How to Relieve Severe Neck Pain on Left Side: You Slept Funny and Now Your Neck Hates You
We’ve all had those mornings. You wake up, try to turn your head, and instantly regret it. That sharp, stabbing pain in your neck has your neck saying “Not today!” any time you try to move your head.
And let’s be honest, this usually happens at the most inconvenient time. IYKYK.
This is something we see all the time here at Empower Physio and Wellness. And to be honest, we have experienced it ourselves (PTs are human too).
Though this neck pain feels so intense and severe, it is usually not serious and can often be managed at home with the right approach.
Here’s what we are going to talk about in this blog post:
Why you get neck pain after “sleeping funny”
Common symptoms of neck pain after “sleeping funny”
How to relieve severe neck pain on left side
When to see a physical therapist
How physical therapy can help you
Quick and easy prevention tips
Why you get neck pain after sleeping funny
There are several reasons why you get neck pain after sleeping funny, though in my clinical experience there is one significant underlying factor.
You’re holding tension in your neck.
This could be from any of the following reasons, and likely is a combination of factors:
Mental or emotional stress
Poor posture, desk work, or prolonged screen time
Repetitive overhead activities or lifting
Relying on your neck muscles for breathing
Core weakness or poor core stabilization
Anxiety or overwhelm
This tension you’re holding in your neck is manifested as muscle tightness. Your neck may feel tight and sore when holding on to tension like this. But sometimes you don’t even notice that your neck muscles feel tight.
This is likely because you’ve carried this tension for so long that your body and nervous system are used to it.
Neck muscles sit right on top of the joints that connect the vertebrae in your spine. Some of these muscles are super small, connecting one vertebrae to the next. Other muscles are very big and span up to three quarters of the length of the spine. Some muscles even attach up onto the skull.
When the muscles are tense, they compress the joints of the neck. It’s just like if your pants or leggings fit a little too tight and that tension in the waistband compresses your stomach. It doesn’t feel great!
The combination of muscle tightness and joint compression impact the ability of the neck to move and maintain any given position. The movement options of the neck and longevity holding a certain position are limited.
Now cue sleeping.
Your neck muscles and joints are already at a high baseline level of tightness. As a result, your neck doesn’t have much resilience when it comes to poor pillow support and awkward positioning. Combine poor pillow support and that awkward position with up to 8 hours of sleep and BOOM. You wake up with severe neck pain.
A few other factors that contribute to severe neck pain after sleeping funny:
Too much or too little pillow support. This is especially important for side sleepers.
Sleeping on your stomach
Sleeping with your head turned too far or twisted to one side
An old or unsupportive mattress
Clenching jaw or neck muscles while sleeping
Common symptoms of neck pain after “sleeping funny”
Here are common symptoms of neck pain after “sleeping funny”
Sharp pain when moving your neck or lifting your head off the pillow
Severe stiffness and limited motion when trying to move your head
Pain and tightness in your neck
Pain radiating into the shoulder, upper back, or shoulder blade
Headache
Sometimes you may notice numbness or tingling in the shoulder, upper back, or down the arm. While numbness or tingling can initially be a worrying symptom, it is very treatable especially when paired with the rest of these symptoms.
How to relieve severe neck pain on left side
We get it, you have things to do and honestly don’t have time to deal with this neck pain! Here are some easy strategies on how to relieve severe neck pain on left side:
Apply heat
Heat is a great way to help muscles and joints relax and move better. You can apply a heating pad (bonus if it is portable), use a microwavable heating pad (we love this one), or take a hot shower and let the water fall on your neck and shoulders.
We find that heat usually works best, however if this does not work for you then you can try applying ice.
Motion is lotion for the neck
Movement is medicine, especially in this scenario.
Find gentle movements that feel good on your neck. If your left side neck is hurting, usually movement to the right feels pretty good.
There are two mobility drills that we love when talking about how to relieve severe neck pain on left side (click each exercise for a video demo).
*Important note- DO NOT OVERSTRETCH YOUR NECK. Pushing into high levels of pain or taking neck stretches too far can actually make your neck tighten up more.
Motion is lotion for the body
Another way to help your neck feel better is to get your blood pumping. Getting your heart rate up will pump extra blood to the neck and blood = healing.
If you have a workout planned for the morning, stick with it! If it is an upper body lift or core day, just modify the weights or moves as needed based on pain.
If you don’t have a workout planned, then opt for a walk, jog, or cycle. Usually 10-20 minutes is great.
If you don’t have time for that, then incorporate movement into your morning routine. March in place while brushing teeth or waiting for coffee to brew. Park in the back of the parking lot at work. Go up and down the stairs a few extra times while getting ready in the morning. You can also opt for a lunchtime walk (bonus of regulating your blood sugar after eating!).
Check your posture
Try to sit up straight to keep your neck in a lengthened position. Slouching or keeping your neck in odd positions will only perpetuate the issue. Keep your phone or computer at eye level, use good low back support when sitting, and use headphones when talking on the phone.
