Chronic Cervical (Neck) Stiffness

Do you spend prolonged hours hunched over your computer screen, your cell phone, a book? Does your neck constantly ache and feel stiff? If you answered yes, then you may be suffering from neck stiffness. For more information, read the details below.

Causes

● Cervical lordosis (the straightening of the cervical spine)
● Scoliosis (the curving of the spine)
● Cervical spondylosis (neck arthritis)
● Whiplash related to a motor vehicle accident
● Pulling on your neck while doing sit-ups
● Using the arm of your couch as a pillow while lying on the couch
● Habitual neck popping
● Wrestling
● Playing football or soccer
● Jamming your neck into a pillow while sleeping
● Idiopathic (unknown cause for the pain)
● Reading with your head down

Symptoms

● Muscle tightness
● Muscle spasms
● Occasional headaches
● Neck stiffness
● Difficulty looking over your shoulder
● Numbness, tingling, dull, achy, electrifying, sharp, or stabbing pain that radiates into either of your shoulders, down your arm, and into your fingers

Diagnosis

● Cervical X-ray
● MRI
● CT

Treatment

● The best treatment plan includes neck stretching exercises.
● Use moist heating pads for 20 minutes repeated four times per day as needed.
● Moist heat is better than dry heat because moist heat helps relax the muscles.
● Use ice compressions to help reduce the severity of headaches by reducing the amount of blood flow to the brain (vasoconstriction) for 20 minutes and repeat four times per day as needed.
● The best medication to use for relief are NSAIDS (Advil, Aleve, Naproxen, or ibuprofen).
o These medications are helpful in treating inflammation, headaches, and arthritis.
o Narcotics are not recommended.
o To treat muscle spasms that are unrelieved by neck stretching and moist heating pads, use an antispasmodic (muscle relaxers).
o Please consult with your primary care physician for unrelieved pain and muscle spasms.