What Should You Do If You’ve Sprained Your Neck?
May 30, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Xu Ge
Introduction
Simple sprain: Occurs when the neck is twisted—such as from poor sleep or an improper sleeping posture—causing a sensation of strained muscles. For mild cases, heat application may be appropriate depending on the situation.
Traumatic sprain: Following neck injury caused by external force, all physical activity must be immediately discontinued. A cervical collar should be applied promptly to immobilize the neck, effectively minimizing further local tissue damage and hemorrhage exacerbated by neck movement.
Simple (non-traumatic) strain: “Neck twisting” commonly refers to discomfort arising from poor sleep or an improper sleeping posture—often described as a “strained tendon” sensation. In reality, this is typically muscle spasm. For mild cases, symptomatic relief may be achieved through local heat application—such as using a hot water bottle, electric heating pad, warm towel, or infrared lamp—which helps alleviate pain. Caution must be exercised to prevent thermal injury (i.e., burns). Alternatively, gentle massage may be performed: interlace the fingers of both hands and place the palms at the nape of the neck; then firmly push the neck forward while simultaneously resisting with the neck muscles by extending it backward. Concurrently, perform 3–5 gentle lateral head rotations (left and right), followed by relaxation and a brief pause before repeating the sequence—performing approximately five such cycles usually helps relieve pain.
Traumatic strain: Following neck injury caused by external force, immediately cease all movement and immobilize the neck using a cervical collar. This effectively minimizes further tissue damage and hemorrhage resulting from neck motion, reduces mechanical load on the cervical musculature, alleviates localized pain, and facilitates prompt medical evaluation and treatment.
