Are you experiencing a pulled muscle in neck? here is simple guide to help you find relief. You will be able to understand what a pulled muscle in neck is, what causes it, symptoms and treatment of pulled muscles in your neck.

What is A Pulled Muscle in Neck?

Muscles are the fleshy fibers connecting and supporting your bone structure, they are elastic and therefore use the forces of elasticity to both expand and contract to give movement to the bone or body organ. Sometimes the muscles can be over stretched or strained and this means that you will experience pain due to the pulled muscle.

A pulled muscle in neck is no exception and is therefore caused by a strain of muscles in the neck area. The muscles located around the neck may get strained result in your pulled muscle.

What Causes of Pulled Muscle in Neck?

There are many causes of pulled muscle in neck as follows;

1. Change in Sleeping Position: One of the major causes is from change in sleeping position. You may have changed your sleeping position due to many factors such as travelling and sleeping outside the comfort of your bed. You may be expectant and require to sleep in a certain position for the comfort of both you the mother and your unborn baby. These are but a few of the causes of change in sleeping positions that may affect the neck position plus result in a pulled muscle in neck.
2. Neck Muscle Strain: You may have been working on your computer or a project that required you to put in a lot of time focused on the screen. The neck muscles will start becoming uncomfortable and unless you keep turning to help in the blood circulation in and around the neck and brain cells. The neck muscles always require one to keep turning and failure to do so may cause neck strains or you could end up  having a stiff neck.
3. Using a Hard Pillow or Changing Pillows:  One of the first things that happens when you change your pillow is that you end up having neck pains due to discomfort especially if the pillow is a hard one. You need to use pillows that are comfortable for neck use. The best pillows for neck pain may be of help here as you simply cannot afford to worsen you neck instead seek quick relief.

Symptoms of Pulled Muscle in Neck

You will feel such an extreme pain when you try to turn your neck from side to side, the area may get inflamed and have a tingling sensation, you could feel a burning sensation or a muscle spasm or may even have a swelling on the muscle area. The area is generally painful and full of discomfort.

Treatment of Pulled Muscle in Neck

Treatment is possible in various ways both medical and non-medical. Even if, It is recommended that you get medical help one needs to arm themselves with first aid tips to get quick relief;

• Rest the affected muscle: The most efficient way of dealing with any pulled muscle is by resting the concerned muscle and refraining from applying force or any pressure that may aggravate it. You simply need to REST, period. Let the muscle heal it self.
• Applying Ice packs: Ice when applied properly and according to doctor’s instructions helps in reduce the pain by contracting the blood vessels around the neck area. They help reduce both the pain and the inflammation. You will need to do this after intervals of say 10 to 25 minutes but you better stick to your doctor’s guidance on it.
• Physiotherapy: The doctor may recommend that you attend physiotherapy and the therapist to gently align the neck muscles. This is very good but a little painful as they need to handle the already inflamed muscle. In the end you will be in a better position than when you started the therapy.
• Use of Anti-inflammatory Drugs: Drugs like ibuprofen and Aspirin may be of help but need to be taken as prescribed by the  medical professional. If you suffer from a kidney problem   or a Gastro-intestinal illness then it is not recommended that you take these drugs as they may complicate things. Medical help is required to ensure you use proper medication. Further, you may use compression or elevation to help in pulled muscle pain in neck relief.

Pulled Muscle in Neck Summary

You may want to focus your attention on treatment but the best thing is to prevent the neck pain in the first place. You will be able to prevent this through enhancing the comfort of your neck while sleeping. This means you may need to look for the best pillows that help relieve neck pain.

Warming up before taking up long any straining exercises is also important and will help in the comfort of the  neck. With these tips, I believe you will be able to deal with pulled muscle in neck.

Related Articles to Pulled Muscle in Neck

• Stiff Neck Causes and Treatment
• Pulled Muscle In Back | How to Get Relief Quickly
• My Neck Hurts What’s Causing it and How Do I Relieve It?