I woke up this morning with an extremely stiff and sore neck. So much so, that I could barely move my neck without experiencing severe pain. This happens to me quite often (perhaps once every two months or so), and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. I’ve tried every variety of pillows available; from soft to “extra support” pillows, and I’m constantly fluffing them, but I still wake up with the sore neck from time to time.
I know that this has something to do with an awkward position that my neck muscles are in during sleep, but I was just wondering what remedies (if any) you guys have tried and if any of them were successful, and also, which specific muscle(s) in the neck get sore? I looked in my anatomy book, but I couldn’t tell which one(s) always get sore for me. FYI, the pain is in my back, about three or four inches below my neck…
I used to wake up with a very stiff neck that would last for about an hour when I was 18. I couldn’t even look down at the scale when I weighed myself. I ignored it, but years later, discovered I had rheumatoid arthritus. It’s a shame I didn’t see a doctor because a short term of high dose anti-inflammatories could have prevented the damage to my neck that I’m left with today.
I will ask my doctor when I go for my yearly checkup in a few weeks. I’m not sure if it’s something as serious as a slipped disc. I have the feeling that I’d be experiencing severe pains in my neck more often. As I wrote originally, I only get these pains (often called “cricks”) about once every two months or so, and it’s definitely caused by an awkward position that my neck is in during sleep.
I just wish there was a way to prevent this (short of tying myself down during sleep so that I don’t toss and turn during the night, leaving my neck in an awkward position).
