This interview changed my life!

It put all the pieces together for me, and it brought me back to the land of the living. I have to share it! I hope it helps you too.

Brian tell us how this all started

Brian: Six months ago I started experiencing pain at the back of my head around the base of my skull. I woke up one morning and I could not turn my head in either direction. Well I could but I felt it down to my toes when I tried. I wondered what the heck has happened to me. I must have just slept in a bad position. I took some Aleve and went on with my life.

I did not think much about the fact that this started occurring twice a month and then once a week and then twice a week. When my neck and upper back between my shoulder blades began to hurt so much that I only had relief for a couple days a week I realized something was wrong. At this point my vision had become blurry at times, and I would feel dizzy. It wasn’t just from sleeping wrong. It was denial I guess.

So I went to a doctor and I had an MRI done. After the MRI I got referred to a Neurosurgeon. He was pretty cool. I found out I had a serious problem and needed surgery. So my problem came from a herniated disk, bulging disks, bone spurs, and basically this all sums up into Degenerative Disk Disease or Osteoarthritis.

I told him I was not going to have surgery and I’m not going to take pain pills. He said that’s ok. There are other ways. He said first thing we need to do is make you comfortable. He proceeded to tell me about 3 things that have relieved my pain enough that I can get on with life. I would say my pain before was a 9 out of 10. Now it is about a 2. The pain is not gone but it is MUCH better.

What are those 3 things he recommended?

Brian: The first thing he mentioned, that has impressed me the most, was Magnesium oil. I started using it and found it is a VERY effective way to relax my muscles when they are spasmed and eases my tension, and it stopped my headache in about ten minutes after I applied it. I bought Magnesium Oil Lotion (link to Amazon.com), which is a natural muscle relaxant. It completely relaxed me from head to toe. It helped me start my day feeling confident and strong, when I usually feel tense and anxious. I apply it in the morning, and use it again before I go to bed. I normally lose sleep because of stress from the day and my pain, because I was tense. I have always felt so tired and sleepy during the day because of the sleep loss. I would fight off the urge to sleep all day long. Once I started using magnesium oil at night I slept great, and felt little pain. I would wake up refreshed the next morning. If I was having a headache I would apply it right then. Magnesium oil quickly relieves my neck pain, back pain, and headaches. I have also found out how good it is for leg cramps, and restless legs. I bought some for my dad to try on his leg cramps and he loved it! Nothing else he tried worked.

What else did he say to do?

Brian: He recommended that I use a certain brand of Numb Master Lidocaine Cream that is stronger than most. You have probably heard of aspercreme that people use for pain. This is the same but is 5% lidocaine, and soaks in much better than most other creams that I have tried. This is very similar to magnesium oil in that you rub it on and experience relief shortly after. I love this stuff! It works very well every time, and I can apply it anywhere. If I’m out running errands, and start getting a headache, or my neck starts hurting, I rub this cream on my neck and feel complete relief in 5 to 10 minutes. It is Awesome! My favorite thing to do is rub the lidocaine cream, wait a few minutes for it to dry, and then rub the magnesium oil on. This is a VERY effective way to stop my aching pains right in their tracks.

You said there were three things right? What else did you try?

Brian: Another thing he told me about was a Ten’s Unit. He said that anyone that has back pain of any kind should have a Ten’s Unit. I only thought chiropractors had those. He told me that “there are Ten’s Units you can use at home and you can buy on Amazon”. He even showed me where to order it. The one he showed me the that I now recommend that is the same power that the professionals use! I ordered it right then. I use it on the areas where I feel pain, where my muscles feel tight, and afterwards I thought man I feel quite a bit better. I have been through a lot so I’m not going to be a believer that fast. I hate to say this because I don’t want to jinx myself but you know what…I have been using that thing for 15 minutes a day for six days and I have been pain free for those six days! That is amazing for me. I never go for six days straight. Usually I’m thankful if I get two days. I have tried acupuncture, massage, and pain killers. Nothing worked as good as this! The great thing about it is that I felt better after the first treatment. It just got better and better from then on. A Ten’s unit makes a great gift for someone with back problems.

1. Magnesium Oil Lotion (link to Amazon.com)

2. Numb Master Lidocaine Cream

3. Ten’s Units you can use at home

Magnesium stops the Headache at the Base of your Skull

“Magnesium has an important role in neuromuscular signals and muscle contractions. When you don’t acquire enough magnesium your muscles can go into spasm. Magnesium helps muscles to relax and contract and also enables you to move around.” source Dr. Josh Axe from Draxe.com

If you experience these symptoms: neck pain, muscle tightness, headaches, and pain at the base of your skull. Then you need to know about Magnesium. Magnesium plays an vital role in allowing muscles to relax. One role of magnesium is that it controls entry and exit through the cell wall. There are channels on the cell membrane that allow some things in at certain times and at specific levels. Magnesium is responsible for allowing calcium into the cell when a muscle needs to contract or a nerve needs to fire. Calcium makes the muscle contract. Magnesium makes the muscle relax. Magnesium is responsible for pushing the calcium out of the cell when its job is done. This allows the cell to return to normal and the muscle to a relaxed state. If there is insufficient magnesium, calcium enters the cell and never leaves.

