Shoulder neck pain after sleeping
Shoulder neck pain after sleeping is not uncommon but can have a variety of causes. On the one hand, muscular imbalances and painful tension can occur due to an unsuitable pillow or a cramped sleeping position. Teeth grinding at night also leads to tense muscles and therefore favors neck pain in the morning hours.
In addition, shoulder pain can also appear, especially at night, if it is due to a bottleneck syndrome. During the day, when standing, the arm always hangs down, which increases the space between the muscle tendons and the acromion. At night, however, there is no pull on the arm, so that narrow spaces are created and pain can be aggravated by constriction of tendons or bursae. In addition, many people sleep lying on their arm, which increases the pressure on bursae. If these are inflamed, it is extremely painful.
Diagnosis of shoulder neck pain
The diagnosis of the cause of shoulder neck pain is made by an orthopedist. For some entities, however, the general practitioner can already help. On the basis of the accompanying symptoms and the exact location and characteristics of the complaints, the choice of possible causes can usually already be limited. If a herniated disc or other lesion of nerves or soft tissue is suspected, imaging such as an MRI or CT can help with the diagnosis.
Treatment of shoulder neck pain
Irrespective of the cause of the complaints, strengthening the muscles of the shoulder, neck and back is recommended in most cases. This prevents instability and compensates for incorrect strain. In addition, a strengthened muscle structure also leads directly to a better posture of the body.
Often the strengthening of the musculature in combination with a targeted prevention of incorrect posture is already sufficient to prevent pain. Bad posture can be avoided, for example, by using a pillow at night that provides optimal support for the neck and is neither too high nor too low, so that the spine remains straight. Furthermore, during daily office work, care should be taken to ensure that the height of the chair and table is adjusted to the body height.
However, if the cause is not only muscular tension, surgery may also be necessary. For example, spinal canal stenosis can be corrected surgically by removing bony attachments that constrict the spinal canal. A herniated disc can also be corrected surgically if physiotherapy and painkillers are not sufficient to alleviate the symptoms.
Rheumatic diseases can often be treated with medication in addition to exercise therapy. So cortisone can be used in heavy thrusts. Antibodies that intervene in the body’s immune processes can be used as reserve medication. For example, a TNF-alpha inhibitor can be used in ankylosing spondylitis.
