My neck pain is lasitng way longer then then I thought it would. Car Ac?

I was in a Car Accident in May of 06, about 8 months ago. I was rear-ended. I was stopped, the other guy was going 30 mph or so, enough to total my car.

I had bad neckpain and had myself checked out. The doc prescribed Painkillers, ice, and physical therapy. I did physical therapy for months, and that helped a lot. But it still hasn't gone away completely. A lot of times it goes away(or is tolerable pain) for weeks, but then it comes back.

I'm sick of going to the doc every 6 weeks telling him it still hurts. And i'm sick of thinking I'm past this only to find the pain coming back. This is worse because the doc keeps telling me I shouldn't be in pain. As if I'm making it up. He's given me xrays, but it didn't show anything.

Is it possible for a neck injury to last this long? Am I doing something wrong with my neck excersizes? I'm getting really frustrated. ANY help or info would be appreciated. thanks

thank you all for your responses. I think I will ask for an MRI. I will talk to him about physical therapy again, and perhaps getting a chiropractor.

As nothing showed up on xray (disc bulge, fracture) you have what's called a soft tissue injury, i.e. muscles. Muscles don't show on xray.

Normally, soft tissue injuries resolve on their own, without treatment, in 6-8 weeks. In your case, something's going on. You would do best to continue seeing your physical therapist and not stop until the problem is resolved.

If you see a chiropractor...be warned, sometimes they do more harm than good. If you see one and you experience no relief, find someone else. Don't pay money to someone who isn't helping you get better.

Try getting a referral for an MRI it will show more. In the mean time try a chiropractor they work wonders!!

I was in a car accident in 2003 and my neck pain did not go away for two years.

Yes neck injury last longer. Never do any rigorous exercise. Only mild rotation & counter rotation of neck for 15 days along with heat tretment. Your problem should go. Docs have given you pain killers which are anti inflamatory also. What you require is muscle relaxant. This injury is not on your neck bones but on muscles. Talk to your doc giving this reference.

You say you consulted with a Physical Therapist. Have you continued to follow the recommendations of the PT or have you fallen off the path and stopped doing your exercises?