The Benefits of Using Neck Muscle Pain Relief

With nearly one in three people suffering from neck pain, it’s nice to know there are strategies to relieve the discomfort at home. For many people, a few simple remedies can bring lasting relief.

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If you try home remedies for neck pain without any results, see your health care provider. Aurora Health Care spine specialists provide comprehensive treatment for neck pain to help you feel better and participate in the activities you enjoy.

Home remedies for neck pain

Although neck pain can arise from injuries or chronic conditions, it’s often the result of a muscle strain or weakening. Years of poor posture can weaken the muscles and joints in your neck, leading to chronic pain over time. In mild to moderate cases, home remedies may help.

Move more

You may have heard that rest is the best remedy for muscle pain and neck stiffness. But with neck pain, movement can actually help.

Exercise improves blood flow to stiff muscles and reduces inflammation. Just make sure to avoid jerking or sharp twisting movements that could increase or cause neck pain.

Hot and cold therapy

Using ice packs or heating pads can help relieve neck pain fast. Ice reduces inflammation, while heat relaxes the stiff neck muscles. For best results, you may alternate the two for about 20 minutes each several times a day.

Over-the-counter medications

Minor neck strains may get better after a day or so of over-the-counter pain-relieving medication. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen help reduce inflammation and decrease discomfort. Acetaminophen and naproxen are other over-the-counter medicines that can effectively relieve the pain of a stiff neck.

Postural changes

Pay attention to how you hold your head throughout the day, especially when staring at your computer screen or looking at your . Many people tilt their head down, which puts extra pressure on the neck muscles and can even lead to a repetitive stress injury called “tech neck.”

To improve your posture and decrease neck pain, make a few simple changes such as:

• Holding your or other device up to eye level, instead of bending your neck down
• Keeping your head in line with the center of your body
• Rolling your shoulders down and away from your ears

How do I loosen up my neck muscles?

One of the best ways to loosen stiff neck muscles is with gentle heat. You may wrap a heating pad in a towel and place it on your neck. Or you may stand under a warm shower for a few minutes to loosen tight neck muscles.

Once your muscles are warm, give yourself a gentle neck massage or ask a partner to do it. Massage can loosen the muscles further. Make sure to direct the massage movements toward your heart to promote proper blood flow.

How do you release tension in your neck?

Regular stretching can help release tension in your neck muscles. Especially if you spend long hours at a desk, take breaks every one to two hours for a few minutes of stretches to prevent neck stiffness.

Neck pain exercises

Several exercises can help stretch your neck muscles and relieve your stiff neck symptoms:

• Head presses: Clasp your hands behind your head or sit on a seat with a headrest. Keeping the chin level, gently press the back of your head against your hands or the headrest. Hold for five to 10 seconds and repeat.
• Head tilts: Instead of rolling your neck, try head tilts. First, move your neck forward and backward by bringing your chin to your chest, pausing for a moment, then lifting your chin to the sky. After you repeat a few times, move to side-to-side tilts. Bring your ear to your right shoulder, hold for a few seconds, and repeat on the other side.
• Shoulder blade squeezes: Sit with your spine upright and your feet firmly planted on the floor. Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold for 15-30 seconds. Repeat three to four times.
• Shoulder rolls: Relieving tension in your shoulders and upper back may also help ease neck tension. Try to sync up your shoulder rolls with your breathing. When you inhale, bring your shoulders up to your ears, then roll them down your back as you exhale. Repeat five to 10 times.

What is the fastest way to cure a stiff neck?

There’s no shortcut for curing a stiff neck. Stretching, gentle heat and pain relievers are usually the best ways to decrease neck stiffness quickly.

For long-term neck pain relief and prevention of neck stiffness, improve your lifestyle by:

Diagnosis

Your health care provider will take a medical history and do an exam. The exam will include checking for tenderness, numbness and muscle weakness. And it will test how far you can move your head forward, backward and side to side.

Imaging tests

Imaging tests might help find the cause of the neck pain. Examples include:

• X-rays. X-rays can reveal areas in the neck where the nerves or spinal cord might be pinched by bone spurs or other changes.
• CT scan. CT scans combine X-ray images taken from many different directions to produce detailed cross-sectional views of structures inside the neck.
• MRI. MRI uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to create detailed images of bones and soft tissues. The soft tissues include the disks, the spinal cord and the nerves coming from the spinal cord.

It's possible to have X-ray or MRI evidence of structural problems in the neck without having symptoms. Imaging studies are best used with a careful history and physical exam to determine the cause of pain.

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Other tests

• Electromyography (EMG). An EMG can determine whether neck pain might be related to a pinched nerve. It involves inserting fine needles through the skin into a muscle. The test measures the speed of nerve conduction to determine whether nerves are working properly.
• Blood tests. Blood tests can sometimes provide evidence of inflammation or infections that might be causing or contributing to neck pain.

