How to Get Rid of a Stiff Neck

A stiff neck isn't usually an indication of a serious medical problem, but it can impede your daily activities and make it hard to get to sleep. Although most often caused by poor posture at work, a stiff neck can also be caused by sleeping wrong or straining through exercise.

Edit Steps

Part One: Getting Immediate Relief

Massage your neck. Massage therapy, performed either by yourself, a friend or a professional, is one of the best ways to relieve a stiff neck. If you're massaging your own neck, use this technique:
- Reach back with your arm and grasp your neck with your hand. Your thumb should be on one side of your neck, and your fingers on the other.
- Knead your neck on both sides by digging in your thumb and fingers, gently squeezing them together.
- Repeat this motion up and down your neck for several minutes.

Perform therapeutic exercises. In most cases, a stiff neck can be relieved immediately by performing a series of exercises to relieve tension caused by tight or strained neck muscles. Spend about 15 minutes doing this simple routine, and repeat several hours later if your neck still feels stiff.
- Nod your head forward and backward. Tilt your chin toward your chest, then toward the sky. Repeat for several minutes. Note that this exercise may feel painful, so don't tilt your head too far forward or backward if it hurts too much.
- Tilt your head from side to side to stretch the muscles in the front and back of your neck. Continue doing so until the pain eases a bit and the muscles feel less tense.
- Turn your head from left to right. This is often the most painful motion you can make when you have a stiff neck, so ease into it slowly. Keep turning your head from left to right for several minutes.

Try a cold pack. Fill up a plastic bag with ice, seal it, and wrap a thin towel around it. Place it on the part of your neck that feels stiff, usually the back just at your hairline. Hold the pack there for 20 minutes.
- Rather than holding the cold pack against your neck with your hand, it might be more relaxing to sit in an easy chair and place the pack between your shoulders and the bottom of your head. Lean back against it so your neck gets the full benefit of the cool temperature.
- You can substitute the pack for a bag of frozen peas if you'd like.

Then, apply heat. Cold followed by heat is a quick, easy, and relaxing way to relieve some of the discomfort of a stiff neck, putting you back on the pathway to recovery. Whereas cold dulls local pain and limits the buildup of lactic acid, which can cause soreness^[1]^[2], heat helps tightened muscles relax.^[3]
- Start off with cold for the first 48 to 72 hours of pain, and then continue with heat therapy after that.^[4] Apply heat to the back or neck area for at least 20 minutes at a time, three times daily.
- What vehicle should you use to deliver the heat? You can try a heating pad, a hot water bottle, a heat wrap, and a hot bath or shower. If using a heating pad, be sure not to fall asleep with it turned on.

Apply a topical analgesic. Immediate relief can also be provided by balms that contain menthol or another ingredient that soothe skin and muscles. Buy one over the counter or make your own using the following method:
- Melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil with 1 tablespoon beeswax in a small pot over medium heat.
- Add 5 drops of peppermint oil and 5 drops of eucalyptus oil.
- Pour the mixture into a container with a lid, such as a small glass mason jar. When it cools, apply it to your neck and the surrounding area.

Take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and aspirin provide effective pain relief and are available over the counter. Be sure to take no more than the recommended dosage.

Reduce physical activity for the first couple of days after the stiff neck arrives. If, for example, you got a stiff neck after playing soccer for the first time in years, or even if you didn't, it's a good idea to ramp down physical activity for 2 to 3 days after getting a stiff neck.^[5] This will help reduce symptoms and relieve some of the inflammation you may be experiencing. Avoid the following kinds of sports or exercises for the first 2 to 3 weeks after the stiff neck appears:
- Football, rugby, hockey, or any other high-contact sporty
- Golf
- Running or jogging
- Weight lifting
- Ballet
- Sit-ups and leg lifts

Consider getting a soft neck collar. You won't be making any fashion statements with a soft neck collar (or maybe you will?!), but it will sure help you stabilize your neck and possibly improve recovery. One study found that 76% of patients ended up with reduced symptoms of neck pain after using a soft cervical collar, although there is no proven long-term benefit in wearing them.^[6] If you can't be seen with a neck collar at work or during the day, put on the collar when you get home at night or before bed.
- Be cautious about wearing your soft neck collar for prolonged periods. When the muscles in the neck are immobilized by a neck collar, the muscles in the neck can atrophy. What doctors call "atrophy-related secondary damage" can result if patients suffering from stiff necks wear their neck collars for prolonged periods (often a week at a time, or longer).^[7]
- If you do plan on wearing a soft neck collar for longer than a week, consult a physical therapist or doctor and stick to a soft cervical collar. Soft cervical collars give patients the most range of motion, allowing them to use and strengthen their neck muscles while their stiff neck recovers.

