I can’t move my neck when I wake up. Is it the pillow’s fault for my stiff neck?

You may have had this experience: you were fine before going to bed, but when you woke up, your neck suddenly hurt and you couldn't even turn it. Sometimes your shoulders and upper limbs also felt uncomfortable, and your neck was stiff and painful for several days. This is what we often call a stiff neck.

Traditionally, stiff neck refers to severe pain and stiffness in the neck after waking up from sleep, while modern medicine often calls it cervical and shoulder myofasciitis, which is usually caused by excessive tension in the neck and shoulder muscles for a long time, and is often classified as "acute neck pain".

1. Why does stiff neck always happen to us? There are mainly the following reasons:

(1) The pillow is not suitable

Many people think that sleeping with their heads elevated will help them sleep well; others don’t like to use pillows, thinking that this is the best way to relax, which is exactly the root cause of stiff neck. The human cervical spine has a natural physiological curvature. If the pillow is not suitable during sleep, such as too high, too low, too soft, or too hard, it is easy to cause the head and neck to be in a state of hyperextension or hyperflexion, causing tension in the muscles on one side of the neck and twisting of the facet joints of the cervical spine, which can cause stiff neck.

(2) Improper sleeping posture

When you sleep, your body will find a "comfortable" position to fall asleep. If you maintain an unnatural sleeping position for a long time, your muscles will become tense or even cramp, causing a stiff neck.

(3) Looking down for a long time

If you keep your head down for a long time (working at a desk, studying, or playing with a mobile phone, etc.), the intervertebral discs in front of the cervical spine and the muscles and ligaments in the back will be under continuous stress. The greater the pressure, the faster the cervical spine ages. A stiff neck is often a warning sign.

(4) Cervical spine disease

People with cervical spondylosis or cervical joint disorder will get a stiff neck if they are slightly exposed to cold or have a bad sleeping posture, and the stiff neck may even occur repeatedly. On the other hand, people who often suffer from a stiff neck are also prone to cervical spondylosis.

(5) Cold neck and shoulders

If you do not pay attention to keeping your neck and shoulders warm when sleeping, the neck and shoulders will be stimulated by the cold, causing stagnation of qi and blood, and obstruction of tendons and meridians, which will cause local muscle spasm pain.

2. What should I do if I have a stiff neck?

Stiff neck is a self-healing disease. With proper rest, it can generally recover in a few days. In severe cases, it may take longer. If there is no special discomfort, there is no need for excessive treatment. Here are some simple methods to treat stiff neck:

(1) Massage: Stand behind the patient with stiff neck and press the neck with one finger to find the most painful point. Then use a thumb to start from the top of the neck on that side and massage until the shoulder and back. Massage the most painful point vigorously until you feel obvious soreness and swelling, which means that the force is enough. Repeat the massage 2 to 3 times, then tap the massaged area with a hollow fist, and repeat 2 to 3 times. Repeating the above massage and tapping can quickly relax the spasmodic neck muscles and relieve pain.

(2) Hot compress: hot water bottles, electric hand warmers, hot towels and infrared lamps can all relieve pain. Be careful to avoid burns.

(3) External plasters: For stiff neck, external medications can also be used, such as plasters and ointments. The plasters can be changed once a day. It should be noted that some plasters contain drugs that are pungent, can cause bleeding and miscarriage, and pregnant women should avoid using them.

(4) Traditional Chinese medicine therapy: Massage, acupuncture, cupping, fumigation and other treatments can also relieve stiff neck to a certain extent.

(5) Painkillers: If the pain is unbearable, you can also take oral painkillers, such as ibuprofen, which can have an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect.

(The pictures in this article are from the Internet)

Reviewer: Hao Yang/Guo Shengnan

Typesetting: Li Shudong