My 6Yr. Old Has Major Neck Pain!!!

It doesn't sound to me as if it is meningitis. If it were meningitis then he wouldn't be able to bend his head forward - chin to chest - and would have other symptoms as well. Check out this site for info on meningitis: http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/meningitis.html

Common symptoms for meningitis include:

fever
lethargy (decreased consciousness)
irritability
headache
photophobia (eye sensitivity to light)
stiff neck
skin rashes
seizures

I personally had back and neck spasms frequently when I was a kid through early adulthood. I was rushed to the emergency room for one that kept me paralyzed in pain for many hours. I was prescribed an anti-inflammatory (like Ibuprofen) and a muscle relaxer. I was also sent to physical therapy where they helped me by massaging the area and helping me to stretch it out. They also alternated warm and ice packs for a little while to help reduce inflammation/swelling and pain. I was told that the best way to keep this from happening again was to drink plenty of fluids and eat a healthy diet (get your vitamins) and most importantly to stretch and exercise the muscles frequently.

Here are a couple of sites I found with proper exercises:
http://www.orthomd.net/medInfo/CervicalSpine/Isometricnec...

http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_treat-muscle-spasm.html (These are the same stretching exercises that I was told to do - no comment on the yoga.)

www.rosenbaumrehab.com/spasm.htm

On another note, pregnant women are told that charlie horses (spasms in the legs) are usually caused by a lack of calcium in the diet! Does your son get enough milk and cheese every day?

I hope this helps!

God Bless,
J.

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I had this when I was about 10 years old and it was very painful. Neck pain is very often a virus. Mine took about a week to go. I could not turn my head to the right. I was going to camp that week. It really sucked! Even if it is not meningitis you should get it looked at. There are clinics at CVS, Walgreens and some of the other chains that are not so expensive and I know that the PA there will be trained to look for the sereious conditions like meninigitis. Try this website as well, it is for free clinics. http://freemedicalcamps.com/freeclinic.php
Hope this are ok.

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I think DS has torticollis which means that he has a pinched nerve in his neck. My son usually woke up with it if he had an ear infection. The pedi said sometimes the child is trying to protect the ear and they tense up even as they sleep. Pedi prescribed antibiotic for the ear infection, and the torticollis worked itself out as his ear pain lessened. I have also had great result with chiropractic for myself and my children.
A warm shower on side that is hurting and some tylenol should provide relief. HTH C.

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Dear C.,

I think you should go to the doctor on this one. You need to "rule out" meningitus. Perhaps it is just one of his back spasms, but I still think you should be for sure.

J.

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The most likely probability is also the most common. It sounds like your child probably has an acute case of torticollis. It's not that uncommon in children, largely due to the rough-and-tumble lives they live, and neck injuries are a regular occurance. Sounds like he needs an evaluation by a good pediatric chiropractor. Check out the doctor locator at the ICPA website (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association) and consult the nearest office in your area. If you'd like more information consult my website at www.docvaughn.com and I will be happy to help you find some immediate help. Drugs are not the solution to this problem, and it can be resolved quickly in the right hands.

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Hope you have gone to the doctor by now. That is the symptom of meningitis or other things which are extremely dangerous. It is not normal for a child to have that severe neck pain unless it is something. Get to a doctor and make sure. I have taught children who have become completely handicapped from meningitis. It is not something to be taking a chance on.

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I've had problems with neck pain and spasms all of my life. I also have no insurance now so I treat it myself and have found that it heals just as quickly with my home treatments.....plenty of ibuprofen (repeat doses as soon as time allows) and ALTERNATE heat and ice on it. When I do have to go to a doctor I go to a chiropractor as general doctors mainly just give pain medication for it and don't fix the problem nearly as quickly or effectively.
Goood Luck.
L.

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Try ice. He could have just slept wrong. Sometimes I will sleep wrong which will cause tremendous pain and little movement for several days. Many times, icing it first is better, then later applying heat. Keep up with the heat now, even hot showers can help loosen things up. Give it time. I wouldn't go to the doctor unless the pain gets worse over time. As long as he is improving, even slowly, the doctor won't do much for you except give you pain medication. Try icy hot or have him lay down in a bath of epsom salt. That will help relieve the pain. Then, if it becomes a regular thing that warrants a visit to the doctor just to be sure and rule out other things. But, don't go for this one incident when all you know is that he probably just slept wrong. There are also stretches he can do to help - but only do what doesn't hurt too badly. Eventually, he will be able to do more and more. Have him eat some tums - he needs calcium and magnesium to help with muscle spasms. If he's not getting enough of calcium/magnesium, then that can cause spasms and/or worsening the spasm.

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The first thought I had was spinal meningitis which is pronounced by stiff neck and difficulty putting chin to chest. This is life threatening within 24 hours! Please call and ask an advice nurse at your pediatricians.

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go to the dr. right away. this sounds very serious.

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If you have not noticed kids do seem to over react to pain sometimes. It may be that he slept wrong or it could be like you said spasms. But the Dr. would most likely give you something for the pain, tell you go use heat on it and go from there. Save some money in the mean time and do just that. Most likely it will get better in a few days if not already.

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Get him to a doctor!!! This could be serious, like others said, menigitis. Yes, it may cost you, but this is your child, a young child--you can't take these kind of chances. Maybe go to the ER and tell them you don't have insurance, they shouldn't turn you away and you will probably get better care than going to some clinic.

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The first thing that came to my mind while reading your post was "meningitis". If I were you, I'd take him in right away. Better safe than sorry and either way, he's hurting and needs help.

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6 yr olds don't have back/neck pain. I would take him to the dr right away. I don't thing it would be over reacting.
Best wishes.

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My son went through the exact same kind of pain. I did go to the physician and was told it is basically growing pains. The ibuprofen and heating pad is what he recommended, just be careful of the ibuprofen because using it for too long could upset his stomach. He did outgrow it within the year. Hope your's is the same.

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My brother had the same thing when he was about 10 or 11. It all started when he was blowing his nose and then he started screaming in pain. Nothing seemed to help. My parents thought that maybe it was a pulled muscle, so they waited a day and gave him pain meds. Nothing helped so they took him to the doctor and it turned out that he had a virus in his neck muscle. I can't remember what medication he was gived for it, but I do remember that he had to wear a neck brace for a week to help with the pain.

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Hi. Sorry to hear about this kind of problem in such a young child! I don't think muscle spasms are all that common in children that age. I'm an athletic trainer so see them often in cases of dehydration and intense exercise but to wake up w/ them? I'm not sure. Do they get plenty of water during the day... not sports drinks or soda, but water? Dehydration and potassium deficiencies can contribute to cramps and spasms. A banana and glass of water or Pedialyte as an afternoon snack may help. But you did the right thing in treating him w/ a massage and heat pack. Get him to lie w/ his head in your lap and relax so you can stretch his neck gently as you massage it. That should also help relieve the spasm. If you can get some Biofreeze to use for the massage, that helps too. It is a topical analgesic similar to Flexall but it's a cool, tingly sensation rather than hot. If the spasms continue on a regular basis, you should get him checked out by his pediatrician if possible. Regular neck pain is not normal for children and could be a sign of an underlying problem. Best wishes!

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