You don’t want to begin your day by waking up with a sore neck. It can quickly induce a negative mood and make simple movements uncomfortable, such as tilting your head. The sort of pillow you use, your sleeping position, or other sleep-related issues are often to blame when you wake up with a sore neck. The bulk of issues can be resolved if you know how.
In this post, we’ll look more closely at what you can do to stop having neck pain in the morning.
What makes your neck hurt when you first wake up?
You might not give much thought to the type of pillow you use or how your body is positioned when you sleep. However, your pillow and sleeping posture can cause stiff, aching neck, back pain, and other pains.
According to research, up to 5% of new occurrences of chronic pain and inquiries into the causes of concerns like “why did my neck hurt when I woke up?” may have their roots in sleep issues. Numerous of these factors are under your control, so by making some adjustments, you could reduce your neck discomfort and other types of pain.
Your position as you sleep
Each person has a favorite way to sleep. However, your neck won’t thank you if yours is on your stomach. If you sleep on your stomach, your neck could be twisted to one side for several hours at a time. Your neck muscles may become strained, and you may wake up with sore and stiff neck muscles.
Additionally, you may get back pain if you sleep on your stomach on a mattress with little support. As a result, your back muscles and spine may be stressed and pressured. It may also cause your belly to sink into the bed.
The pillow
Picking the appropriate pillow is essential for simple and easy neck pain treatment because your head and neck spend a lot of time there while you sleep. Neck pain might result from a strain in the neck muscles brought on by a pillow that doesn’t assist your head and neck properly. A neutral spine and neck can be achieved at night by using a feather or memory-foam pillow to “cradle” your head.
Involuntary movement
Your neck muscles can become sore from sudden movements like sitting up abruptly or tossing your limbs about in a dream. Your neck may get tense and stressed if you toss and turn when you sleep or attempt to sleep.
Past injury
Some injuries, such as whiplash or sports, might not feel right away. It can take days before the full physical effects are felt. You might feel OK when you go to bed if you were hurt in a way that could have hurt your neck, but you might wake up the next day with a stiff, painful neck.
Other causes of the question “why does my neck hurt every morning” are
- Bad posture throughout the day
- Too much time is spent watching television or working at a computer without taking breaks
- One of the upper spinal joints has osteoarthritis.
- A ruptured disk or a bone spur in your neck that is putting pressure on your nerves
How Neck Stiffness Develops During Sleep
Some of the causes of a stiff neck while sleeping include:
Awkward angle: While sleeping, the head or neck may settle at an awkward angle for an extended period of time, stretching and stressing muscles, ligaments, and joints beyond their normal limits.
Sudden movement: Sudden neck movements while sleeping, caused by rolling over or reacting to a dream, can strain or sprain the neck.
The injury that existed previously: Some injuries that occur while awake, such as whiplash, may take several hours before pain and stiffness manifest themselves while sleeping.
The most common cause of a stiff neck is a neck strain, which can be caused by a muscle strain or a ligament sprain. Other causes, such as facet joint osteoarthritis, or cervical degenerative disc disease could exist.
Chiropractic Treatment for Neck Pain
As part of your neck pain chiropractic treatment, your Houston chiropractors at Advanced Chiropractic Relief, may combine spinal manipulation, manual therapy, and other methods like the manual spinal decompression called the Ring Dinger®.
Below are some spinal manipulation techniques your chiropractor may use:
- Flexion-distraction technique is a non-invasive, hands-on spinal manipulation that uses a pumping action on the intervertebral disc rather than direct force.
- Instrument-assisted manipulation Your chiropractor Houston will use a hand-held instrument to apply force without thrusting into the spine.
- Specific spinal manipulation Using a gentle thrusting technique aids in the restoration of joint movement.
Your chiropractor in Houston TX may also use manual therapies to treat your chiropractic for neck pain.
- Manual Spinal Decompression techniques like the Ring Dinger® allow all the vertebrae to be decompressed to relieve pain and realign the spine.
- Instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy uses special instruments to diagnose and treat muscle tension.
- Manual joint stretching and resistance techniques can aid in the relief of neck pain and other symptoms.
- Therapeutic massage can aid in the relaxation of tense muscles and chiropractic neck adjustment.
- Trigger point therapy is used to treat tight, painful muscle points.
Other therapies may also be used to ease neck pain symptoms.
- Inferential electrical stimulation uses a low frequency electrical current to stimulate neck muscles.
- Ultrasound sends sound waves into your muscle tissues to relieve neck stiffness and pain
- Therapeutic exercises can help improve the overall range of motion in your neck and prevent neck pain from progressing.
The treatments listed above are only examples of possible chiropractic treatments for neck pain; your specific treatment plan will be determined by your diagnosis. Your chiropractor neck pain should thoroughly explain your treatment options to you so that you understand what is going to happen.
Bottom Line
An everyday issue is waking up with a sore neck. However, there are techniques to assist in resolving this problem. Make sure your sleeping environment is as pleasant as possible by thinking about altering your pillow, mattress, and sleeping posture.
Consider your posture throughout the day and constantly change positions to keep your muscles loose and flexible. Regular exercise can also maintain the muscles in your neck strong and healthy. You can also obtain neck pain treatment in Houston by consulting a chiropractor experienced in treating neck pain. To learn more about chiropractic treatment for shoulder and neck pain, contact your Houston chiropractors Dr. Gregory Johnson D.C. and Dr. Tristan Wendt D.C. at Advanced Chiropractic Relief to schedule a consultation and finally Get Relief.