I think I sprained my neck when I was skating. It's really sore and I can't turn my head. Of course, I'm going based on my own diagnosis and the diagnosis of a friend of mine who sprained his neck while weight lifting. He said he went to a chiropracter. My problem is, I don't have medical insurance right now, and really can't afford x-rays and doctors visits. So does anyone know of maybe some stretches or something that might help? Or should I suck it up and dish out the money for a doctor, especially considering I'll be leaving for a 3 week trip on Tuesday?

How long has it been hurting? Every time I've had a neck soreness, it's cleared up on it's own after a night or two of sleep (thank goodness).

I usually stretch it around as much as I can without causing too much pain, but I have no idea if that's recommended so don't listen to me!

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Wet heat! Trust me this works. Take a wash cloth, soak it in water then stick in the micro for about 5 seconds...until you feel it's hot enough. PLace this on the back of your neck.

There isn't much really you can do, seeing a chiro isn't really smart. I did this when I injured my neck in 97' and it only made it worse. I know other people who have had serious neck injuries and saught out a chiro only to have issues in the long run.

Use wet heat and try to strech it out.

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There are actually some really good chiropractors out there, but there's also some lousy ones. Gotta be careful. Also chiropracy is something you kind of have to do long-term for months which can be quite expensive, otherwise you'll regress. Definitely something to avoid unless you've got a long-term issue that you need to work on.

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Moving your neck forward and back, and side to side could help. Do NOT roll your neck around though - this is bad.

I would think the soreness would clear up after a couple of days. Does your back or shoulder(s) hurt, too? If the pain doesn't go away in a few days, you should probably see a doctor (I wouldn't recommend going to a chiro w/o seeing a regular doctor first).

One issue that just crossed my mind - is it sore, or stiff? Neck stiffness can be a sign of something more serious than a sprain. If you are unable (in other words, you neck doesn't just hurt, but won't move) to touch your chin to your chest - definitely see a doctor, like ASAP.

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I can move it, it just hurts a lot. This happened yesterday, and it still hurts. One of my shoulders hurts, but that's because I managed to fall onto it, I have the bruise to prove it. And it's my shoulder on the opposite side that my neck hurts. I think maybe I was falling backwards and was trying to avoid hitting my head so I tucked my head in and maybe did it too fast or the wrong way or something? Honestly, I have no idea how I fell. Just went kerplop and wound up on the ice. One minute you're jumping into the air, next you hit the ice hard.

And then my toe pick got stuck on my pants when I was trying to get back up. And they're not even flared, but they're not skin tight either. Oh well, at least they didn't rip.

My neck is still bad to this day. I hurt myself doing gymnastics, it was a very bad sprain...which we later found out was a possible hairline fracture.

Then a few years ago I hurt again, by landing on the top of my head and "compacting" the spine and stuff. ...don't ask.

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Ouch! *hugs* Hope you feel better soon and I wish you a speedy recovery.

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I've never sprained my neck, but I have broken mine before (I fractured C5- which had to be removed and now have a fusion of C4-C6).

Because the bone hit my spinal cord I have some signifigant nerve damage.

As someone who knows how bad neck injuries can be (and honestly, since I can skate- I don't know how bad the worst ones are) I would say don't fool around with it. If it hurts for an extended amount of time (more than a week) or like stated above, you can't touch your chin to almost your chest (I don't have the range of motion in my neck to get all the way to my chest). You need medical attention. Is there a free clinic near you?

I also would NOT go to a chiropractor without a doctors recommendation- and since you can't get to a doctor b/c of the insurance problem then I doubt you could get a recommendation (unless maybe you can just call the doctors office and ask). Some chiropractors can be good, but there are a lot of horror stories. Based on the advice of my neurosurgeon and my situation I would never go near one.

Wet heat is a good idea- and so is REST!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

When my neck was healing the stretches I did consisted of turning my neck as far as possible (not very) towards each side and applying light pressure onto my chin to increase the range. Also to hold the top of my head and apply slow pressure to increase the range of my cheek touching my shoulder. Same with applying slow pressure to the back of my head to get my chin near my chest. When stretching your neck, don't do rushed movements. And if anything causes further pain- stop.

And remember (I'll be great stater of the obvious here) those of us giving antedoctal evidence aren't doctors, and don't know your exact situation, so be careful.

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About six years ago, a firend of mine injured her neck in a pro-wrestling match. The guy did it to her on purpose. She was online the next day, early in the morning telling me about it. Saying how it still hurt, then she sent me a photo that was taken right after it. I could tell by the way she was laying in the ring and the postion she was in that it was more then just a sore neck.

She took her two kids to school, wne to the hospital and found out she had a broken neck. She still thanks me to this day for telling her to go to the hospital because she might not be walking today.

Me I was only telling her what I learned from EMT school.

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Have you looked into massage therapy?

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Ibuprofen and heat. If you can't do the wet heat for very long, take a large sock and fill it with rice. Nuke it for about 1.5 minutes int he microwave and apply to your neck. You can even walk around that way if need be.

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I'll throw in my two cents here- I'm not a big fan of stretching something that might be injured. Sore muscles are one thing, but stretching an injury usually just makes it worse.

Rah! for heat and Advil. I'm bff with Advil.

And I agree- if it isn't getting better after a week, I'd get into a doctor (not a chiro).

Are you sure you don't have medical insurance? Most states require college students to either have their own insurance (presumably through the parents) or to pay for the college's insurance policy. I would think it wouldn't end on May 31st, but I guess it's possible. You should check into it, just in case you REALLY need insurance.

I think it's probably strained muscles. I echo the Advil and heat suggestions. I would also say to keep moving so it doesn't stiffen up. (I can imagine a bobble-head doll - LOL!) Gentle stretching and motion shouldn't do any additional damage.

I've found that whiplash injuries get worse before they get better, so expect 2-3 days of pain and stiffness before it turns around.

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