12 Home Remedies for Stiff Neck

                          
originally by http://homeremediesforlife.com/
Stiff Neck is not a serious medical problem but it will disturb your daily activates and make you hard to sleep due to the pain caused from it. Many people will experience at least once in their lifetime mainly at the age of 20 – 40 years. Neck and surrounding tendons and the nerves are delicate part of the body. If your neck is hurting or feels difficulty in moving it then you definitely suffering from stiff neck, which is defined as stand-alone pain that can be caused by either injury, a chronic discomfort, a symptom of any underlying disease for a larger tissue or due to bad posture either at work by spending more time in front of computer or at sleep with awkward position, exercise straining, stress etc. You can experience this stiff neck when the muscle in the neck has got tensed or any sudden impact on them.

Stiff neck, if not treated properly, the discomfort associated with it may results to any major impact on the lives of those people who suffers from it. Besides pain, the stiff neck will also cause a host of disorders like anxiety and depression. This pain also won’t allow you to concentrate on anything.

Home Remedies for Stiff Neck:

Are you suffering from stiff neck or neck pain? Then simply cure that pain by following all these natural and cost effective remedies without any side effects.

1. Massage Therapy:

Massaging your neck, either by yourself or your friend or a professional will give relief from the stiff neck. Use these techniques if you’re massaging your own neck.

Method:

• Reach the back with your arm and then grasp your neck with the hand. Make sure your thumb should be on one side and your fingers should be on other side.
• Knead the neck on both sides by digging in your thumb and fingers. Gently squeeze them together for few minutes.
• Try to repeat this motion up and down your neck for several minutes.

2. Therapeutic Exercises:

Stiff neck can be quickly relieved by performing some series of exercises as this can relieve tension caused by the tight and strained neck muscles. You have to spend at least 15 minutes to do these simple exercises and repeat them if necessary.

Method:

• Nod your head forward and backward i.e. nod your chin towards chest and then towards sky for several times for few minutes. But make sure that it can be painful so don’t tilt your head too far forward or backward and also stop this exercise if it hurts too much.
• Nod your head from side to side to stretch your muscles in the front and back of the neck i.e. tilt your head towards left side and right side until your pain eases and muscles feels less tense.
• Slowly turn your head completely towards left side and then right side. This is one of the most painful motions when you’re suffering from stiff neck but it helps to prevent the neck pain. So keep turning your head from left – right and vice versa for few minutes. Repeat if you feel necessary to ease the pain.

3. Cold Pack:

Cold pack helps to relieve the neck pain and ease the stiff neck. Cold pack helps to dull the pain and limits the buildup of lactic acid that causes soreness. Try this regularly whenever you feel pain at your neck and shoulder.

Method:

• For this, you have to take a plastic bag and fill it with ice cubes. Ice numbs the pain and decreases inflammation.
• Seal it and wrap it with a thin towel around it
• Place it on the part of your neck where you’re feeling pain
• Hold this cold ice pack for at least 20 minutes.
• Or you can place this cold pack between the shoulders and bottom of the head.
• For more benefit of cool pack to your neck, you should lean back against it
• Or you can use the artificial cold pack or bag of frozen peas to ease the neck pain.
• Make sure to apply heat after applying cold pack for effective results. So follow the next remedy after this cold pack.

4. Heat Application:

After cold application, you should follow this heat compress to get the maximum benefit of having quick, easy and relaxing way to give relief from the discomfort of stiff neck as it helps to increase the circulation of blood to the muscles. Heat compress helps to tighten the muscles that are relaxed after cold controlling the pain.

Method:

• Start with cold application for 48 – 72 hours of pain which helps to ease the pain slowly
• Then go for heat therapy like applying hot compress or hot shower or bath by concentrating more on the back or neck area for at least 20 minutes and repeat this for thrice a day until you get complete relief from the stiff neck.
• Or you can use heating pad, hot water bottle, heat wrap, hot towel placing over the neck, hot water shower or bath for heat application.

