Anyone have pressure in your neck back and front or lower back of head

@rnlorena I think this is very common when you have some spine issues. Foraminal stenosis is when the space around the nerve roots (between vertebrae) is closed down with bone growth or a disc herniation into that space and it compresses the nerve that exit the spinal cord there. Muscle spasms are common too causing pain, and herniated discs cause pain too. I am a spine surgery patient, and my stenosis was in the central canal compressing the spinal cord. I didn't have foraminal stenosis, but many spine patients do have compression of nerve roots.

A physical therapist may be able to help by correcting posture that can increase spine symptoms. I did a lot of myofascial release with my PT to release overly tight tissue that affects spine alignment. It doesn't correct stenosis, but it reduces pressure on the spine. She also did some treatments on the nerve roots with a Dolphin Neurostimulator that helped block pain signals. My surgery was a C5/C6 fusion.

I have the foraminal stenosis at C-5 and C-6 due to bone spurs as described by Jennifer. I also have a 2 mm cervical spine retrolithesis. And, I feel intermittent pressure in my neck and head.

I’ve had great improvement in my range of motion (esp. ear to shoulder) by working with a physical therapist who is skilled at manual therapy to the shoulders, neck and head. While a neurosurgeon is fine to determine surgical options, I’ve been pleased with referral to a physical medicine specialist or physiatrist who oversees my non invasive options.

@ryaskin I also had 2mm of retrolisthesis and that is why I chose a fusion over artificial disc when it was time for surgery, and because I worried about immune responses to metals in my body. My surgeon did a fusion with no hardware and I stayed in a neck brace for 3 months until fused. I did a lot of PT too and my therapist also did myofascial release which helps a lot. You may be able to put off surgery for a while with the help of physical therapy.

Thanks for the reply I really appreciate it. I can always tell if my Blood pressure is high or low. I don't get headaches but I get a feeling in the back of my head or if low I feel weak. But I started having an issue with my Blood pressure going up. When it did I felt the pressure in the back of my head. But I also noticed it in my neck mostly in the back. But then I had it in the front which was very unusual to me. I asked my cardiologist if she had complaints of people having pressure versus headaches with high blood pressure and she said yes. Some of my BP meds were changed and I had a new one added. I noticed my BP coming down nicely. But I also noticed that I was having pressure in my neck and the lower back of my head again. So I took my BP and it was normal. I am seeing a new Dr. next week. I am taking my MRI results and asking him for a referral to a neurosurgeon. I am not looking to have anything done. But I do know that you can have stenosis and not have issues or you can have serious issues. I have noticed some muscle spasms in my back in a weird place. I wasn't doing anything to cause them either. So I want to see what they think about the pressure in my neck related to the stenosis. I do know as we age our spine has many changes. I have the results on paper from tests I have had over the years to see the decline of my spine. My father had stenosis in his spinal cord in three areas and he had back issues I remember when I was younger. My brother has had neck surgery and back surgery twice. Once through the front and once through the back. He had two fusions. He walks with a cane. My sister has DISH and all of her discs are fused in her neck. If I do get to see someone I will take the CD and ask them their opinion and that's really all I want.

Thank you for your reply. I am not looking for any surgical answers. I honestly don't need anything else added to my plate. I just want to see what they think about the pressures I have been dealing with and if they think it's related to the stenosis. I have read up on it and some people can have stenosis and never have an issue and some have lots of issues. I read about stuff but what the Dr. has to say is more important to me. I think it's good to be informed about issues.

Thanks and let us know if you learn more about the symptom of feeling pressure.

I most certainly will. I joined Mayo Clinic connect after I found out I had small nerve fiber neuropathy. Mine has no known cause so far. I posted my story because I had questions. I woke up one morning with new onset of pin pricks in my eyes and all over. My neurologist told me that it was rare. So I have read a lot of stories on Mayo. I like the way it is set up. Everyone has been helpful. I appreciate that. As a retired nurse I am seeing some things in the medical field that are disturbing to me. I was going to a sitting Doctor. Meaning that he sat there at his computer and never assessed me. That takes 10-15 minutes. That is troubling to me. I will be seeing my new Dr next week who I know will be doing an assessment. I have seen and experienced a lot more than that lately and it is very disturbing to me. Being assessed is important.