Treatment

The most common types of mild to moderate neck pain usually respond within two or three weeks to self-care. Pain relievers and the use of heat might be all that's needed.

Medications

Pain relievers might include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve), or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). Take these medications only as directed. Overuse can cause serious side effects.

If pain relievers you can buy without a prescription don't help, your health care provider might suggest prescription NSAIDs or muscle relaxers.

Therapy

• Physical therapy. A physical therapist can teach correct posture, alignment and neck-strengthening exercises. Physical therapy might also involve the use of heat, ice and other measures to help ease pain.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Electrodes placed on the skin near the painful areas deliver tiny electrical impulses that may relieve pain. However, there's little evidence that TENS works for neck pain.
• Soft neck collar. A soft collar that supports the neck may help relieve pain by taking pressure off the neck. However, if used for more than three hours at a time or for more than 1 to 2 weeks, a collar might do more harm than good.

Surgical and other procedures

• Steroid injections. A health care provider might inject steroid medications near the nerve roots, into the spinal joints or into the muscles in the neck. Numbing medications, such as lidocaine, also can be injected to relieve neck pain.
• Surgery. Rarely needed for neck pain, surgery might be an option for relieving nerve root or spinal cord compression.

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Lifestyle and home remedies

Besides taking pain relievers, self-care measures that might relieve neck pain include:

• Alternate heat and cold. Reduce inflammation by applying cold, such as an ice pack or ice wrapped in a towel, for up to 15 minutes several times a day during the first 48 hours. After that, use heat. Try taking a warm shower or using a heating pad on the low setting.
• Home exercises. Keeping the neck moving is important. Begin daily gentle stretching, including neck rolls and shoulder rolls, once the worst of the pain lessens. Gently tilt, bend and rotate the neck. Warm the neck and back with a heating pad or in the shower or bath before doing these exercises.

Alternative medicine

A number of alternative treatments might ease back pain. Always discuss the benefits and risks with your health care provider before starting a new alternative therapy.

• Acupuncture. A practitioner of acupuncture inserts thin, sterilized needles into the skin at specific points on the body. Achieving best results might require several acupuncture sessions. Acupuncture is generally considered safe when performed by a certified practitioner using sterile needles.
• Chiropractic. Performed mainly on the spine, a chiropractic adjustment applies a controlled, abrupt force to a joint. Chiropractic treatments to the neck can provide short-term pain relief and, for many people, carry minimal risks.
• Massage. During a massage, a trained practitioner kneads the muscles in the neck. Massage might help people with chronic neck pain from tightened muscles.

Preparing for your appointment

You might initially contact your primary care provider about your neck pain. You then might be referred to:

• A doctor who specializes in nonoperative treatment of musculoskeletal conditions (physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist)
• A doctor who specializes in arthritis and other diseases that affect the joints (rheumatologist)
• A doctor who specializes in treating nerve-related disorders (neurologist)
• A doctor who operates on bones and joints (orthopedic surgeon)

What you can do

Before your appointment, be prepared to answer the following questions:

• When did your symptoms begin?
• Have you ever injured your neck? If so, when?
• Do certain neck movements improve or worsen the pain?
• What medications and supplements do you take regularly?

What to expect from your doctor

Your provider might ask some of the following questions:

• Where exactly is your pain?
• Is the pain dull, sharp or shooting?
• Do you have numbness or weakness?
• Does the pain radiate into your arm?
• Is the pain made worse by straining, coughing or sneezing?
• Do you have other physical problems?

1. Neck pain. American College of Rheumatology. https://www.rheumatology.org/I-Am-A/Patient-Caregiver/Diseases-Conditions/Living-Well-with-Rheumatic-Disease/Neck-Pain. Accessed June 30, .
2. Isaac Z, et al. Evaluation of the adult patient with neck pain. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 30, .
3. Miller M, et al., eds. Degenerative conditions of the cervical and thoracolumbar spine. In DeLee, Drez, and Miller's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Principles and Practice. 5th ed. Elsevier, . https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed June 30, .
4. Neck pain. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/neck-pain. Accessed June 30, .
5. Isaac Z. Management of non-radicular neck pain in adults. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 30, .
6. Neck pain. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Neck-Pain. Accessed June 30, .
7. Kazeminasab S, et al. Neck pain: Global epidemiology, trends and risk factors. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. ; doi:10./s-021--4.
8. Too much screen time? Sit up straight to avoid painful tech neck. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. https://findado.osteopathic.org/too-much-screen-time-sit-up-straight-to-avoid-painful-tech-neck. Accessed June 30, .

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