pulled neck muscle?

Maybe someone can help me?

Last week I developed a sore neck, and it swelled on the left side of my c7 vertebrae. I iced it on and off and walked alot. I was all better by Monday. Then today (Wed), after waking up I reached my arms up to stretch and I felt a horrendous pull in that same area. It hurts really bad! It feels differenent from last week. Last week it was sore and kind of throbbing. This pain today feels more like someone is reaching down and physically pulling my neck muscle upwards. It's really tight and goes from the base of my skull, all the way down to the middle of my back. It appears to be on the just to the right of my spine, but as the day has gone on, it's radiating in a broader area and it feels like something is going to snap. There is no apparant swelling this time, which is different from last week.

Is this what a pulled muscle feels like? If so, what was the deal last week, when it ached and swelled? I'm assumming, even though I had two days pain free, that these occurences are probably connected. But how? Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rose

Hi Rose, my guess is that the two events are unrelated but they definitely did contribute to the same basic issue. I think that icing it again would be a good idea to see if the pain fades. If not, I would see a doctor just to see that there's not something more serious going on. Let me know, okay?