Neck pain every morning

March 19, 2019 1:52 AM

I stayed at a hotel recently and woke up every morning with a sore neck on the right side. The hotel pillows were small and square rather than the standard size, and I figured either their size or maybe their shallowness was bugging me. But I've returned home to my usual pillows where I have never had a problem in my life, and I'm still waking up every morning with neck pain on the right side! What is going on?

I really thought the pillows were at fault, but maybe they weren't? I haven't injured myself that I'm aware of. I'm mostly a side sleeper, but occasionally a stomach sleeper, for what that's worth. Thanks!

posted by sunflower16 to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

Best answer: You don’t say how long it has been going on, but fwiw, I find that once I get one of those neck cricks it lingers for a surprisingly long time (but a week or so, rather than months). So even if it was caused by the hotel pillows it can keep bothering you after you get back to your own bed.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 3:16 AM on March 19, 2019 [7 favorites]

Best answer: You have a knot in your neck. Go and get a good massage from a skilled masseur, preferably one with a myotherapy qual.
posted by flabdablet at 5:18 AM on March 19, 2019

Best answer: Another vote for either more time or a massage or exercise/stretching out your shoulders and neck. I’ve spent a lot of time travelling over the last five years and this happens regularly. And it takes a while to return to normal unless I get a massage or stretch quite a bit.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:12 AM on March 19, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I had this happen for a long time, and it still comes and goes.
Supporting the recommendations for a massage. I also find that when this is starting to flare up I get a lot of help by doing shoulder strength training exercises. I keep a set of resistance bands at home that I use. If I haven't used them in a while I'll start to notice that I wake up in pain more and more often.
posted by aloiv2 at 7:05 PM on March 19, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers! I don't know why I didn't think to get a massage. The massage helped, and the masseuse said it's very possible the pillows caused this problem but now I've got to loosen everything up to get rid of the pain. I will continue with massage and heat until it's fully better.
posted by sunflower16 at 5:45 AM on March 20, 2019