Part Two: Knowing When to Go to the Doctor

See a doctor if you have extreme pain that won't go away. Sometimes a stiff neck is a symptom of a deeper problem, just as a slipped disc in your spine or a pinched nerve. This type of injury may not go away on its own, so call the doctor to find out if you need medical attention.
- If you have trouble sitting up, standing, or walking, see a doctor immediately.^[8]
- If the pain doesn't go away or at least ease up after a few days, call the doctor to assess whether you might have a serious neck injury.^[9]

Get medical attention if your stiff neck is accompanied by other symptoms. Having a stiff neck is one of the primary symptoms of meningitis, a serious bacterial illness that causes swelling around the brain.^[10] A stiff neck may also indicate that you are having a heart attack.^[11] Get immediate medical attention if you experience the following symptoms:
- A fever.
- Vomiting and nausea.
- Difficulty touching your chin to your chest.
- Chest pain or pain in the left arm.
- Dizziness.

Part Three: Preventing a Recurrence

Have good workplace habits. If you sit in an office chair all day, chances are that's the cause of your stiff neck. Finding a new job usually isn't an option, so you need to figure out how to take care of your body during the day. Consider changing your office habits in the following ways:
- Take a lot of short breaks, even if it just means getting up to walk to the bathroom and back to your desk. Moving around gives your muscles a chance to stretch out instead of remaining rigid for hours on end.
- Do neck exercises. The same exercises that help relieve a stiff neck can help prevent one.
- Get a good office chair. Make sure the chair you're using isn't contributing to your stiff neck. Ask your office manager about getting a high quality, ergonomic chair.

Make sure you're sleeping comfortably. If you wake up with a stiff neck every once in awhile, your bed or pillow may be at fault. You may need to consider getting a new mattress or pillow to prevent stiffness from recurring.
- Figure out what type of pillow is best for your body. Some people sleep better on soft pillows, while others need the support of harder pillows. Using the wrong type for your body can cause a stiff neck.
- Many doctors recommend sleeping without a pillow for a spell after you tweak your neck.^[12] This may help relieve symptoms and prevent stiffness caused by sleeping in the wrong position.
- Make sure your mattress is firm enough. Your mattress may not be providing enough support for your spine and neck. If it has been many years since you've bought a new mattress, it may be time for a new one. You could also try flipping your mattress, which should be done occasionally to make sure the mattress doesn't get misshapen.
- Regardless of what bed and pillow you use, it might help to sleep on your back. Your neck will get more support this way.

Use the proper workout technique. Lifting weights improperly is a common cause of stiff necks. You can strain your muscles or pinch a nerve if you don't use a safe technique. Work with an instructor to make sure you're using the right form.
- Don't try to lift more weight than you can handle. Lifting shouldn't be easy, but you also shouldn't feel like you're going to topple forward. Find the appropriate weight for your body type and strength level.
- Don't lift too many times per week. Your muscles need time to repair between workout sessions. You can overstrain yourself if you work out too often.

Part Four: Unverified Home Remedies

Try taking magnesium supplements or soaking in Epsom salts. Although it hasn't been scientifically proven to help with stiff or sore neck, magnesium has been thought of as an effective relaxation technique for many suffering from debilitating muscle soreness. Try taking magnesium supplements or bathing in Epsom salts, which contain magnesium.
- The recommended daily allowance of magnesium supplement, as listed by the NIH, is anywhere from 310mg to 420mg, depending on age and gender.^[13] Do not exceed recommended daily dosage.
- Try epsom salts in a warm water bath. Epsom salts, or magnesium sulphate, is a common addition to many hot water baths, although science shows that epsom salts have no effect on improving sore muscles.^[14]

Try Chinese skin scraping, or Gua Sha. A scary name for a very popular practice in China and Vietnam, skin scraping uses a dull spoon to scrape the back in order to produce bruising. This action is supposed to promote blood flow to the area as well as remove toxins or other unhealthy elements from the area. Gua Sha is beginning to be tested by the wider scientific community, sometimes with positive results.^[15]
- Gua Sha is not without controversy. Because it produces light bruising, it often looks grisly, and doesn't feel soothing or produce results for some patients.
- Gua Sha treatment should be taken with caution; communicate to your practitioner when the scraping doesn't feel good or is rough on your skin. You don't want to leave the session with irritated skin as well as no comfort.

Try acupuncture. Acupuncture is the Chinese treatment of pain and other ailments by penetrating various strategic points of the skin with tiny needles. Although it hasn't shown wide-scale, reproducible results in mainstream science, many chronic neck-pain sufferers swear by acupuncture. See an acupuncture therapist for a consultation and ask them specifically about treating neck stiffness or neck pain.