We’ve all been there. You wake up in the morning, and as soon as you try to lift your head off the pillow, you feel it—that sharp, catching pain in your neck. Or perhaps you got ready to back out of your parking spot and suddenly your neck screamed in pain.
A pulled neck muscle can range from a mild annoyance that makes checking your blind spot difficult to a debilitating pain that keeps you from being able to do your daily work effectively.
When over-the-counter pain relievers aren’t an option or aren’t helping anymore, you need relief that actually treats the root cause of your muscle pain.
Common causes of a pulled neck muscle
One of the most frustrating things about neck strain is that not everyone can pinpoint the exact moment they injured themselves. Unlike other pain that might be obvious when you incurred it, a pulled neck muscle can feel like it came out of nowhere.
However, there is usually a culprit. With some muscle strains, the delayed onset of symptoms can mean you go to bed fine but wake up immobile. And some people just forget a momentary twinge when they moved their head too fast throughout the course of a busy day, until it comes back with noticeable pain later.
Here are a few other common reasons you might have strained your neck without realizing it:
Sleeping in an awkward position
If you wake up with pain, your sleeping self might be to blame. Using a pillow that is too high or too flat or sleeping on the couch or a recliner at a strange angle can put your neck muscles in a strained position for hours at a time with no relief.
“Text neck” and screen time
Without realizing it, you may be spending hours each day with your head tilted uncomfortably downward due to using your phone, tablet, or a computer that isn’t set up at the right height on your desk. This subtle forward-head posture can actually put a lot of strain on the back of the neck. When your habits put you in hours of this kind of posture every day, it can add up to undeniable discomfort.
To counter required device use, make sure your computer screen is at eye level, and take breaks often to avoid overly fatiguing your neck muscles.
Repetitive movements
Does your living room setup mean you’re constantly turning your head sideways to watch TV or talk to others? Do you constantly turn your head to one side to look at a second monitor? These repetitive, asymmetrical movements can fatigue specific muscles, increasing your risk of injuring them.
Stress and tension
When we are stressed, many of us unconsciously hunch our shoulders up toward our ears. Holding this tension for hours creates tightness and limits blood flow, making the muscles throughout the neck and shoulder area more susceptible to injury.
How to help a pulled neck muscle at home
If you just started feeling the pain, you don’t always need to rush to the doctor immediately. Many minor strains can be managed effectively in the comfort of your own home.
Applying the RICE method
You may have already heard of the RICE method for treating injuries,
- Rest: This is the most critical step. Try to avoid aggravating the hurt area for at least a day if possible.
- Ice: Applying an ice pack (wrapped in a cloth) to the sore area for 15 to 20 minutes at a time can help reduce inflammation and numb the pain. This is most effective in the first 48 hours.
- Compression: While you shouldn’t wrap your neck tightly, providing gentle support can help. Some people find relief using a soft neck collar for short periods to give their muscles a break, though this shouldn’t be used long-term without professional advice.
- Elevation: When you sleep or rest, keep your head supported in a neutral position. Avoid stacks of pillows that push your chin to your chest.
When healing from a pulled neck, completely isolating your neck can actually do more harm than good. Every once in a while, slowly move your head around to stretch the muscles. Avoid movements that cause sharp pain. After several days, you can use heat rather than ice to soothe aching muscles. Using heat in the immediate aftermath of an injury can worsen inflammation that arises.
How a physical therapist helps treat pulled muscles more effectively
Home remedies are often enough for many people to get back to their normal routine after a day or two in pain. But what if it has been a week and you still can’t turn your head without wincing? Or what if this is the third time this month you’ve woken up in pain?
This is where a physical therapist (PT) can help with targeted healing for the underlying cause. While rest allows the tissue to heal, it doesn’t correct the mechanical issues that may be aggravating or causing the injury to keep happening.
Specialized treatments
A physical therapist offers treatments you can’t do at home. This might include manual therapy, where the therapist uses their hands to mobilize the joints in your neck, massage tight areas, and stretch the muscles in ways you may not be able to on your own.
Compensation and chain reaction of pain
One of the biggest risks of ignoring a pulled muscle is compensation. When your neck hurts, your body automatically adjusts to protect it. You might start hiking up your shoulder, twisting your back, or holding your arm differently.
You might not feel the effects of this right away, but these compensations can lead to secondary problems. You could develop tension headaches, upper back pain, or shoulder pain in addition to neck pain. A physical therapist can look at the whole body, not just your neck, to identify these compensation patterns and address them.
Prevention and education
The goal of physical therapy isn’t just to fix the pain you have now; it’s to stop it from coming back. A PT can also act as an injury prevention planner in multiple ways.
For example, they may assess your workstation ergonomics to see if your monitor height is causing neck strain. They can evaluate your “default” driving, standing, walking, and sleeping posture and teach you better ways to protect your neck and shoulder muscles for certain activities.
You can take these educational moments and even a preventative care plan with you when you’re done with PT to ensure you have the best chance at preventing future injury for your specific lifestyle.
Neck pain treatment at PT & Spine in New Orleans
Neck pain can be exhausting, draining your energy and making simple tasks feel impossible. But you don’t have to just wait it out.
If you are dealing with a lingering ache, a sharp sprain, or chronic tightness that isn’t responding to home treatment, let us help you find relief. At PT & Spine in New Orleans, our team is dedicated to getting to the root of your discomfort so you can get back to living your life pain-free.
Request your first appointment today and start finding real relief.