Ask a PT

156 Posts
 
Posted - 01/02/2007 :  15:56:35  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Our user asked: "Hi- I fell 1 year ago and have had difficulty with my trapezious and rhomboid muscles ever since and have neck pain that raduates to the back of my skull and in my teeth on left side of face. I used to work out with wgts and do cardio but now I can't and I am trying to rehabilitate myself any suggestions on which exercises I should do and how often? and which exercises should I not do or avoid...can i do Yoga? I am taking Zanaflex to try and releive this pressure I feel..stress doesn't help r/t muscle tightening up. would massage be good idea...if so what kind ? so many people do different kinds that I don't want to make it worse. thank you for your input."

Ask a PT Response: "It sounds like you are experiencing referred pain to your skull and teeth as a result of your injury. You mention injuring your rhomboids and trapezius. When these muscles are injured various consequences can occur. Not only can the muscles themselves, but the ligaments or joints around them can also be affected as well. In both the neck and shoulder, you may experience a loss of range of motion, a decrease in strength, decrease stability, compensatory patterns, a decrease in posture, increase tissue irritability and pain. Since your injury occured over a year ago, I would strongly recommend you consult with a physical therapist to help you deal with this problem. I don't believe self treatment will help much right now as you will need a plan of care which is individualized and based on your problem list your therapist will determine. Given you are experiencing referred pain, I would recommend you consult with a physical therapist who has experience with this and a technique called myofascial release (a form of manual therapy). You ask what you can do and can't do. That is a difficult question as I have not had the opportunity to conduct a detail evaluation on you. The best thing to do for right now would be to avoid activities which aggravate your condition. Good luck and thanks for using CyberPT."