5. Homemade Analgesic:

For immediate relief from the stiff neck, you have to use the balms that contain menthol which helps to soothe the muscles and skin. So, try this homemade analgesic to get quick relief from the neck pain.

Method: (Coconut oil, Beeswax, Peppermint Oil and Eucalyptus Oil)

• Take 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and melt it with a tablespoon of beeswax
• Pour it in a small pot and heat this over medium heat
• Then add 5 drops each of peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil
• Allow it to get cool for few minutes and pour this mixture into a container that has lid
• Finally apply this to your neck and the surrounding areas for getting rid of the stiff neck.
• Repeat this application of balm regularly till you get complete relief from the neck pain.

6. Epsom Salt or Magnesium Supplements:

Magnesium will give an effective relaxation from debilitating muscle soreness for those who’re suffering from stiff neck.

Method:

• Take Epsom salt or magnesium supplement 310 mg to 420 mg which depends up on the age and gender.
• Remember that not to exceed the daily dosage.
• Or you can take Epsom salts in warm water bath as this will reduces the soreness in the muscles that are related to neck.
• Repeat the bath regularly to get relief from the stiff neck.

7. Acupuncture:

Acupuncture is a Chinese traditional treatment that has widely used to treat the pain and other ailments by penetrating various strategic points of skin with tiny needles. So, consult a reputed acupuncture therapist and ask them about specifically treating neck stiffness or neck pain. Or you can try other alternative methods like cupping, moxibustion and qigong.

8. Isometric Exercises:

Isometric exercises can be performed against the resistance without actually moving the head. Try these steps to perform these exercises.

Method:

• Sit erect and relaxed in a quiet place, try to hold your hand up to forehead and then press your forehead into your palm by using your palm to resist the motion.
• Now place the right hand against the right side of your head and press it against your hand.
• But make sure to use your hand to resist your head motion, try to do this same on the left side.
• Press both the hands (left and right) against the back of the head and try to push your head backward
• Here, you have to resist your head’s backward motion with the hands.
• Repeat this for several times to ease the pain and also to make the proper blood circulation.
• After that you have to press your hands against the right side of the face as you now try to turn your head to right side i.e. towards right shoulder, then use your hands to resist the turning motion.
• Repeat the same for left hand side by avoiding your head turning towards left shoulder.

9. Relax and Rest:

Emotional stress can mainly cause the muscle tension. So, pay maximum attention to know which thing makes you feel stress and think creatively about ways that reduces your stress. You can manage your stress through some relaxation techniques like progressive relaxation or abdominal breathing.

• Progressive Relaxation:

Relax yourself by finding a quiet place where you don’t find any disturbance. Just sit or lie down by closing your eyes and starting from your head, neck and work down the entire body, consciously tighten or tense that finally relaxes your muscles from the pain. This process will give your neck muscles a change to recover and make sure that don’t use a thick pillow that will crimp the neck.

• Abdominal Breathing:

Here you have to sit quietly and try to take a slow, deep breath all the way into abdomen. To know the breathing, you have to place hands on your abdomen to feel it expand and make you confirm that you’re deeply breathing. Then slowly exhale completely, gently sucking in the stomach. Repeat this -process slowly and deeply for several times to get rid of the stiff neck.

• Other Relaxation Techniques:

This will include meditation, exercises and yoga or else engaging yourself in any activity that you interested to do or engage in hobby or listening to your favorite type of music or any work that makes you manage the pain and engage yourself in that work.

10. Good Posture:

Practicing good posture means head and spine balance in relation to gravity, will help to give relief from the neck pain rather than poor posture.

Method:

• You can try this with the help of a wall i.e. stand with your back to the wall, heels several inches from walls.
• Here, your buttocks and shoulders have to touch the wall
• Then your back of the head should be close to wall and keep the chin level
• Now step away from the wall and check the position that you have to carry this posture throughout the day and then try like that for every day.

