Do you wake up with a crooked neck and feel like your arms and hands aren’t there?  Well, maybe it is your pillow, your muscles or joints and the amount of wine you had after dinner.  We often see people with neck pain with or without arm pain or headache, often called referred or associated pain.  Sometimes it is the way we sleep, but not that often, a contour pillow maintains its shape as we toss and turn at night so that our neck is supported a bit more with cushioning in the nape of your neck.  This does have its pitfalls because not everyone has the same size shoulder width and when on your back you need a lower support.   This is why I have recommended the Dentons Caress pillow for years and also the Dentons High profile for those of us with broad shoulders.  I wont be without mine. 

There are other pillows such as memory foam, feather down and flat pillows for laying on your back.  The truth is we do move alot in our sleep and you will have to mold your pillow regularly through the night to maintain a good neck position.

There are conditions that aggravate the inflammatory mediators in your body such as inflammatory arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and other joint problems following sudden trauma such as ‘whiplash’ or chronic postural strain from poor seated or work related posture.  These are a few which it is always best to get checked out  by a medical professional such as your Osteopath or GP etc.

Now I mentioned earlier that the wine may make it all worse, well sorry for saying it but a standard drink is very small and 1-2 standard drinks 3 times a week is considered enough, more than this and “Housten we have a problem!”  The inflammatory mediators are triggered, your liver heats up and your neck is stiff for various mechanical and neurological reasons and often the right side of your neck and shoulder.  We also sleep alot heavier when intoxicated after 3 standard drinks for women and 5 for men, which could mean that the sleeping posture is not changed as often and you could end up compressing your neck joints for too long in one position.  Not to mention the people who fall asleep sitting watching TV, head dangles as the beer dribbles down the side of the lazy boy.  I’ve seen them!   Stiff neck sure and this is not just arthritis. 

Come and see us and we can try and get the right pillow for you and make your neck more bearable.  This weekend go for a 30 minute walk in the sun, at least!