So, I woke up this morning with a crick in my neck. I spent the whole day trying not to turn my head the wrong way. So, I decided to look up some info about "cricks", so you won't suffer as much as I have today!
About 75% of "cricks in the neck" are due to a muscle spasm. If you wake up with a crick in the neck, try at home therapies like ice and/or heat and massage. But it's important to go easy on the area in the first few days at least, to avoid making it worse.
Remedy #1: Take a hot towel (or rice sock) and wrap it around your neck for 20 minutes. Take it off and then very slowly move your neck around, up and down and back and forth, but don't "stretch". Then use an ice pack for 20 minutes. Slowly move your neck again. Rest for 20 minutes. Do this every hour until you start to feel better.
Another interesting tidbit is that most cricks are a long time coming. It has been building up for some time and no matter how you slept last night, the crick was coming, like it or not.
Remedy #2: Put lotion on your neck and have someone roll a rolling pin up and down the large muscles along your neck. If you don't have a rolling pin, you can use use a round smooth plastic bottle or such.
Don't stretch your neck! This can irritate and even make worse a crick in the neck. It's fine to slowly move your head (within normal range of motion), but don't stretch the muscles!
If you are still hurting after relaxation, rest and remedies.... head to the chiropractor!
Good luck! I'm off to try to relieve some pain.