The Muscles Never Relax

When the Magnesium doesn’t remove the Calcium the muscles and nerves never relax and the cell stays on alert status. The result of magnesium deficiency is excessive muscle tension, which then leads to muscle weakness, muscles spasms, cramps, neck pain and dizziness and blurred vision. Stress has been known to further decrease magnesium levels, so a vicious cycle begins. The only way to break the cycle and restore a healthy state is to increase magnesium.

Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms

“By some estimates, up to 80 percent of Americans are not getting enough magnesium and may be deficient.” source Dr. Mercola from Mercola.com

An early sign of magnesium deficiency for those with cervical neck issues will show up as pain in the back of your head around the base of your skull. Because magnesium is responsible for relaxing the muscles a deficiency can magnify pain by causing muscle spasms, or tightness in the muscles. This may not sound bad but is very painful. Any bony calcium deposits or bone spurs that are present will be pulled together by the muscles pinching the nerves in your neck. These pinched nerves are what cause the terrible pain at the back of your head, the base of your skull, and the top of your neck all the way down between your shoulder blades.

How can you get more Magnesium?

The best sources of Magnesium (links to Amazon.com):

1. Magnesium Oil Lotion

2. Natural Vitality Calm Magnesium Drink

3. Doctor’s Best High Absorption Magnesium Supplement

Pain at base of skull sinus

As you can tell there are several things that can lead to pain at the base of your skull. This one surprised me the most. The Sphenoid Sinus Cavity lies deep in the back of your nasal passages. It is positioned right next to a major blood vessel and more importantly nerves that link to your head and neck. Infection and inflammation in the sphenoid sinus can irritate the nerves and blood vessel causing neck pain and other problems. If you have a sinus infection along with new neck pain this could be the cause. You will know for sure if your beck pain goes away when your infection clears up. If you want more information on the subject this is the article I found. Link: Sphenoid Sinusitis

Arthritis Headaches

Symptoms: Pain at the back of head or neck which intensifies on movement. It is caused by inflammation of the blood vessels of the head or bony changes in the structures of the neck. These headaches are felt as a pain in the neck, and pain at the back of the head and around the base of the skull. They may be caused by arthritis if the first, second or third vertebrae are involved. The pain from this condition is due to the nerves that supply the scalp originate from this area of the spine. The neck pain itself, whether alone or coupled with headaches, can be felt in any portion of the neck. If the jaw is involved, the symptoms are similar to those of Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ). Arthritis headaches are also known as cervicogenic headaches, and are a symptom of an arthritic condition in the spine or neck. Managing the headaches that come with arthritis depends on what type of arthritis is causing the headaches and what medications are already being given to the patient.

What are the symptoms of arthritis headaches?

This type of headache usually begins with neck pain. The pain gradually radiates to the back of the head and up to the crown. For me it felt like a strong ache at the base of my skull that grew. The pain seems to be more prevalent on one side of the head than the other and it rarely reaches the temple area. In some cases, a tingling sensation in the neck, scalp and arms or some weakness in the arms can accompany the headaches. This usually means there is a pinched nerve caused by an arthritic bone or disk degeneration. Migraine headaches are commonly misdiagnosed as a headache caused by arthritis, especially in patients who are known to have this disease. This is because there are similarities in the description of a migraine headache and that of an arthritis-related headache. There is no cure for this type of Arthritis. The pain can only be managed with exercise, medication, and the things we have recommended.

Occipital Neuralgia Pain Points: Upper neck, back of the head, and behind the ears

Occipital neuralgia is a one of a kind headache characterized by chronic pain in the upper neck, and a headache behind the ear and base of skull, usually on the sides of the head.  Usually, the pain of occipital neuralgia begins in the neck and then spreads upwards.  Some individuals will also experience pain in the scalp, forehead, and behind the eyes.  The scalp may also be tender to the touch, and eyes sensitive to light.  Pain is felt in the areas supplied by the greater and lesser occipital nerves, which run from the area where the spinal column meets the neck, up to the scalp at the back of the head.  The pain is caused by irritation or injury to the nerves, which can be the result of injury to the back of the head, pinching of the nerves by overly tense neck muscles, compression of the nerve as it leaves the spine due to osteoarthritis, or tumors in the neck.  Localized inflammation, and a bad posture is also associated with occipital neuralgia.

 

 

 

 

Keep in mind always consult your doctor, this is not medical advice. I use this page to store my personal experiences, and useful information that has helped me with my neck and back pain.

You will probably see Affiliate links in my articles. The small amounts of money I make from Amazon goes towards my 3 year olds Toy addiction, and does not cost you anything. Just so you know.

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