Your alarm clock goes off, and you feel a slight twinge as you roll over to turn it off. As you get out of bed, you realize it’s much more than a twinge. One side of your neck hurts from your skull to your shoulder. Again.
Neck pain can range from mildly annoying to nearly impossible to manage, making it hard to go about your day normally. The providers at all three locations of Apex Medical Center have seen patients at every stage of that spectrum, and found that waking up with pain on one side of your neck in the morning can usually be traced to a few different causes.
Sleeping position and posture issues are the usual first suspects when it comes to one-sided neck pain in the morning. Both alignment issues can lead to muscle damage, like strain, compressed nerves, or joint pain.
A pillow that doesn’t properly support your neck can lead to pain, and sleeping on your stomach is almost certain to cause muscle strain eventually.
Looking down at your phone can lead to serious neck pain because it puts your heavy head in an unnatural position and disrupts the balance of good alignment.
Although these are common problems, they’re not the only things that can cause neck pain in the mornings.
Your spinal column, including your cervical spine or the vertebrae in your neck, houses nerves that connect every part of your body to your brain. Those nerves branch out at different points and sometimes get pressed between other tissues.
A condition called spinal stenosis happens when your spinal canal, where your spinal cord is located, becomes narrower. If you have spinal stenosis in your cervical spine, you may experience pain in your neck. This is called cervical radiculopathy and may also cause numbness or tingling in your arms.
Other, more serious health conditions could be indicated by one-sided neck pain. For example, one possible symptom of a heart attack is pain in the neck and left arm.
Rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system attacks the linings of your joints, can cause neck pain.
Some cancers, such as throat, larynx, and oral cancer can cause pain in your neck. A tumor in or near your neck can cause neck pain.
If you wake up with neck pain rarely and it resolves within a day or two, you may want to adjust your pillow or your sleeping position or both. But, if you wake up regularly with neck pain on one side, you should talk to one of the experts at Apex Medical Center.
If you’re struggling to identify the cause, we can help. You should expect a thorough physical exam, questions about your medical history and lifestyle, and possibly some diagnostic tests.
Even if your pain is due to a habit that causes poor posture, you may need physical therapy to build up strength in the muscles that support your head. The important thing is to understand what’s causing your pain so that you can address it.
Make an appointment at any of our three convenient locations, and in the meantime, alternate using cold and hot compresses, take over-the-counter pain medications if possible, and gently stretch your neck to ease the pain. You may want to take a close look at your pillow, too.
