neck is sooooooooooo much better. Ask for PT and if you can’t get it ask them for stretches!!! If you do the stretches wrong you can actually make the pain and recovery a bit worse. Good luck!!!
My NS came in to see me right before my surgery and was just going over some things and he told me that as soon as I woke up enough, I needed to start turning my head from side to side and forward and back as much as Often as I could. Then he came in while I was in PACU and did it for me (ouch) but now I can honestly say, 3.5 weeks post-op, that my neck feels best after sleeping at night because I like to sleep on my stomach and I really get a good stretch throughout the night. If I don’t do my stretches during the day, my neck is stiff by mid day. Stretch, stretch, stretch it! But obviously only to a comfortable level.
Thank you 
I just learned a great treatment for relief. I’m 30 had surgery las yr. started acupuncture for 1st time April 15. Almost two months I found a great Asian dr. Who is a monk. Not religious k. She has practiced medicine for longer than I’ve been alive. I have pain in whole spine and joints. My neck was always sore like before surgery, and a numb spot where they had all the clamps in my head. After a month of tiny pokes I have sensation and less pain. I used to pop my spine to relieve pinching, now I wait til Monday and get poked. My days are so much nicer. AND I take less pain meds, Hugh diff. I hope you find a non white person who is experienced in Asian medicine. Eastern med. I’m white but acupuncturist should not be. Hope this helps