11. Chiropractor:

Chiropractor will use the special technique to work out and relieve the stiff pain in the neck. So try to schedule an appointment with that doctor as many people also experienced an excellent holistic approach in relieving their body pains and stiffness. Or you can try some physiotherapy (physical therapy) treatments to get relieve from the pain in the neck.

12. Proper Herbs Application:

Naturally, there are many herbs that helps to treat the pain of stiff neck. You can use them either in any cream or balm form.

• Menthol is an herb that has cooling effect and when applied on the neck that works to relieve pain.
• Camphor reduces swelling and increases the blood circulation to the area. This helps to make the area warm when applied on it.
• Capsaicin has anti-inflammatory property that helps to relieve pain of days or weeks by gently numbering the nerve ending on the area where it is applied.
• Turmeric also helps you in healing the pain that caused in the neck with its natural healing properties.

Tips to Reduce Stiff Neck:

Get rid of that neck pain by heeding the tips that follow.

• When you’re suffering from stiff neck then try to reduce your physical activity for couple of days. This will help to reduce the symptoms by relieving inflammation that you’re experiencing. So try to avoid some exercises or sports like golf, running, weight lifting, sit-ups and leg lifts, ballet, football, hockey, etc. for 2 – 3 weeks.
• Use soft neck collar will help to reduce the neck pain as it helps to stabilize your neck and improves the recovery. But remember to consult the doctor to know how much time you have to wear this soft cervical collar to relieve the stiff neck.
• Always try to perform some neck moving exercises until you get complete relief from the neck pain and proper functioning and blood circulation of the neck.
• Stiff neck is accompanied by many other symptoms that lead to any serious injury like meningitis, heart attack, etc. So get immediate medical attention whenever you experience the symptoms such as fever, vomiting, dizziness, chest pain or pain in the left arm, difficulty in touching the chin to your chest, etc. with this stiff neck to get treated properly.
• Try to a lot of short breaks from the workplace in your office and do some neck exercises which helps to give your muscles a chance to stretch out rather than remaining rigid for hours on end.
• Always have a comfortable sleeping position which won’t hurt your neck or increase the pain. Your pillow and mattress should be of your kind i.e. either soft or hard or combination of both, means make it comfortable that on which one you’ll get proper sleep without stiff neck.
• Use pillow that suits you best in relaxing your neck and body i.e. either it can be hard or soft, putting additional pillow or removing pillow from bed and sleeping in correct position but concentrate to sleep more time on your back rather than sides.
• Try proper workout techniques or else leave it. For example, lifting weights improperly will cause stiff neck as this can strain your muscles or pinch a nerve. Make sure that not to lift more weight or lifting too many times and also always have to work with an instructor.
• Regular massage with ice or hot packs will help you to give relief from the pain.
• Avoid putting any strain to the pain neck muscles as it increases the pain and make it worse.
• Being overweight will also strain all of your body’s muscles mainly including neck part. So try to reduce your weight and stay healthy without stiff neck.
• Working at eye level from your desk will helps you to reduce the stiff neck. If not try to have proper position or height of your chair, desk or computer screen.
• Avoid neck – bashing habits like crimping the phone between your neck and shoulder, falling asleep by sitting in chair and waking up with the head tilted way back, avoid shampooing your hair in the sink. As all these habits will strain the neck so replace them with healthy neck non-straining habits.
• Swimming is the best exercise which gives all around strength to the neck and back. So try to do this swimming regularly to avoid the problem now and also in future.
• Take some pain killers like Tylenol, Advil, ibuprofen, aspirin, etc. as these mild pain relievers helps to reduce the stiff neck pain temporarily but remember to follow the instruction on dosage.
• Always close your windows while sleeping as the cold drafts can cause muscles of the neck to become stiff. Also cover your neck with light scarf when the weather is cool.

Stiff neck is an uncomfortable and painful problem which occurs from many reasons but don’t worry about the pain and problems faced by it. The above mentioned natural home remedies and tips will provide the most effective ways to relieve the stiff neck pain. Remember to consult the doctor if it not cured within 2 – 3 days otherwise, it can lead to any other serious problem.