Stiff neck for no reason at all?

Question

I slept all night in a proper position. I woke up feeling fantastic and didn't do anything strenous. All of a sudden in the afternoon I started getting pain on one side of the neck. It travelled to the other side of the neck and developed into a stiff neck within one hour. This happened to me a month back as well. Any ideas why would this happen.

I have no stress at all. I eat very well, never skip meals and eat healthy. Drink plenty of water too.
I workout regularly as well. That's why I am even more puzzled. I went to the doctor and getting an MRI done this wednesday.

Answer 1

Sometimes there just are no explanations for what causes pain, it can be a muscle spasm, nerve problem, hard to say on the internet. To get a real evaluation you need to see a chiropractor because they specialize in neck problems. You would find out what is causing it, get relief, and learn how to prevent further problems.

see the link below for a chiropractor in your area.

Answer 2

I have the same problem as you describe and i went to see a physiotherapist and it turns out it was a bad case of stress and also i kept skipping lunch alot and found out that just a bit of stress with too much coffee and not enough water and no food can cause terrible neck stiffness that eventually turns into a bad headache so in the afternoon make sure you have something with berries in it for a snack and a tall glass of water and within 20 minutes you'll notice your neck stiffness start to subside..good luck it works for me

Answer 3

An MRI for a stiff neck? Little anxious huh? Stiff necks are very common, and usually go away within a day or so. Aspirin and a heating pad probably would have been sufficient. But if you have good insurance they will definitely not tell you no, A good massage therapist would have been alot faster and cheaper

Answer 4

Whatever organic causes might be contributing to your headache, you also have a conditioned response which is the largest part of your discomfort. In short, something is bothering you. What that may be is nowhere near as important as your need to find someone who will listen to you. This could be anybody, however the closer you are to this person, and the greater you trust them, the better.

Tell this person that you need someone to just listen to you. Ask them to keep their comments, judgements and advice to themselves, and just listen to you. Find out how long they can afford to do so, then make some effort to keep track of this. Then take your time and tell them about how you are feeling....about how your head feels....about what was going on when your head started hurting...what you were thinking about........what this situation reminds you of......what you are worrying about......any or all of these. If your listener is a good listener you may start laughing, crying, yawning, trembling, or even getting darn good and mad about something. These are all tangible releases of tension which could and should lead to a significant reduction in your experience of pain, and might even give you new insight into some of the knottier problems in your life. Good luck with this, and let me know if you care to how this works for you. Willow

Answer 5

You should figure out if you were doing the same thing when it happened each time. Possibly there is something about your work position that is causing uneven stress in your muscles. Otherwise, if it happens no more often than this, I would just treat the symptoms with ice or over the counter pain meds.

Answer 6

Could this be related to job or family life stress. It can do this to you and your body.