strange and alarming problem: i can't move my neck, and i don't know why

[jasonv]

before i get into this, i understand that many will consider the rational response to be "go see a doctor". and i agree. but today is saturday, and i might respond with this question: what kind?

i'm having a very dispiriting issue today. i can't move my neck/head without a great deal of pain. it seems to be connected to the left side of the back of my skull: the soft tissue there. you know how if you grab the back of your head and tense, you can feel two main channels of muscles/something running up to the back of your head (the area you'd usually massage)? the stuff on the left side of my skull feels weak.

i can sort of lift my head up and down, but i can't easily turn it left or right. even weirder, things are easier if i lift my left arm and apply pressure with my hand to the top of my head. the i can move my head in any direction without the usual amount of pain. another weird sympton: it hurts on my left side, into my torso, to chew and swallow. but only along the left side of things. seems to be connected with whatever happens to tense in the left forehead area when you chew.

how did this happen? i'm not sure, but i think it happened monday night in my sleep. i woke up with a slightly sore neck.

my girlfriend says i mentioned it a couple of times on tuesday.

last night it got very acute. during sleep, every time i rolled over or tried to lift my torso, i winced with pain in my neck and had to lay back down. then i'd grab my head with my arm and movement was subsequently possible.

i worked out this morning anyway... i warmed up for a nice long time, and did squats and legs. all that's fine. as long as i kept my head straight, the rest of everything worked fine and felt fine.

if i move carefully, slowly, and deliberately, i can get the movement done. if i forget, it hurts like hell. it feels like a sprain behind and below my left ear, at the base of the skull.

i'm probably going to wander over to a drugstore and see if immobilizing it helps. right now, this is fairly dispiriting, as it makes anything difficult. cooking, cleaning, watching tv (laying against the couch? forget about it). as a single parent, on a weekend, it's making things hell.

do i think it's serious? right now i'd guess no, i figure it'll pass. but has anyone had this? sometimes.. maybe once or thrice a year, i'll wake up with a charlie horse. it usually happens when i'm stretching my leg in my sleep. it almost feels like i charlie horsed my neck.

thoughts? suggestions? (pity?)

[Germinator2000]

yep, had it a cpl of times. got it frmo playing tennis, or fall asleep in bath tube, or just from sleeping funny. extremly painful, cant move neck at all, cant ride motorcycle, very dangrus to drive, etc. bad pain for 2 days, then starts going away. back to normal in a 5-7 days time forme, w/o medication or doctor.

the differnce between u and me though, is that the pain u describe seem to have grown worse voer time, wehreas mine just appears then it goes away over time. my bet is that urs will go away over time too though, w/o any medical needs. good luck, and be careful with ur weight lifting to not aggravate.

[jasonv]

the differnce between u and me though, is that the pain u describe seem to have grown worse voer time, wehreas mine just appears then it goes away over time. my bet is that urs will go away over time too though, w/o any medical needs. good luck, and be careful with ur weight lifting to not aggravate.

this is the only part that kind of concerns me right now.. and i agree with not aggravating it. will be careful and mellow for a few days. just hearing that someone else has had it helps a bit.

[watertoy]

Make sure your tv and computer screen your eyes are inline with the top of them at your lowest point.

Like you sit down and you probably slowly crouch further and further forward.

[flangmasterj]

Sounds like wry neck. Had it twice years ago. It's a pain in the ass (well neck) but it's not serious.

http://www.ncemi.org/cse/cse0902.htm

[jasonv]

Sounds like wry neck. Had it twice years ago. It's a pain in the ass (well neck) but it's not serious.

http://www.ncemi.org/cse/cse0902.htm

That's an interesting page. Thanks.

Here's my update:

I ended up buying a neck collar at the drugstore. Immediate relief from wincing pain.

On Sunday I went to a street fair. One of those Chiropractors was setup with a free screening for scoliosis and neck pain. I figured I'd at least talk to him.

He asked me why I was wearing my collar. I told him. He asked, "You workout? Do shrugs?" I said yes. "That's what did it."

He told me the collar will induce stiffness (which it was doing, in my back... but it was RELIEVING my neck pain significantly). He said not to apply heat (which I had..) and to ice it 3-4 times per day.

I can say that icing the hell out of it yesterday has improved things hugely. I even woke up at 4am and stuck the ice pack under my neck and went back to sleep.

I'm functional now, which is nice... though I'm not about sudden movements yet.

He did ask me how much weight I was shrugging. 60/65/70 weight progressions. He said absolutely not... I shouldn't be doing more than 30.

On the one hand, shrugging those weights isn't hugely challenging for me, and I did work up from 40... on the other hand, I'm injured right now.

I wonder if I injured myself from shrugging, or accidentally wincing while trying to return the weights to the rack in an awkward manner. Is shrugging with 75lb dumbbells crazy? Is there a recommendation for when to switch to barbells or smith machine barbells? Is this just one of those "**** happens" things, or "you're being stupid things"?

[Bostongeorge617]

Is shrugging with 75lb dumbbells crazy?

No. Many guys shrug with significantly heavier weight for more sets and reps. Make sure you have good controlled reps, straight up and straight down. If you do this already, then I think that the guy you met on the street probably guessed at the likely culprit. It doesn't make it so. Shrugging with 30 lb dumbbells sounds like a cardio-bunny to me.

[Germinator2000]

yeah.. hmm, could be induced by shrugging, alhtou in that case most likely ur form is wrong.

i did actualy, come to tink of it, get a wry neck from shurgging once recently. i shrug in a machine. i had not warmed up proerply, did my first heavy set, then stupidly decided to "loosen up" by shaking my head back and forht and to the side. about 5 seconds into that, i tore somehtin in my neck and had pain for a couple of days.

so it ur prone to wry neck,, defintly be careful with the shrugs, whatch ur form, warm up, but doing that i wouldnt doub tgoing heavy!

[carlosb]

I had the same thing this year...
I couldnt move for almost 3 days till:
I received a massage in the area..... The massager needs to apply a lot of force into the place where you feel pain.... believeme you will almost scream on pain... but just after the massage you are cured.