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Sore Crick Neck? What do you do?

4/15/2018

Waking up with a crick neck. It has happened to most of us before.
However knowing what to do with it is half the issue.
It causes discomfort and pinches with pain when you try to move your head in certain (or all) directions.
Recently I woke up with a crick neck (yes chiropractors get crick necks too) so I thought I would chat you through what I did to get the best recovery possible.

FIRSTLY:
Looking into what led up to my neck "cricking" helps me figure out a game plan.
I knocked my head HARD on a weird angled wall making a bed on Saturday (not ideal #1), on Monday a small branch fell out of a tree and hit me on the left shoulder (not ideal #2) and Tuesday night was so hot I could not stay in our bedroom so relocated to the air conditioned lounge, where I slept on the couch (not ideal #3) with the cool air blowing on my head and neck (not ideal #4).
So all in all we have a series of 4 events in close succession that led me to wake with a crick neck.

SO WHAT DID I DO?

Put heat on it after I woke up - heat increases blood flow and therefore helps tissues heal. This can be a shower or a hot water bottle or wheat bag. Just make sure the hot water bottle and wheat bag is not too heavy on your neck. People often find that a hot shower helps a lot, so it can be a good idea that a hot shower or a bath is your first go to heat option, then follow up with a hot water bottle or wheat bag throughout the rest of the day and a hot shower or bath before bed is a good option too.
Took my neck through gentle, SLOW ranges of motion regularly. The funny thing about a crick neck is if you move slowly you can often get a greater range of motion than if you were to move quickly. If movement makes it feel worse then don't do it, however chances are if you move slowly and gently enough it will start to ease things.
Did some gentle yoga poses focusing on posture and head position, however if you don’t normally do yoga and wake up with a sore neck now is NOT the time to start yoga!
Visited my Chiropractor to get adjusted. I nearly forgot to add this because it is so natural for me to get checked if my body is not functioning optimally. Chiropractic assesses the joints and function of your spine, when you have pain it is usually a pretty good indicator there is dysfunction. It is a perfect time to get the dysfunction sussed.
Took a quality Magnesium supplement to loosen the muscles around the neck (if magnesium is tolerated well by you already).
Anti-inflammatory food choices throughout the day included home made chocolate after dinner (ask for the recipe if you want it).
Before bed heat pack on neck and time lying on Shakti mat with deep diaphragmatic breathing.
Pillow choice is something I needed to change as my neck crick came from an accumulation of trauma, however if you are waking with a stiff neck then your pillow may be playing a part in that. If you have questions about correct pillow choice then standby, a blog is on it's way.

Within 24 hours my neck was back to full ROM albeit still tender and slightly stiff.
There are varying degrees of severity when it comes to crick necks (and all other injuries) it pays to remember not everyone will see such improvement within 24 hours BUT why not give your body the tools it need to heal as quickly as it can.

As a Chiropractor I see crick necks regularly. It is important to remember that if you are waking with a crick neck often then there is dysfunction that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Seeing a Chiropractor may be able to help you sort that out.

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