Expert: J.R. Strecker, B.S., D.C. - 1/20/2009

Question
Two nights ago I woke up during a turnover in bed and heard and felt a loud crack/pop in the back of my neck and at first it wouldn't move. Today almost two full days later I can turn it left though when i try and tilt my head up/down or to the right its such pain to where I twitch and cant do it. What did I do to myself?

Answer
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Hello S.,

What you described is actually a very common thing.  It typically occurs during the middle of the night, or happens within the first hour of waking up in the morning.  Your neck may feel perfectly fine when all of the sudden it becomes injured.  It’s difficult to say exactly what occurs.  I believe it’s partly an alignment issue and partly a mild sprain/strain.  I also believe it occurs at times when the joints are unstable.  Others often refer to this as being a “pinched” nerve.

This sort of thing is one of the most common things I treat in practice, but fortunately, they usually heal quite quickly.  In fact, you may be fine by the time you read this.  If not, you can keep the ice on, using ice through a towel for no longer than 15 minutes at a time, only a few times per day.  If you take a hot shower, make sure to follow up with the ice just to make sure the inflammation stays under control.  Being a chiropractor, I very often find this sort of thing responds very well to adjustments.  Massage, traction, and other physiotherapy modalities help quite a bit.  Your range of motion will usually restore after treatment, with nearly full improvement by the next day or two, depending on the severity.  I often find my patients only need one treatment to feel themselves again, but it can take a day to heal.  Additionally, I prescribe a soft neck brace to provide proper support for the neck and prevent the muscles from straining further to protect the injury after treatment.  I find this substantially aids a fast recovery.

Though it’s difficult to say exactly what occurred, the above scenarios are the most common descriptions.  I hope you find this helpful.

Best of luck!
Dr. JR Strecker, D.C.