3 Ways to Treat a Stiff Neck at Home.

Have you ever woken up, not to beautiful looking hair or glowing skin, but to a terrible stiff neck? If so, you know the type of pain I’m talking about. I refer to this as the “I woke up like this” type of neck pain. It’s sharp at first then becomes more dull and achy as the day goes by. Typically the pain is located on just one side of your neck. And the stiffness reduces mobility when you try to turn your head towards the side that hurts.

The cause. Usually it has something to do with how you slept (hence the name). Sleeping in an awkward position or on a pillow that isn’t supportive enough can cause painful stress points to form in the upper back; in particular, in the muscles that connect your shoulder blade and neck.

The bottom line though? This type of pain is not what you want to wake up to. But if you do…

There’s a few things you can do about it at home.

First, grab a tennis ball, golf ball or massage ball**. Pin the ball in between the wall or floor and the muscles of your mid-back, the ones in between your spine and shoulder blade. (I find it easiest to do this work standing up against the wall, but please find what’s most comfortable and accessible for you.)

• Self-massage technique. Press your body firmly into the ball and move your body side to side over the ball, or hold on one spot for several seconds. Try to keep the ball stationary as you roll your spinal muscles over it. Adjust the ball by moving it up or down your back to get at all the different spots along the muscles of the spine. You should notice some releases happening in the upper back and neck as you do this. I usually start with the ball at my mid-back and move it up as I go. Take slow, deep breaths in and out as you work out all those tight stiff spots.

**If you have one of those cool thera-canes, you can always use that instead.

After doing some self-massage, do several rounds of shoulder circles forward and back.

Hopefully things are starting to loosen up by now…

• Stretch your neck and gently rotate it. To stretch, tilt the left side of your head towards the top of your left shoulder. Very gently, with your left finger tips placed on the right side of your head, pull your head closer to your left shoulder. This stretches the muscles of the right side of your neck. Take three deep breaths. Next do some gentle neck rotations. Switch sides. Go slow. Finally, elevate the tops of your shoulders towards your ears then slowly lower them down and draw your elbows towards your spine. Ahhh.

Do the above techniques as often as you need throughout the day. Whenever you notice the pain, breathe into your neck and shoulders, and think about relaxing the area (you’ll notice the body’s tendency to tighten up against the pain but that won’t really help release the pain in the long run).

• The third thing I recommend is rub a generous amount of your favorite soothing massage balm onto your neck and upper/mid back. (If you need some recommendations on which brands to use, shoot me an email or text and I will happily send a few ideas your way.)

And finally, there’s some good news… This type of stiffness won’t last very long (the type you woke up with). Your neck should be back to normal within 1-3 days. Self-massage and stretching will help reduce this time quite a bit.

If you’re still hurting beyond a few days please schedule an appointment with your massage therapist. 😌

Namaste,

Tara