Question about recurring injury - sharp neck pain after a heavy set

[eastmesa10189]

Anyone get this and / or have tips how to avoid? I always do lots of warm ups, yoga, etc, to avoid this very issue, but nevertheless it still happens:

Every few months or so I do a hard set (today it was OHP, but it’s also been pull ups / pull downs), and on the last rep (near failure), I manage to squeeze it out but somehow tweak my neck in the process, and immediately after I have sharp pain and stiffness that can last for days. So annoying and disruptive - e.g., to avoid pain I have to walk around w a straight neck (rotate my whole torso to look around).

I imagine it’s caused by my form breaking down, and in this latest instance I can definitely point to lack of sufficient sleep (night-weaning) and possibly over-training (should’ve taken a rest day) but I wish I at least had a name for it so I could find PT solutions on YouTube, bc I’d like to protect myself better from re-occurrence and not have to shy away from hard sets. It’s like a sharp pain on the left side of my neck, toward the rear, that connects down to the trap. Maybe aggravated by “sleeping on it wrong”. I’m also 41 so my body sort of sucks, but it feels like this should be avoidable.

 

[mich46]

@eastmesa10189 I know we're not the same, but this comes to mind:

Proper recovery post workout. If there is recurring sharp pain, it could be a sign of strain. Either muscles, joints, or alignment isn't what they need to be to handle that heavy of a load. Sharp pain often means misalignment, strain, or sprain.... Pushing your body back into working out before a strain or iissue fully heals can leave you prone to exacerbating pain and further injuring yourself and in the long run reducing your gains. For me, sharp pain is a warning to shift things up, but also pay attention. It sounds like you have some good ideas of what to trial and error tackle: choosing quality of form over quantity of reps, changing how far and hard you push, what exercises you do for that muscle group, etc.. There could be many reasons for the repeated issue in your neck. I can't say what is causing the issue, but starting with something simple like just deciding that when you feel like your form is beginning to suffer, instead stopping there instead of squeezing out just one more rep. Choose form over quantity. If you do further injure the area, future neck/spine issues won't feel worth that one last or few reps in a set anymore. Be gentle with yourself, and listen to your body.

Hope that helps.

 

[robertnduati]

@eastmesa10189 I would recommend having this checked out by a doctor. Speaking from experience - slipped disc / degenerative disc issues are no joke. Easily managed if you catch it early and work with PT to address it

 

[amn]

@eastmesa10189 Training to failure is disproportionately higher fatigue with diminishing returns in per unit stimulus.

Instead, why not train 2-3 reps away from failure? If you're not getting enough stimulus (as evidenced by a lack of growth or strength performance) add more sets.