How can you go to sleep feeling just fine then wake up with severe neck pain and not be able to turn your neck?
This Neck Pain is called Torticollis: That is when you wake up and can’t turn your neck without major pain. Sometimes this is caused from sleeping on too many pillows, the wrong type of pillow, or can even be caused by having some type of infection. These types of stress on the body causes stiffening and pain in the ligaments, tendons, and muscles of the neck.
Here are some tips to help:
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
- Use the right pillow for how you sleep
- Get adjusted by a Chiropractor
Best types of pillows for how you sleep:
Back and Side Sleepers
If you are a back and side sleeper get a pillow made with shredded Memory Foam. This is a great option for both back and side sleepers.
All Around pillow for people who sleep in different positions:
Memory foam cervical pillows can provide great all-around support to the neck throughout the night if you tend to move around into different sleeping positions.
Back Sleepers:
Back sleepers should choose a rounded pillow that will firmly support the head and curve up to support the neck. Down feather pillows are a good option for those without allergies to feathers. You can find pillows that are made from feather alternatives.
Get Adjusted:
It seems like the last thing that you would want to do is to have someone try to adjust your neck but it really helps. It helps align the vertebrae so that you can actually turn your neck again. Torticollis causes the muscles in the neck to spasm and can pull the vertebrae out of alignment.
Infections: If you have a cold or some type of infection this can contribute to torticollis too. We check for homeopathy and or immune support to help you get over whatever it is that can be contributing to your muscle spasms. Sometimes an adjustment is the only thing that is needed.
Heat Or Ice?
Start with heat to relax the muscles but you might even alternate with ice. No more than 10 minutes of ice. Ice helps numb the pain but the heat helps relax the muscles.
Muscle rubs and essential oils are also good for helping with muscle soreness.
What if this happens often?
If you have a sore neck often then you might have something else going on. There can be some underlying infections or inflammatory issues. We are in Woodstock Ga. but help people with chronic conditions even if they don’t live here. There’s a way to run some tests for you even when you aren’t here in the office. We can check to see if there may be some other issues that need to be addressed. We use homeopathy, herbs and whole food nutrition to help bring the body back into balance.
We also have a really good Joint EZ product that is a whole food liquid supplement. It has a blend of: MSM, Omega oils, enzymes, manganese and glucosamine. Manganese is a mineral that helps with muscle pain.
If you need further help or would like to place an order you can contact us:
(678) 445-2746
216 River Park North Drive,
Woodstock, Ga. 30188
Best of health!
Dr. Chris Ambrosio D.C.
www.woodstockgeorgiachiropractor.com