It is a complaint we hear commonly in our office “I don’t know what happened. I went to bed and I was fine. I woke up and I can’t move my neck.”
It seems insane that you can rest and hurt yourself, but the truth is that if you have experienced this you are not alone. Most people assume that they somehow pinched a nerve in the middle of the night. This is likely not the case.
Nerves being compressed not as common as you might expect. This is especially true when it comes to the nerves of the autonomic nervous system (which controls unconscious body functions), as they are outside of the spine. Even central nervous system nerves which exit the spine are actually difficult to ‘pinch’ in a healthy person.
If it isn’t a nerve, what is it? This is what has likely happened:
When you sleep in a single position for several hours not moving, the cartilage of the facet joint may become inflamed from ongoing compression. At this point, the joint capsule can become pinched. This can cause soft tissues around the joint to be strained or even sprained. This can cause referred pain to other parts of the body.
There are other structures between the vertebrae that can become irritated long hours of compression or torsion on the joint. This is particularly true of the facet joints. Facet joints are what connect our vertebra together yet still allow the spine to bend. These joints have a cartilage lining and are encased in a ligamentous joint capsule. This is what is responsible for the smooth movement in your back and neck.
Your body leaves you “stuck” in a position as a way of splinting itself. It is doing it to protect the irritated areas and adapt to a pain-relieving posture. It is trying to protect you from further damage.
Over the counter anti-inflammatories, stretching and icing can all be helpful, but often the pain and stiffness don’t fully go away until the facet joint that’s ‘stuck’ is decompressed and allowed to move normally again.
When you become stuck like this, you do need a mechanical adjustment.
If you are feeling stuck we would love to see you today in our office. Give us a call at 239-332-2555.
Sincerely,
All of us a the office of Dr. Jason Kaster, D.C.