I woke up yesterday morning unable to move my neck more than a few degrees in any direction without yelping in pain. No idea why. It even hurt to hold my hear up long enough to look at the alarm clock this morning. Ibuprofen doesn’t even take the edge off. I’ve spent alternate chunks of today with a microwaveable heat pack inserted in a travel neck pillow and wrapped around the back of my neck, which helped a bit, but this is really frustrating. (Plus I looked like a complete dork at work.)
Anything else I should try before running off to my doc, who will probably give me enough muscle relaxers to keep me unconscious for a week? And why is my neck rebelling on me? I didn’t do anything unusually strenuous on Saturday.
You probably slept on your neck in a weird position. Happens.
Heat does work, but you have to keep it on your neck for quite a while. Try the ThermaCare heat patches; they’re more portable than a microwave pack and aren’t as obvious. I love these and swear by them because I can use them when I can’t use a regular heating pad.
Also, move your head in circles gently, as far as you can without causing yourself dire pain. If possible, get in to see a massage therapist, because massage works wonders, too.
If nothing else works, go see your doctor for stronger pain meds.
Another non-doctor here, but I’ve had the problem myself before. My doctor told me to take ibuprofen (he also told me to take it in a prescription dose, but he’d prescribed it for me before and knew my history well) and alternate heat and ice. If that doesn’t help by the end of tomorrow, you may need to get a muscle relaxer. I’ve also had some luck taking antihistamines (also on my doctor’s recommendation) when I’ve had neck or back pain from a muscle spasm.
Thanks, guys. I guess if I’ve been given large doses of ibuprofen and/or antihistamines for other problems before, it couldn’t hurt to give one or both a try. But if this doesn’t improve by the end of today, I’m going to see my doc anyway.
Sounds like the hellishly fearfull wry neck that caused me to miss Mediaeval Day in year 8 when I was thirteen. I had slept at my grandmothers house which in hindsight makes me think it was the strange bed or pillow that did it.
This was treated in 1987 by an aging doctor who ‘cracked’ my neck; and all was well apart from some tenderness and missing the armour, the swordfighting and the fair maidens.