injured my neck sleeping last night. Care barely turn my head this morning. I've done this before hopefully it will clear up again in a day or two. The joys of 50, your worst injuries come not from the 120 miles I put on a bike last week but from sleeping wrong.
Injured my neck...
DeoreDX
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injured my neck sleeping last night. Care barely turn my head this morning. I've done this before hopefully it will clear up again in a day or two. The joys of 50, your worst injuries come not from the 120 miles I put on a bike last week but from sleeping wrong.
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A decent pillow is a must as you get older. I even take mine on holiday, as do some friends of mine.
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For a while I thought this was "normal", but it turned out to be a pinched discs in my neck. Sleeping "bad" made it much worse, but I'd recommend getting to the root cause on it. I had a couple discs replaced last year and it's been life-changing.
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I've been battling a pinched nerve in my neck for about four years, starting at age 39. (I'm certian it had been developing for many years before that.) It's kept me off the bike for the past two weeks, but I'm progressing with physical therapy and anti-inflammatories. Don't mess around with this if you think it's something deeper than a simple stiff muscle.
I had this happen to me a ton of times 2023 - 2024. I was 37. I would do this weird stretch in my sleep and wake up to a thunk feeling locked my neck into place and could turn my head. Just extreme amounts of pain for 3-5 days.
Sports massage and chiropractor (really really hard to find a good one) would help with the recovery. But, it was just time.
I am constantly fighting with pillows trying to find the right one. And nothing seems to work long term.
My guess is your neck muscles were tired from that 120 miles and something you did while sleeping popped them out.
Sometimes sleeping on the floor (carpet) helps. But that's also brutal.
Sports massage and chiropractor (really really hard to find a good one) would help with the recovery. But, it was just time.
I am constantly fighting with pillows trying to find the right one. And nothing seems to work long term.
My guess is your neck muscles were tired from that 120 miles and something you did while sleeping popped them out.
Sometimes sleeping on the floor (carpet) helps. But that's also brutal.
Getting body work regularly has been a game changer. Find a good massage therapist specifically sports massage if you can (similar to deep tissue but they usually work with sports teams etc so understand the impact of exercise more) who actually listens to you and isn't afraid of pressure (nor should you be). Do it regularly (once or twice a month), I've had back and neck issues my entire life and after a few months of regular body work and other exercises recommended by him I've started waking up without pain for the first time in probably 10+ years (I'm 38)
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Hehe.... I tell my kids you know you are old when you injure yourself n your sleep.
They have no idea what im talking about
They go to bed tired and wake up well rested and refreshed every night.
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Ahhh. Chronic and acute neck pain, exacerbated by mountain biking and sleep positioning. The OP probably has torticollis based on history. It sucks.
Although I rarely have episodes of torticollis, I develop significant neck pain from spasms which causes a severe tension headache. Interferes with my sleep, sometimes multiple nights. It started in my late 30s.
Like Jayem said, chronic pain needs to be investigated.
Although I rarely have episodes of torticollis, I develop significant neck pain from spasms which causes a severe tension headache. Interferes with my sleep, sometimes multiple nights. It started in my late 30s.
Like Jayem said, chronic pain needs to be investigated.
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I did the PT, I still do the PT to keep it strong, but it definitely didn't fix anything. I hope you can figure it out.
I never say absolutes. But at this time there appears to be no corelation between degenerative neck injuries and cycling. In other words it appears neck problems are just as common in non-cyclist as they are in cyclist.
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Your situation might be different but I went though a phase of something similar.
Thought it was the pillow or just general soreness. Would wake up feeling that dreaded about to cramp feeling that would immediately develop into a spasm + days of stiffness. I thought it was part of getting older.
Turns out in my case, it was back weakness after years of being fit but focussed on anterior everything and cycling.
Pull ups, rows, dumbbell flys, prone Ys, face pulls etc. fixed the issue for good.
Everything posterior chain, but particularly focussing on upper back fixed me permanently. Mind you, good comfortable pull ups took at least 6 months (inc. some injury time).
Now I don't even get a sore neck from sitting at a desk all day anymore. I've also learned that often my "neck pain" was actually referred back pain.
Hope that helps you.
I used to get stiff necks more often, just lucky now I guess. When it happened i would wear one of those foam whiplash neck collars for a while during the day, that usually fixed it. Fair warning, I told my chiropractor about it and he pooh poohed it, he prefers to adjust my neck which to me is scary as hell.
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Hmm, I have a bulged disk in my deck. I believe it is causing my tinnitus. Did not know they could replace them. How long was the recovery?
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I actually think this is my situation. Couple of years ago I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and arthritis on my upper back. About 2-3 vertebrae down from the base of the neck often seem worth people who sit at a desk all day. I moved some heavy weights the day before so I wonder if I activated it then and it didn't show up until after I went to sleep. I guess the million dollar question is how do I exercise and strengthen that area without aggravating it more.
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The million dollar answer is physical therapist.
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