Jay, a physician in his early 30s, was a healthy guy who ran 6 miles a day, loved nature and animals, and spent free time hiking and biking. One summer, he decided to start weight training.
The problem started simply. He had finished a training session at the gym, doing upper and lower body exercises with barbells and finishing with sit-ups. A few days later, he felt more sore than usual. “My neck feels really stiff,” he told me. “I probably overdid it at the gym.”
I examined his neck and could see no external injuries. He didn’t have any pain when I pressed on the area, and he could move his head freely. He had no neurological issues, and an X-ray was normal. It likely was just a routine muscle strain.
These kinds of strains around the neck are common and usually caused by sports activities, automobile accidents or falls. We didn’t see any red flags, and Jay started taking ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory medication that’s standard initial treatment for neck strains. I expected him to recover and soon make appearances at the gym again.
