A pain in the neck is a pain in the neck...

[Catrin]

Perhaps consider smooth pavement cycling for now that's easy and non-stressful route.

Bumpy riding with mtbking might not be a good thing at all with your neck pain right now.

Good point, and I have already decided that I won't mtb until I can road ride without discomfort. My FS Jamis does rock and is very comfortable, and the trails I ride are pretty smooth outside of a few sections...but good point. Thankfully I feel much better than this time a week ago

I will also listen to my doctor, I want no repeats of last winter when the results of sheer stubbornness kept me off the bike for so long

[Catrin]

Saw my doctor...he seems a bit concerned over the swelling but did give me tentative permission to ride on pavement if I stay in an upright position.

My doctor is also a mountain biker who is recovering from his own mishap, this makes it easy to explain what happened. He did say that all of my symptoms can be explained by strained neck muscles that go along with whiplash. No mountain biking, gentle road riding only. I've already learned the hard way that it really matters what my body position is anyway, so I know I can't get aggressive on the bike or fight strong winds which force me to hunker down on the bike.

We are starting with an x-ray, hopefully we won't have to go further as my co-pay for that is more than I can handle right now...He gave me some exercises, suggested a massage (after x-ray results come in), and non-sedating muscle relaxant.

[Catrin]

I finally made myself read the actual MRI report my doctor gave me Wed. morning. I don't have 1 bulged disk in my neck, I have three That is outside of the other things going on with my cervical spine and I must have missed the fact there was more than one of them during my visit. No wonder I had a pain in my neck!

The whiplash itself appears to be much better, so I am thankful. Now I just need to follow my doctor's orders for the rest...hoping the injections will work as well as he seems to think they will! He does think the whiplash caused the bulging disks...

I did get a full hour massage (they didn't charge me since they made a scheduling mistake) and it really did seem to help. I rode my bike for a time yesterday and it went well, so hope to enjoy the 60 degree temps this afternoon for a longer ride - taking advantage of the weather while it is here!

[Dogmama]

Just my experience with chiro - he made it much worse. I don't think neck manipulation is a good idea with bulging discs. My spine doc agreed. Massage, OTOH, is great, especially trigger point therapy.

[Catrin]

Just my experience with chiro - he made it much worse. I don't think neck manipulation is a good idea with bulging discs. My spine doc agreed. Massage, OTOH, is great, especially trigger point therapy.

Thanks for mentioning this. I had considered seeing a chiro until I learned about the bulging disks. Just the nature of what they are made me think it wouldn't be a good idea. I would think that if an adjustment was a good idea that my doctor would have done so - he is an Osteopath, not an MD.

The massage was wonderful and not as painful as I expected. He did massage my neck very lightly, and that did hurt...but he stopped.

I've had a LOT more headaches since all of this developed and can't help but think it is from my neck injury. I almost never get headaches...though it could well be from the muscle tension. I am even waking up with them. Not too bad though, and they do seem to be easing a bit. Either that or I am getting used to them.

[snapdragen]

Yeah, probably a good choice on not seeing a chiro. I see one regularly, as soon as we found out what was happening with my neck she said "no traction, no manipulation". She's not a bone cracker, it's more of a massage with extra movement therapy (for lack of a better description).