Ah school...lets look at it..

if you are doing a lot of leaning over or sideways and reading/writing, computer/desk??
not very ergonomic postures ?

all of those can aggravate things
as well as the previous car wreck & sports falls.

Have you considered expert chiropractic care/evaluation?
Upper cervical- its the c1/c2 that helps keep the whole body in balance or not.
http://www.upcspine.com/self.htm

I happened to find a very well rounded chiro that has been the most helpful for me. Also advanced PT's have been very helpful for me too.
Much more so than any dr, but I didn'/don't have the high pain like some have ended up with. Long term meds or surgery isn't needed.

I had to pad & wrap my elbow for awhile to keep it from the pressure/rubbing on the bed. that was one of the bad times for me.
i am a light sleeper and got hardly any sleep at that time.
Luckily it only was bad for a few weeks and PT was helping overall too.