Woke up with severe neck shoulder pain cant move head - HELP!

A trapped nerve, theres not alot you can do about that besides taking some ibuprofen or other nsaids and asking someone to give you a gentle massage now and then

Agreed, have had this many times, try to check out your sleeping positions and pillows to avoid in the future (in my experience). Not much to do but try and just rest it as comfortably as you can, it seems as if it will never cease, but it should be improved by days' end and healed within three.

Of course if you feel you need to see a doc at any time, please do not hesitate :) but likely sounds like what I've gone through many times.

May peace be with you and your body healed as soon as possible!

thanks everyone sucks to even type uh

pain goes to shoulder joint and cant lay flat on back

bro osteopath or chiropractor asap, trust me I study medical and healing sciences.

Been there, it sucks. If you have a GOOD chiropractor, he can put you back together, otherwise just take aspirin and get back to work. For years I've been telling people that and finally science has caught up with me and agrees that resuming normal activity instead of bed rest is ideal.

I can relate very well.

Your severe neck pain could be the cardinal symptom of meningitis which can be fatal unless you get medical attention and the appropriate antibiotic ASAP.

People have died within 1-2 days once they show symptoms of meningitis.

It would be best to have someone drive you to the closest ER of a large municipal hospital.

The pain is severe and persistent.

I would want to be sure what I was suffering from.

It could be bone oriented (like a shoulder dislocation or chipped vertebra), soft tissue injury related, a pinched nerve, or possibly even viral or bacterial meningitis.

I would get examined by a competent physician.

Actually can agree with this too.. I remember once having one during college in my early 20's when working as a bagger at base commissary, the job gets a little harder around the holidays with the frozen turkeys LOL.. made for one hell of a workday but was better by days' end and fully gone within a few more, as usual :)

hello yes I am a structural specialist and help many people lets start with your head and see if it is straight first check your ears at the bottom section of the lobe where it touches your head are they strait across from each other if not take your fingers at the section that is higher and pull down from the top of the head and the side lower push up higher cheek jaw area push a bit up/ there are 2 planes of movement fore ward back and up down ok next check on the lobe fore ward by the face if one side fore ward push it back ok / next the neck like a chicken neck bone you have the side bones transverse nuchae and the back top bone section of the spinus go to the bottom of your neck both sides pull gently fore ward on both sides not even a stretch just gentle only testing go all the way up to your head testing gentle try just a bit to put back in a cervical curve into your neck just a bit of a stretch/ I have worked on over 10,000 different people and tell them how to rebalance themselves ok so listen that was back fore ward now lets put the finger tips on the front of your neck both sides gentle on the transverse nuchae the side bone sections/ from the bottom up to the head push back a little bit when you find the section that is wrong it is the most tender and the side that is wrong push gentle back keep your finger it will be the most sore push just so gentle on it till there is just a bit of pain and work up when you finish it will be better but see a chiropractor I work for one and they do miracles fixes me and now I work next to one and myself am a pressure point specialist do rebalance and remold the body my name is Anita and I work for a doctors now 15 years the neck is meant to move so you have locked your neck up let us hope not a disc issue just be the most gentle with it you have ever been on like a splinter or some face issue gentle as u ever can be with this it is your neck and all who read this I have been a specialist for 19 years and know my stuff ok thank you

Any chance you have chronic sinus drainage?

If so over time it can cause this.

And if you do have sinus drainage immediately start a regimen of antihistamines and it will clear the problem.

I have this problem if I don't take lots of antihistamines and it took a very sharp doctor back in 1979 to figure out the problem.

Over time the drainage wears away little passageways in the musclelature and it gets infected causing indescribable pain and stiffness.

You got a crick in your neck, bud. I had that a decade ago, felt like my neck was broken for something like 3 or 4 days. Hang in there, hope you get to feeling better really quick.

Sure looks like it too as I look in the mirror my heads weird lol wtf

OP i feel for you. About 10 years ago i pulled a muscle in my neck. I'd been decorating and didn't realise at the time. The pain got worse as each day passed. After a few days i couldn't even turn my head or even move it. After a week of hot baths and an analgesic cream i had to go to the drs. He gave me diazepams. I'd not slept right for a week and was exhausted so taking one of those put me straight out. I didn't take anymore, even though i'd slept for a few hours. It took a while for it to right itself. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Deep Heat spray. Lots of it.

Also warm up when you wake up before exercise or not. The last time I did this I exercised without warming up. High concentration of deep heat helped.

look up fibromyalgia

It will self resolve in time, but a Chiropractor will fix the shit out of it in 2 -3 visits if he is any good. I fixed this 6 times on 6 different patients this week in between lurking on GLP.

Ill add to the meningitis poster above, he is correct that is a consideration, if you flex your neck to your chin and have sharp electric pain along your spinal column then you need to seek emergency care, however and most always its a cramped nerve with accessory muscle spasm complicating it. Usually nothing an adjustment wont knock out. Lower cervcial adjustment, with scapular and GH joint adjustment mild massage of the traps and scalenes is typical culprits.

Go see a rolfer and learn how to stretch properly. And then actually stretch. Make sure you are well hydrated too.

I can easily do that, actually i cannot move my head back without pain in shoulder.

No pain anywhere else on spine except back/right shoulder area. I got ThermalCare heat pads and taing meds

Oxycodone

I would go with this first before a chiropractor who could make it worse.

scenario #1- took more allergy pills (loratadine Claritin) than recommended. they are supposed to be once every 24 hours. Its pretty serious, cut way the fuck back.

scenario #2- nerve out of place- go to urgent care center and get muscle relaxers and Vicodin or equivalent. Get some heat packs and put them on your neck.

don't do too much lifting for a few days

I get them on occasion.
It does help if you gently push your head up and stretch your neck.
Similar to the gravity boots idea.

More than likely it's TORTICOLLIS OP.

FWIW, I get it about 2 or 3 times a year to the point where my head locks in a position facing 7 o'clock (if you get what I mean).

It can be excruciatingly painful at its worst, the pain can radiate around the head, neck and shoulders and down the back.

Triggers for me are when I've been sitting uncomfortably at the computer - so maybe assess your setup when you are at your desk - is your chair at a good height, monitor at eye level, make sure you are sitting head on and have good back support and posture, and get up and move around regularly. Another thing that can trigger it is lifting heavy weights.

Also Ibuprofen gel works an absolute treat when you get it, it won't make it go away, but it will give you so much needed relief, so very good idea to always have some in on standby.

Honestly when I first had this I thought I had broken my neck or something it was that flipping painful. You have my sympathies OP, get someone to go out and get you some ibuprofen gel.

This. Go to ER. Follow up on referrals.

In the long run, forget about chiropractors. Most arent very good. Get a referral to a physical therapist.

Next time breathe.

Did you injure yourself? If not, I have to agree with the others..get yourself to the emergency room... and do it NOW!

Last Edited by Truthserum on 02/20/2016 11:49 AM

go to the doctor asap.

get a muscle relaxer and strong painkiller.

i get this ALL the time for 10 years after a car wreck.

one trick i learned

was to freeze a water bottle,

lay flat on your back with the frozen bottle under the back of your neck,

alternate with heating pad and hot showers.

good luck.