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What Causes Intermittent Crunching Feeling In Neck?

Posted on Thu, 7 Jan 2016

Question: My husband has had grinding and a catching feeling in his neck on and off for a year now. He was in a car accident in January of this year, could this be from the accident? Should he go to physical therapy?

Answered by Dr. Ajay Panwar (10 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Please tell some details.

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being on healthcaremagic.com.
I am Dr.Ajay Panwar,a neurologist,here to answer your query.

I would surely like to answer this query at my best but its just that I need to know a few extra details for that
1)Did the symptoms start after the accident(how many days after the accident?) and have they remained static in severity since then or are progressing?
2)Does he have any complaints in extremities?Any weakness or any abnormal sensations in extremities?
3)Any bladder related issues?urination issues?
4)Does he have any other disease/medical history except this?

I hope to see you in follow up with the above details,so that I can answer it in the right clinical context.

Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Ajay Panwar (1 hour later)

No numbness in other extremities and bladder is functioning good. He started to feel this pain about a month after the accident. It comes and goes depending on his type of activity. Right now for work he is having to look up a lot so his neck is bothering him. He had a physical in March and bloodwork and physical came back normal.

I answered above and have not heard back

Answered by Dr. Ajay Panwar (12 hours later)

Brief Answer:
X-Ray cervical spine/Short trial of muscle relaxant drugs.

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being in follow-up and providing further details.

Considering the clinical details of your husband,I would like to consider the possibilities of neck muscle spasm and cervical spine related pathology.Accident may have brought an injury to the spine.

I would suggest you to make him undergo a X-ray for cervical spine.

Further, a short duration(a few days) trial of 'skeletal muscle relaxants' medicines should be undertaken.If this improves the symptoms,it will be indicative of muscle spasm related issue.

Hoping that I have answered the query from my end,I shall be glad to have you in follow-up,if you have any further questions.else,please close the thread,rate it and write a review.

Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar