Question
Hi, I have had this stiff neck pain for about 2 weeks.  I hurts to move my head particularly when I am sleeping.  I don't remember injuring it in any way, but I seem to be aggravating something during movement at night when I often wake up with more pain in my neck.  I have tried heat packs, massage, ibuprofen and this does not seem to be getting any better.  My previous stiff necks got better after a few days, but this one is linguring.  Is there anything I can do to get relief and improve my condition?  Thank you.

Answer
Dear Sanjay,
Thank you for your question. Sorry to hear about your neck pain.  It's very important to journal all the times you feel this pain including times of day and positions and activities you do which aggravate your pain, as well as areas of referred pain such as down your arms and into your hand or fingers.  Also, can you remember and note exactly when it began and if you can remember if anything traumatic that may have happened to you such as a slip and fall, sports injury, sudden jolt to your neck  - say from an automobile accident? Also, are you running a fever?  This information is important to bring to your health practitioner.  Please also note if you have ever been diagnosed with either degenerative disc degeneration or bulging or herniated discs would be important to consider and relay to your doctor. I would suggest that you see your health practitioner, preferably a chiropractor immediately to examine you.  He will take a health history from you and perform physical exams, orthopedic tests, nerve tests, EMG tests, X-rays, possibly MRI - then give you a diagnosis.  Only then can you be sure what the correct course of action should be.  2 Weeks is long enough to suffer, so see your doctor immediately.  
In the mean time its sensible to attempt to keep your neck in a comfortable position during sleep, in a position one which preserves the healthiest alignment - such as with a water pillow. You might also try applying a cold compress to the painful area for applications of 15 minutes, with rest periods of at least 15 minutes as well. Patients suffering from serious chronic neck pain due to degenerating , bulging or herniated discs usually fair exceptionally well when treated with non-surgical spinal decompression.

Hope that helps, and as always - keep in touch.

Dr. Ron Nusbaum
www.backclinicsofcanada.ca