Thanks for your response, Chris. The focus on your posture is indeed one of the best things that you can do for the suboccipital muscles (at the base of your skull), the upper trapezius is one of many muscles that originate in that area. They can be chronically hypersensitive and angry. If the pain is that severe or disabling, you could seek out a consultation with a pain specialist and they may have some treatments for relief, such as botox injections in that area. Physical therapy and/or massage therapy can help, but it will be a chronic problem that will have to be dealt with for many or us.

When mine strikes, the only thing that helps is to throw my head back into extension and gently massage the muscles. People often look at me like I'm having some sort of fit or something, lol! Heat or ice can help, of course, but I'm not too keen on putting ice on the front of my neck.

I was just thinking that it might be some sort of electrolyte imbalance or something like that. It's such a strange place for a muscle spasm. I am a physical therapist and it has me stumped.

Thank you for sharing your experience, Chris. I hope it gets better for you. At least I know I'm not alone in this benign, although nagging problem.

Reading your signature, we were diagnosed with OC at the same point in time, but mine was lateral tongue cancer the first time. It seems that you are doing very well so far! I will keep you in my thoughts in that it was a TKO for you the first time and that is it! Best wishes!

Love in OCF,
Kerri