What can I do about my tense neck?

What can cause a pain in the neck?

• A few days back after I got up from sleeping, I felt a pain on the neck. It hurt to turn my head to the right and slightly upward. I found it hard to move my head without pain. It felt like something was "pinched" so-to-speak. It was hard to lie down because I felt the weight of my head tugging at the area of pain on the side of my neck whereas normally my neck does not feel the weight of my head. What could it be? What can be done?

• Answer:

  Trapped nerve? Maybe you have been sleeping awkwardly and are suffering the infamous "crick in the neck" or non-specific neck injury. If that's what it is, you could try some anit-inflamatory cream rubbed into the painful area and take aspirin or paracetamol - discuss with your pharmacist. A physiotherapist may be able to help if it doesn't clear up within a couple of weeks (or possibly a chiropracter/osteopath)