Really bad strained rear neck from bench pressing.

[Natureboy71]

Let me start by saying I do plenty warms ups and neck warm ups of all kinds before I start my workout. Been really working on increasing my weight on my bench press lately. I do chest twice a week, with the second workout being a heavy one. Last night got up to 410'lbs for 4 sets of 8. Was on 2nd set and the back of my neck that sometimes bothers me started to hurt. After third set, I had to quit and lay down it hurt so bad. Right up the back of my head, giving me a headach so bad I felt like puking.

Put ice on it for a while and took some muscle relaxant. It's better today, but perhaps I will have to lay off the heavy bench for a while and do other exercises. Too bad, since this was the most weight I have ever accomplished for sets and it was been working great for chest size.

Anyone know if now applying heat to it would help any? Thanks.

[kelevra]

I would say if it feels good yeah. Ice of course reduce swelling, but can reduce circulation. Heat can improve circualtion, but increase inflamation. So i think that is why a rotation of both is sometiomes suggested. By the way im no doc and that could be just some BS i picked up some where. LOL good luck.

A guy in my gym had similar symptoms doing heavy squat not to far back. He never went to doc though.

[lovbyts]

I have read many time Ice for the first 3 day, after that heat is OK

[GreggWizard]

You mention that a pain went up your neck and into your head, creating a bad headache. Did the pain stay more in the head after you quit working out? Initially, did the pain start off slowly while working out, and gradually "come on" quicker in the work outs as time went by? Does the pain seem to subside gradually after you stop working out, until it's almost gone (sometimes taking hours)? If your symptoms sound like these that I mention, you may be suffering from what's called "exertional headaches". I suffered from them back in my early 20's for a stretch. The pain shot up my neck, and into my head like someone sunk a axe into the back of my skull. They got so bad after a while that the pain was blinding and immobilizing. It all started very slowly, usually giving me a bad headache by the end of my workouts. Then I could only get through about two thirds of a workout. The last workout, I only made it through 3 sets, and then I was rolling on the floor in pain. I had to see a specialist - I think he was a neurosurgeon if I remember right. He put me on Indocin, which thins the blood a bit, and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Although little was known about exertional headaches at that time, they did know how to treat the horrible symptoms. One indocin pill about 1/2 hour before my work outs took care of the problem. I was able to ween off the medicine in about a year, with no more recurring incidents of the headaches. Good luck, Bro, and I hope you figure out what's wrong.

[brad1986]

make sure you keep your head on the bench and not lifting it (head) off while struggling on the bench lift. Also if you stretch out scalene and sternoclidomastoid muscles before workout you have a much less liklyhood of tapping into those muscles through compensation.

[optionsdude]

Brad makes a good point about keeping your head on the bench. I see younger guys at the gym Straining so hard to lift heavy that they are sticking their neck out. Anytime you are maxing out your neck is getting involved. I would say back off of the weight a bit take it easy. Huge pectoral muscles are cool having a messed up neck or any kind of spinal injury is not. As for the heat I use heat in the morning when I first wake up and then ice after activity and the end of my day. The stretches that Brad mentions above are also good for keeping the spasma down.