Possible Causes of Stiff Neck in Vacaville

A tight and tense neck in Vacaville can be uncomfortable, wherein it can also make moving it up, down, or sideways a bit impossible. Also, it has the tendency to linger on and on.

Stiff neck is often caused by strain on the soft tissues of the neck, but it can also be a symptom of something else and it should not be ignored.

Stiff neck causes in Vacaville

The following conditions could be the reason why you have a stiff neck:

• Injury: An accident that caused your head to jerk around violently can injure the ligaments and muscles in your neck, thus leading to stiffness. Neck injuries are caused by many mishaps including falls, automobile accidents, or a hit sustained while playing contact sports.
• Osteoarthritis: As you age, wear and tear in the joints can happen and as a result, you experience osteoarthritis. This causes stiffness and limited movement in various joints, including your neck.
• Pinched nerve: A pinched nerve may be caused by arthritis, herniated disc, or narrowing of the spinal canal. If you have a pinched nerve, neck stiffness can happen, and it often radiates to your arms and maybe your legs.
• Rheumatoid arthritis: This is an autoimmune disorder that affects the joints, and it can even damage those in your neck. It can result in severe neck pain and stiffness, especially in the upper part of the neck.
• Emotional stress: Stress can cause your muscles to become tense. A stiff neck can be an early signal that you are feeling stressed.
• Fibromyalgia: This is a disorder that comes with painful, achy joints and muscles. Your muscles may contract and end up in a stiff neck.
• Muscle spasm: A muscle spasm can happen when your nerves send messages to the muscles, causing them to contract. When muscle spasm happens in the neck, it can result in a stiff neck.
• Meningitis: This is a serious, life-threatening infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It comes with a fever, headache, and a stiff neck.
• Other infections: Apart from fever, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, a stiff neck may signal a viral infection, such as the flu.

At home therapies

If you want to try treating your stiff neck at home, then you might want to consider these remedies:

• Exercise: You can do simple stretches like moving your head up and down, side to side, and from ear to ear. Make sure to do this slowly to prevent the pain from becoming worse.
• Massage: Ask someone to gently massage your neck. This will make it feel good and you will find a lot of relief from this physical therapy.
• Pillow: You should invest on a firm mattress and a specially designed neck pillow because this will provide a lot of support when you are sleeping.
• Ice and heat therapies: Ice is best applied on the first 48 to 72 hours after stiff neck symptoms starts to relieve inflammation. After that, switch to soothing heat since it can increase circulation on that area and speed up the healing process.

If your stiff neck continues to worsen or does not improve after a week or two, you should go see your doctor. One of the places you can go to for your neck pain is in Absolute Integrative Physical Medicine at Vacaville, CA. Just dial (707) 474-5688 right now to schedule an appointment with us.