Also be mindful to relax your shoulders away from your ears. The body can tense up in the presence of pain and stress, so you may be more likely to hold your shoulders tense on days like this.
Breath work
Using the neck for breathing is a common driver of neck tension. We are trying to get that tension out of the neck, so getting back to the breath can really help calm everything down. Check out this video to learn the way we teach diaphragmatic breathing to our clients to maximize use of the diaphragm and reduce tension in the neck.
Diaphragmatic breathing also is the quickest, easiest way to hack the nervous system and shift it into the parasympathetic (aka rest and digest) state.
Seeing this breathing technique in action is so amazing. I’ll have my hands on a client’s neck, teach them this breathing strategy, and tension instantly dissolves.
When to see a physical therapist
There are amazing things you can do on your own to relieve severe neck pain on left side. If you’ve tried the strategies we just talked about and need more support, then it is time for extra help!
Here are some signs that it’s time to see your physical therapist:
You want to expedite the recovery process
Pain lasts more than 3 days
Pain is worsening
Pain radiates into your arm, causes headaches, and/or limits daily activity
You have numbness or tingling
You’re tired of being in pain!
There is so much that individualized physical therapy care can offer you if you are in this situation.
Get to the root cause of the issue
What is causing most of your symptoms? Do you need support in helping the muscles relax? Getting joints moving better? Calming nerve irritation? An in-depth physical therapy evaluation will uncover the root cause of the issue. Then the easy part is getting your neck happy again!
Manual therapy
Hands-on work like dry needling, cupping, trigger point release, and joint mobilizations can help your soft tissues and nervous system calm down. It complements the breath work and mobility drills we taught you earlier in this blog post, and helps you get better faster.
Individualized support
There is nothing like having your own individualized roadmap for feeling great!
We are really good at sharing our favorite drills that work for lots of people (aka what we already shared with you in the “how to relieve severe neck pain on left side” section). That being said, you may need one or two things in addition to the neck rotation SNAG, chin tuck, and breathing. Or you may need something else.
During your physical therapy visit, we can identify exactly what you can be doing at home to help you in the most efficient way possible.
There also may be habits you have that are contributing to your neck pain, but you have no idea that habit is even connected. Things like ergonomics, how you stand, how you breathe, lifting mechanics, how your core is stabilizing you (or not), sleeping posture, tongue posture, etc. During our thorough assessment, we can pick up on these things and teach you how to optimize your routines for success.
Quick prevention tips
Let’s say you’re through this episode of neck pain. You can honestly say you never want to go through that again! Here are some quick prevention tips to keep yourself feeling good:
Check your sleep setup
Back sleepers: We recommend a medium to thin pillow under your head and a thin pillow under your knees.
Side sleepers: Adequate pillow support is so important! You want the pillow to be supportive enough that your head isn’t tilted down towards the mattress, but not so supportive that your head is tilted up and away from the mattress. You can identify this by laying on your side and taking a selfie. Does your head stay parallel to the mattress, or is it tilted? If you notice tilting towards the mattress, you need a more supportive pillow. If you notice tilting away from the mattress, you need a less supportive pillow.
Stomach sleepers: We really don’t recommend this sleeping position because it is hard on the neck. But if you insist, use a super thin pillow or no pillow at all under your head. You may actually opt for a pillow under your chest or belly.
Work on your neck tension and mobility
Motion is lotion for your neck! Staying ahead of pain and keeping your neck moving well is super important. Make the neck rotation SNAG and chin tuck part of your daily routine! Try 15 reps of each morning and night.
Productively process your stress
If you carry your mental or emotional stress in your neck, your body is begging you to process your stress so it doesn’t get stored in your neck. Things like regular breath work, journaling, prayer, or meditation can be very helpful. Other ways to process stress include talking with loved ones, exercise, and spending time in nature.
See your physical therapist regularly
Physical therapists are movement experts and can truly optimize how you move and support yourself. Regular visits every 4-8 weeks can really help you thrive long-term.
Think of regular PT visits like regular maintenance on your car. No one wants their car to be burning oil at 75mph on the highway. If you’re honest, you don’t want your body falling apart every time you’re getting into a good routine in life either. Quality physical therapy care can help you thrive through life.
Where to find physical therapy for how to relieve severe neck pain on left side
Have you tried the strategies in this blog and want more individualized support?
If you are located in or near Westerville, Ohio we can help you with physical therapy care and teach you individualized strategies for how to relieve severe neck pain on left side!
You can get started right away by learning more about our physical therapy services or getting in contact with us.
If you have additional questions, we would love to talk with you, hear your story, answer all your questions, and see how we could help.
You can call or text us at (614) 423-9731 orschedule a free discovery call. You can also learn more aboutEmpower Physio and Wellness + our team or check out otherservices we offer.