I was curious with respect to your adherence to and benefit from physical therapy, how long were you able to avoid surgery and what occurred to
make you and your doctors feel it was time for the neck surgery?

@ryaskin I wish it had been that easy. I had never considered I would see surgeons who didn't want me as a patient. It was a game of "Stump the Doctor" and most were thinking about what differential diagnosis they could assign to my case. They would not believe me when I said I could turn my head and cause leg pain or that it stopped when I turned back to forward. I found the correct diagnosis in medical literature right after being dismissed for the 5th time and after having spent 6 months doing everything asked of me and trying to outsmart the surgical nurse who was trying to send me away and refusing to schedule appointments. The surgeon wasn't going to listen to me, and none of my other doctors at the same medical center would challenge his opinion by asking him to read the literature that suggested what he had missed. That was when I asked for an appointment at Mayo and I put the medical literature on the table and asked if my case was like this one.

I spent 2 years trying to get surgical help before I succeeded. I thought that doctors would want to help me, but their concern for themselves and saving their reputation from an imagined problem was far greater because they didn't want to risk lowering their ratings of successful surgeries by taking a chance on me. They all could read the imaging and see the disc and bone spurs pressing into my spinal cord. They are under a lot of pressure to get it right and do no harm, so it is just easier to back out altogether.

I was in physical therapy for thoracic outlet syndrome which affects the neck and shoulders during which time my progress plateaued and the leg pain with head turning began. My therapist recommended a spine consult and because I was afraid, I didn't rush to see a surgeon. A year later, I was ready to face this and began trying to get help. Having spine surgery at Mayo was a good 3 years after the first spine symptom. I had kept notes to chart my symptoms as they worsened and I drew pain maps to show the doctors at my appointments. That actually backfired because it just scared them away when they couldn't explain why.

During those 2 years, my PT did a lot to try to help with realigning my spine and stretching out tight fascial restrictions that were pulling and twisting my vertebrae. I had developed an uneven gait and walked with a bit of a limp if my spine was out of alignment, and when she realigned it, I could walk normally again. She also used a Dolphin neurostimulator to interfere with pain signals on the nerve roots in my neck. I was getting pain relief from that for about a week. My spine problem was more complicated because the the TOS causing extra pressure on one side of my neck and escalating the symptoms.

When I got to Mayo, I was offered surgery at the first appointment. The surgeon believed me, and there were no hoops that I had to jump through to try to get help. That was a big relief. Over time, my fear of having surgery was replaced by the fear of what I would loose if I didn't have surgery. That was really my choice. I would have done it much sooner, but I couldn't find the right doctor locally and I had to seek a new opinion elsewhere. I have learned that it is good to consult several surgeons until you find one you can trust and who you think has the right solution for your issues. Their opinions vary a lot and the procedures and brands of spine implants and hardware varies a lot. That factors into your choice when you decide on surgery. In all that time of searching, I was reading medical literature and learning a lot about spine surgery. I decided on surgery without hardware and I stayed in a neck brace until fused which was about 3 months.

Here is my Mayo story.
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/using-the-art-of-medicine-to-overcome-fear-of-surgery/

@rnlorena I can understand your position of not wanting surgery, and there has to be enough benefit in taking on the risks associated with surgery. Seeing your family members experiences with spine surgery also gives you a perspective that I didn't have when I became a spine patient. My spine problem was caused by a traffic accident from a reckless driver many years earlier. I wanted to think I would be OK, and I was for a lot of years until I wasn't because of adding the years of an aging spine after an injury like that. I looked at my disabled parents who were wheelchair bound and I didn't want that in my future if I could help it. I knew that I would be disabled and was already loosing the coordination in my arms which was troubling since I am an artist. That made surgery an easier choice.