Stiff neck. Help.?

Question

I keep getting these tension headaches that run from my neck to the base off my skulls and then I can barely move my head. What causes a stiff neck?

I realize it is a tension but what is tension exactly and how can you prevent it?

Answer 1

I get this too, it's horrible isn't it? There really isn't much you can do except relax, and I know that's hard, especially if I feel one of them coming on, that makes me stress and tense up all the more. You have to learn to relax, find out what works for you. What works best for me is to lie flat on my back on a bed, with a soft pillow under my head. The pillow shouldn't be too big, it should be so that your spine is straight all the way up to the back of your head. Then take deep, slow breaths and think of whatever can make you feel calm. Play some calming music or even any kind of music that you enjoy. Another thing that feels really good is to roll up a small towel, lie flat and put the towel under your neck, use no pillow though, try to lie there for at least 15 minutes. Adjust the towel so that it is gently pressing on the part that hurts the most. And as soon as you feel the pain coming on, before it gets bad, take something. Even if you are the type of person who hates to take any kind of medicine. Excederin works well and so does prescription strength Naproxen(Aleve). I hope I helped, I know it sucks, one time I got one so bad that I ended up in the ER and they had to put 3 different drugs into an IV to help relieve my pain, then they sent me home with Percocet.

Answer 2

my tai chi teacher pointed this out to me a long time ago and i find it to be true with most people who have tension headaches and neck tension. we humans tend to tense up our neck and shoulder muscles all of the time and often do this in conjunction with holding our breath. Think about this, when you sit at a desk or use a computer do you hunch up your shoulders? When you sign a check or do paper work we tend to hold our breath and tense up our shoulders and neck. This is a common thing for all of us and we do it all day long so by the time we go to bed our necks and shoulders are tied into knots. Try this...make a concious effort to notice when you are tensing up these muscles and then take deep breaths and let you shoulder blades sag down with gravity. It will take a while before you notice how often you tense up these muscles but once you become aware of it you can practice relaxing them in the manner i have described. Also try to tense them on purpose then you will automatically relax them after you tense them. Most importantly just be aware of how often your neck and shoulder muscles are tensed throughout the day and try to relax that area.

Answer 3

Cold weather and sleeping in a weird position are major causes. Last time I got a stiff neck was when I took a walk in the morning and it was really chilly out. Having your windows open at night can also cause one, because of the cool breeze.

Answer 4

Tension.

Answer 5

Muscle spasm.

Try ibuprofen around the clock for a week. If that doesn't help, you may need a prescription for a muscle relaxant like Flexeril.

Good luck.

Answer 6

Skulls??? That's the answer. If you have more than one skull, no wonder you get headaches.

Answer 7

tension, stress, laying on your pillow wrong, vigorius head movement,