Tips To Help Relieve Pain In Your Neck

Waking up in the morning and feeling a sharp pang or tightness on the side of your neck is no fun at all. Maybe you slept wrong or maybe this is becoming a more consistent problem no matter what you do. If you are experiencing frequent neck pain, you are of course going to be interested in doing whatever you can to bring the problem to an end. Here are some suggestions for how you can treat the pain in the short term and what you might be able to do to eradicate the problem permanently in the future.

Apply Heat

If you wake up with a stiff neck, applying heat to the problem area could help loosen your muscles a bit. Invest in a good heating pad or two and wrap it around your neck. You might want to wrap a cloth over the heating pad first though instead of applying it directly to your skin in order to avoid a burn.

Try a Slow Roll

Pain or stiffness in your body can sometimes be worked out with consistent stretching and that's just as true for your neck as it is for any other part of your body. In order to stretch your neck, move your head all the way to one side, and then slowly roll it upwards and then down to the other side. You might have to go slow when you reach the area with the "kink" or pain. Continue a circular motion that stretches this specific area a few times per day and you might be able to relieve some of the tightness.

Try Over the Counter Solutions

While you might think of pain meds in relation to getting rid of a headache, there are over the counter medications out there designed specifically for muscle aches and pains. You could also look into getting an ointment or body rub that you can apply directly to the target area.

Get Professional Help

If the regular application of heat, consistent stretching, and pain medication is still not fixing the problem, it might be time to seek out additional help from a professional. A local chiropractor may be able to assess your situation and make an adjustment to your neck. If your body really is out of alignment, sometimes just the right "push" on your neck or spine might be enough to fix the issue. If your neck has a pinched nerve, the chiropractor can treat the target area until it goes away. Continued trips to a chiropractor may help keep the pain from coming back. Reach out to someone in your area like Eric Schmetterling DC to see about your condition.