5 Ways To Soothe A Stiff Neck

Are you suffering from a stiff neck? Does it hurt to move your head or even look up?

A stiff neck is often caused by a pinched nerve or muscle strain, the most common cause being tension and stress. Stiff muscles in the neck can also be caused by poor posture and sleeping with your head tilted back. Perhaps you have been staring at a computer screen too long, or you have been spending too much time looking down at your phone.

No matter what caused your neck pain, here are some tips to help soothe tight neck muscles and get relief from neck pain in Preston.

1. Apply Ice and Heat Compression

Use a cold compress or an ice pack to soothe the sore neck muscles for 10 minutes at a time. Do this several times throughout the day as a cold compress helps reduce any swelling and inflammation causing neck pain.

Using a heating pad on low heat after icing can help restore blood flow to the affected neck and upper back areas, increase circulation, reduce stiffness and muscle spasms caused by stress.

Try not to move your head or neck as much as possible after cold/heat compression. This will give the muscles in your neck time to relax and heal without being aggravated any further by movement.

2. Get Massage Therapy

Getting massage therapy in Preston will help improve blood circulation to the neck, which should help reduce stiffness and relieve stress on muscles and joints in the area. When these muscles are relaxed, they will no longer pull on surrounding tissue and cause pain or discomfort.

3. Avoid Triggering Activities

Avoid activities such as looking down at your phone or computer screen for extended periods of time as well as spending too much time reading in bed. Keep your chin up, and don’t slouch when you’re sitting at a desk or working on a computer.

4. Improve Your Sleeping Posture

A common cause of stiff necks is an improper sleeping position. Thus, you need to check your sleeping posture to ensure that you’re sleeping properly. Here is how you can do it:

• Try stretching out your neck muscles by rotating your head left, then right before going to bed and after waking up in the morning.
• Place a pillow under your head while you sleep to support your neck’s natural curve.
• Choose a firm mattress with a pillow made of memory foam or latex to keep your spine aligned while you sleep.

5. Get Acupuncture Services

Visit an acupuncture clinic in Preston to get acupuncture treatments for many conditions, including stiff necks. Acupuncture involves using needles to stimulate body nerves and muscles. Applying needles near the base of the skull releases endorphins that stimulate blood circulation, which relaxes tense neck muscles. Acupuncture also stimulates energy flow through the meridians of the body, allowing energy blockages due to injury or stress to be released.

If you too want to benefit from massage and acupuncture services in Preston, contact us at 5 Star Clinic Ltd. We are a leading physiotherapy clinic in Preston, Lancashire. Our pain management, acupuncture, and massage therapy services are designed to focus on the individual needs of our patients looking for neck pain relief in Preston.

Book an appointment to avail our quality physiotherapy services today.