...most of today.

Twenty plus years ago, I got snatched off the back of my team roping heading horse at a team roping event, and I landed hard, real hard, on my right upper shoulder and neck, almost knocking me unconscious.

Every since that day, I have had lots of trouble with shoulder and severe neck pain. Have gone to a chiropractor for years, off and on, dealing with it. Back on this past December, I had a real bad fall in the shower one morning, as I was getting ready to go hunting. I fell in the tub, fell out of the tub, fell against the vanity cabinet, tore the shower liner, shower curtain, and both rods down, and landed on the right side of my neck, in the floor. Do y'all have any idea what kind of racket a 245 lb, 6'-1" fat boy makes when he busts his butt in the bathroom at 4:15 a.m.?

My wife said that she thought a truck had run through our living room when she was awakened from her sleep, as I hit the floor. My wife had cleaned the shower on Friday night, used vinegar to help cut the shower grime, and apparently it all didn't get rinsed away. When the water hit it the next morning, and I stepped in, my feet shot out from under me and the fall was on. Re-injured the old injury.

Sadie and I made it to Fayette County hunting that day and sat in a shooting house from daylight to dark. At dark, when I got out, I could barely walk. Took me three times the length of time to get out and make the walk back to my truck. When I got home I was in total misery the rest of that night.

Two days later, my neck, shoulder, and right arm pain went off the scale. A new problem began, as well. I now have electrical current type sensations that run down my right arm all the way to my fingertips. Feels like I'm being shocked all down my arm. Back to my chiropractor, for over a month of treatments. Does no good at all. He says this is all coming from my neck. Sends me for a cervical MRI and a thoracic MRI. Results come back that I have 3 protruding discs in my neck, with all 3 having nerve impingement. Disc between C4 and C5 has mild impingement, Disc between C5 and C6 has worse impingement, and Disc between C6 and C7 has severe impingement.

My chiropractor suggests doing nerve blocks. I go to my Primary Care Doc to get his opinion. He too, says that he thinks nerve blocks are the first option for treatment, at this time. I got it all set up and I had my first block this morning at Tuscaloosa Surgical Center. Dr. Graham did the block. Sure did like him.

I'm sore in my neck this evening, I guess, from the procedure, but at the moment, I have had zero of the electrical sensations in my right arm. Sure hope this is going to work. I've been in pure misery since the shower fall.

The anesthesia whips my tail every time I'm put to sleep. It's been a rough day trying to stay awake and functional. I think I now know what a hangover must feel like. Yep, kinda have felt "zombie" like all day.

I don’t know what the AlDeer consensus is on chiropractors, but if you’ve got spinal issues, you need a real doctor to evaluate it.

Tell your primary physician to refer you to an orthopedic specialist.

Chiropractors are just glorified massage therapists.

My Primary Care doctor was sent both the written MRI report and the actual CD of the MRI. He reviewed both and told me to do the nerve blocks. He is a Primary Care and Sports Medicine doctor. I have full trust that both my Primary Care doctor and my Chiropractor has steered me in the right direction. They both tell me that my neck problems are not yet severe enough for surgery and that if I went to a neurologist he would want me to do nerve blocks before entertaining surgery.

My discs are protruding, not ruptured, not herniated, not blown out, protruding, but are impinging on nerves.

I hope you are better soon bud.

Nothing can hurt you like a horse can. I would try some of the sciatic nerve exercises that these 100+ mile bicyclists do. It’s a lot of stretching and glute exercises laying flat on the ground. Helped me

and massage artist are just glorified hookers.

Would spinal decompression help?

I love my Chiro, but if he'd treated me without knowing what I might have injured, I'd fire his arse. Those symptoms are obviously nerve issues and not normal.

I've had back and neck issues my entire life. An adjustment is gold when needed. But I can tell you from experience that surgery is in your future and I highly advise you to see a specialist about it.

Not sure your age, but those surgeries are much harder the older you get and I know for certain you aren't getting younger. So go get it handled and get back in the saddle the correct way.

Hate to hear this Billy, no answers just a prayer 🙏

Old school ancient chiropractors help. Find one who is about 60+ with hands like a brick mason and that guy will fix you up. If the Chiro comes out with a massage gun and weird lotions, find another.
I have all kinds of scoliosis and bone spurs from C2 down to my Sacroiliac joint. Learn all the advanced stretching tricks you can and loose belly weight.
Nerve shot in the bulging neck c-5 was relieved enough that I could over the course of a year stretch-it back into tolerable position. Yes you can do that if you can visualize how it should work correctly.
If you saw me stretching in the shower, you would think something you should not think. But doing systematic controlled spinal and neck stretching in a long hot shower works best for me.

Note: I found an old large black man Chiropractor in near Pascagoula. He was built like a thick bodied NBA player. I visited him twice when I was doing a job near there, my skull was like a baseball in his hands. He grabbed my skull and waist in one-motion; and, stretched my narrow body like a rubber-band. Dr. Williams. Not sure if he is still around anymore.

Prayers sent for you buddy.

I know yer pain Billy. Hope it gets better. Mine was also caused by a damn horse, 40 years ago.

I hope the blocks really help. It wouldn't hurt to see an ortho at Andrews too.

My neck and spine folks are at Andrews. They gave me all of the options including knife work. I chose the block for the neck and stretching. Pills are a no go for me because they rarely fix anything but rather they make me ignore the problem.

Unless you are dying do not get fusion surgery. That is my one learnt lesson. God bless you!

I wish I could trace my injuries to just one event. Mine was a lifetime of being the example of "what not to do".
I've been to some very good chiros and also some very professional massage therapists. The good ones are very good, the bad ones are very bad. I've also had three of nerve blocks. They tend to work okay for a while, and probably better than surgery.

Prayers for you, Billy.

I had a LOT of lower back problems years ago. Then I went to a chiropractor in Arab, AL. After looking over the x ray he said he'd fix me up and didn't want to see me any more vs the ones that did enough to see me again in 2 weeks. He pointed to a place on my spine and told me that was where my problem was and pointed to another and asked if I had frequent heartburn. I ALWAYS has heartburn. He said he'd fix that as well. I was skeptical. That was all back in the late 80s. My back has been good ever since and I can count on one hand the number of times that I've had heartburn. Sadly, he retired and has since passed away. I've been told by others that his son, who took over the practice, is no where near the same and does just enough to keep a steady stream of patients with insurance coverage.

Prayers Sent Billy. Hope you get well soon.