Stiff Neck Relief

A stiff neck have a variety of causes. Bad posture, long hours spent in front of the computer, sports, or a bad pillow can all lead to neck pain. Problems in muscles in the jaw, head and shoulders can also contribute to a sore neck. Remember that all the body is interconnected. The root of a neck ache is not necessarily where you feel the pain.

Conditions such as fibromyalgia and arthritis can also cause neck pain. Trauma, such as a car accident can can be another cause.

In the case of arthritis, the stiffness in your neck is caused by the breaking down of the vertebral joints in the neck. In other cases, the stiffness or soreness you feel can be muscular in nature or come from a nerve that has been entrapped in a tight muscle or pinched by a slipped disc. If the pain is nerve related, you'll feel tingling or numbness in the area.

Meningitis can cause a stiff neck. If you've been caring for small children or sharing utensils with someone and your sore neck is accompanied by a fever, headache and difficulty looking at bright lights, you could have meningitis. If you think you have meningitis, it's important that you see your doctor immediately.

If your stiff neck is caused by muscle tension, massage can do a lot to help it. If it is nerve pain caused from nerve entrapment massage can loosen the muscles entrapping the nerve and get rid of it.

Many types of massage can relieve a stiff neck. Swedish massage, neuromuscular therapy, deep tissue massage, shiatsu, and acupressure are all good choices. Check out my ideas about how to find affordable massage.

Self-Massage for a Painful Stiff Neck

If you still can't afford to get a massage, you can try massaging your neck yourself or get someone else to massage it for you. You can massage your neck and shoulders to help relieve neck pain and tension headaches.

Use your fingertips to massage the back of your neck and both sides of the spine. Don't massage on top on the spine.

At the front of your neck there is a large muscle that is pretty prominent. It runs from just behind your ear to your collarbone. This muscle is called the sternocleidomastoid. If you look in the mirror you can locate it pretty easily. You can grab that muscle and squeeze it to massage it. When you squeeze, it should roll out of your grip naturally. If it doesn't just release it after a few seconds. Massage the length of that muscle.

You can also massage your shoulders in the same squeeze-and-release manner. Grab your upper trapezius--that's the large meaty muscle in your shoulder--and squeeze the muscle while twisting it slightly. Hold for a few seconds and release.

Another muscle that contributes to neck stiffness is the the levator scapula. It starts at your shoulder blade and attaches to the vertebra in your neck. Because of where it starts it's difficult to massage that area of the muscle on your own. If a you have a TheraCane Massager with Free 14 Page Trigger Point Owners Manual, you can do trigger point therapy on that end of the muscle yourself. Otherwise, you'd have to get someone else to massage it for you. They could use friction or trigger point therapy on it.

If the injury is new (less than 72 hours old) apply a cold press to the area. Cold should not be applied longer than 15 minutes at a time. If the injury is old you can apply heat. Never sleep with a heating pad on you. That could cause injury or even a fire.

These are just some tips you can use to help you recover from neck pain.