What should I do if I get a stiff neck while sleeping?

Sleeping is supposed to be a happy thing, but incorrect sleeping posture or other reasons may lead to cervical stiffness, which is very painful. The best way in this case is to massage to relax the local blood stasis and relieve the pain symptoms; the second is hot compress, you can use a hot water bottle or a hot towel, but the temperature should not be too high, otherwise it will hurt the skin; the third is to use safflower oil, which is also effective.

1. Causes of disease

There are two main causes of stiff neck: one is muscle sprain, such as poor sleeping posture at night, the head and neck are in an over-deflected position for a long time; or because of an inappropriate pillow during sleep, which is too high, too low or too hard, causing the head and neck to be in a state of hyperextension or hyperflexion, which can cause tension in the muscles on one side of the neck and twist the facet joints of the cervical vertebra. Static injury can occur over a long time, making the muscles and tendons of the injured area stiff and disharmony, qi and blood circulation poor, local pain and discomfort, and obvious limitation of movement. The second is exposure to wind and cold, such as catching a cold while sleeping or seeking coolness in the hot summer, which can cause stagnation of qi and blood in the neck and back, obstruction of tendons and meridians, resulting in stiffness and pain and difficulty in movement.

2. Clinical manifestations

The clinical manifestation of stiff neck is sudden pain and discomfort in the back of the neck and upper back when waking up in the morning, which is mostly on one side, or pain on both sides, or one side is heavier and the other side is lighter. Most patients can recall that they had a poor sleeping position last night. During examination, the neck muscles were tender. Due to the pain, the neck movements were poor and could not rotate freely. In severe cases, it was difficult to pitch forward or backward, and the head might even be rigid in an abnormal position, tilting toward the affected side. During examination, the neck muscles are tender, the superficial muscles are spasmodic, stiff, and feel "stringy" to the touch. There are many treatments for stiff neck, including muscle manipulation, acupuncture, medication, hot compress, etc., all of which have good effects, especially muscle manipulation.

2. Treatment of cervical stiff neck during sleep

(1) Massage: Stand behind the patient with stiff neck and press lightly on the neck with one finger to find the most painful spot. Then use your thumb to start from the top of the neck on that side and massage all the way to the shoulder and back. Massage the most painful spot vigorously until you feel obvious soreness and swelling, which indicates that the force is enough. Repeat this 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 bulbs can all relieve pain. Be careful to avoid burns

(3) Choose safflower oil, Gancunshan rheumatism oil, Yun essence, etc., rub the painful area 2 to 3 times a day, which will have a certain effect.

(4) Apply the Shangshi Pain-Relieving Plaster or Pengxiang Pain-Relieving Plaster to the painful area of ​​the neck and change it once a day. The pain-relieving effect is ideal, but the patient will feel that the movement of the neck is restricted to a certain extent after applying the plaster. Pregnant women should avoid using it.