What to do when you have a crick in the neck

Picture the scene…. Monday morning 6AM….Alarm goes off……It’s pitch black and you’re thinking “Surely not that time already?” …..You yawn and go to reach for the phone and

AHHHH!

Intense neck pain!

You re-adjust and go for it again. This time a little bit more sheepishly. AHHH! Same outcome.

That pesky crick in your neck is back again. “Surely its far too early for this sh…….”

Sound all too familiar?  I thought so.

With a crick in the neck being so common let’s have a look at the mechanics behind it so you are clued up and know what to do next time it happens.

Today I am going to break down what a crick in the neck is and provide some tips on how to resolve it in super quick time.

Let’s do this.

CRICK IN THE NECK

A crick in the neck is commonly used to describe sharp neck pain which is associated with an acute restriction in movement. It commonly occurs on one side of your neck. You know what I am talking about. The type of neck pain which causes you to walk around sporting your best Jonny 5 impersonation.

It is commonly described as a sensation of a blockage in your neck and in around about way it kind of is.

Kind of….

A crick in the neck normally occurs as a result of one thing – Irritation to joint surface/capsule of the facet joint in your neck.

This irritation leads to a protective spasm in the muscles around the area. This muscle spasm leads to intense pain and restrictions in neck movement. Hence the sensation of a blockage.

The facet joints (zygapophyseal joints) are common to all segments in the spine. There is one joint on each side (at each segment) and their role is to allow for (and to control) certain types of movement within the spine. The shape and orientation of the facet joints in the neck, therefore differ to those in the lower back in order to allow for different motions.

These joints like all synovial joints in the body, have a ligamentous capsule which surrounds them and provides further structural integrity.

Occasionally the joints themselves, or the capsule surrounding them can be strained. This is known as a facet strain. This facet strain inevitably leads to a spasming of the muscles at the same level within the neck. Your crick in the neck, in all its glory!

BUT WHY?

Now you know the what let’s explore the why!

1. The neck is the most mobile area in your spine. (Yes your neck is part of your spine). The joints are shaped in a way which allow for lots of rotation and bending forward/backward motions. As there is lots of movement available we demand lots of movement from our necks, and sometimes we demand just a little too much. Think whiplash injury, roller coaster strain or neck strain from that wonderful acrobatic header you scored last week. These instances lead to an over-strain of the capsule surrounding the joints which lead to pain.
2. Weight bearing on the facets. In the spine the facet joints are designed to be NON weight bearing structures. The weight bearing should be distributed through the front part of the segment (The vertebral bodies and discs). If there is increased weight bearing through the facet portion of the segment this can lead to irritation and inflammation. Your crick in the neck is back with a bang! This commonly occurs through holding prolonged postures with your neck in an extended (arched back) position. Some examples of this include – Sleeping in an awkward position, long periods of time in desk based postures.

The good news is that a true ‘crick in the neck’ will, with the correct management and care, be a short lived experience. Lasting anything from a few hours up until a few weeks.

NOW WHAT?

I don’t like the idea of this crick hanging around any longer than it is welcomed and I am sure you don’t either.

Follow these steps to an accelerated recovery:

1. Ice your neck – If the joint is slightly inflamed. It is a good idea to get some ice on the area to help things settle. Cyrotherapy (icing) has been shown to be very effective in the relief of joint pain. Aim for 10 minutes at a time and use a towel around the ice to prevent any cold burn onto the skin.
2. Self Massage -Applying some pressure and self massage to the muscles which are in spasm can be a good way of relieving tension.
3. Heat the muscles – A hot shower to heat the muscles may help in decreasing some of the muscle tension which is causing the pain. This may allow your neck to move in a slightly more normal way.
4. Move often but don’t force it. It is very important to restore normal movement in the neck following such an episode. Moving your neck regularly in all ranges (except extension) may help speed up the recovery but don’t try to be a super hero and force the movement.
5. Stretch your Levator Scapulae – Levator Scapulae is a neck muscle at the back of your neck which assists in extension and rotation of your neck. This muscle commonly goes into spasm with facet strains. To stretch this muscle simply allow your chin to crop to your chest, place your hand on your crown and gently pull you crown towards the floor. The stretch can be felt at the back of your neck.
6. Come and see us at Hardiman Performance ; ) – Neck pain is extremely common and something we see and treat very effectively daily in the clinic. Not only will we be able to provide effective relief, we can help you to identify the initial cause and provide you with lots of advice and exercises to prevent further flare ups. Just give us a call on 01582 318980 and we can get to work asap.

“This makes me sad. I know what to do when I have a flare up now but you haven’t bothered to tell me how to prevent it from happening in the first place”

Okay, Okay. You pulled my leg. Let’s talk about that for a minute.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

There are endless amounts of things you could be doing to prevent such occurrences but let’s focus on the top 3 for now.

1. Check yo posture! – Posture may play a very important part in the management of neck cricks. If you are the type of person who spends long periods of time slouched in front of the computer or looking at your phone (like most of us) then doing some exercises to help prevent potential issues associated with that is advised. A thoracic extension exercise is probably the exercise which is going to give you most bang for your buck. Increasing extension through the back may help to mitigate the extension load on the neck and may be enough to keep this crick at bay.
2. Move yo body! – Regular movement is vital for tissue health. Get up every half an hour and move around. Move your neck gently from side to side and through it full ranges when at your desk or when you are sitting in front of the TV. Movement is good. Prolonged postures are bad, very bad!
3. Neutralise yo neck! Don’t allow your neck to be held in awkward positions for hours on end when you sleep. If you sleep on your side, adjust yours pillow(s) so that they fill the gap between the bed and your head appropriately. Your neck should be level and not tilt up or down. If you sleep on your back adjust your pillows so that your chin tilts slightly down towards your chest.

AND THAT’S A WRAP!

So now you know. Next time a loved one has a crick in your their neck you can drop some serious knowledge bombs on them which will help them get back to their best.

If you know someone who suffers with neck cricks point make sure you share this post with them also. They will love you for it.

And if you suffer personally. Get on top of some of the prevention work yourself. It’s money in the body bank account. The interest rates are insane and it will prevent you from going over your bodies overdraft in the future.

Enough from me for one week!

See you next time.

Dale