Waking Up With Stiff Neck - 5 quick fixes

This might have happened to all of us sometimes in our lives. Waking up in the morning with a stiff neck can be quite debilitating for us as there could be sharp pain in the neck , restricted range of neck movements , swelling in the neck muscles and this pain may even radiate to mid back also.

Causes of Stiff neck

1. Using a wrong or different pillow:- A stiff neck can also develop if you change your pillow or using too thick a pillow

2. Sleeping at an awkward angle:- The most common reason to get a stiff neck is sleeping with neck in an awkward position , so when neck is kept like this for long period of time it gets fixed in that position and you are not able to move your neck.

3. Pre Existing Neck problems :- If anyone has neck issues like forward head, cervical spondylitis, upper cross syndrome, ligament sprain or muscle strains they are more prone to developing stiff neck .

4. Excessive Stress:- It has been seen that people who are emotionally stressed , tend to develop stiff neck problems.

5. Lack of Micronutrients in Diet:-If you have deficiency of Vitamin D , Calcium or Magnesium can make your neck vulnerable to ligament sprain or muscle strain.

FIVE EASY QUICK FIXES

1. Releasing your neck using a towel - for this you would need a bath towel , so if flexion (forward) and extension (backward) motions are restricted then place the towel's edge on the nape of the neck , put a forward pull on the same slowly move your neck in extension. Similarly , if the side to side motion of the neck is restricted put the edge of the towel on the nape of the neck , pull the towel on the opposite side of restriction and slowly move the neck to restricted side. these are better explained in the video over here. https://youtu.be/0w8r4jCGpJ8

2. Using Ice or Hot fomentation :- Using the ice therapy in form of ice pack or ice massage or giving hot fomentation with a hot water bottle , placing a hot towel on the neck; will relax the muscles, ligaments and joints which make your neck stiff.

3. Practicing Neck stretches on daily basis-

4. Use a correct pillow- Generally if you are lying supine (on your back ) one can avoid using a very thick pillow , better use a towel roll under the nape of the neck . if you have a habit of sleeping on the side use of a pillow is recommended. One can also go for cervical pillow or memory foam pillow.

5. Over the counter pain killers - you can have muscle relaxants or nsaids after referring your physician .