Relieve neck pain

How to Treat a Stiff Neck at Home

Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. Updated: March 25, 2022
How to Treat a Stiff Neck at Home

Neck cramps or a Stiff neck, occurs when the muscles around the vertebrae in your neck tighten, which can be caused by various factors, generating pain that can affect the sufferer's daily life. It can also cause dizziness, headaches and ringing in the ears. If the neck cramps persists, it can lead to the neck straightening out and losing its normal curvature, which is known as cervical rectification. At OneHowTo.com, we'll show you how to treat a stiff neck at home.

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Steps to follow:
1

Firstly, when you notice discomfort in your neck, you should apply dry heat to the area. This could be a heating pad, on a medium setting and applied to the neck for short periods of time, say 5 to 10 minutes, several times a day. There are other alternatives such as wheat bags, which gradually lose heat after you've heated them in the microwave.

This treatment is the most effective option to treat a stiff neck at home, since the heat relaxes the muscles, thus counteracting the cause of the pain.

2

Taking anti-inflammatory medication or muscle relaxants is one option; however, this is not recommended because these medicines are filtered by the liver, which may lead to muscular tension when it is aggravated.

3

We must also avoid the root causes of a stiff neck. There are a range of causes, such as emotional tension, not dealing with stress properly, a lack of regular exercise, a bad diet, not sleeping in a proper position or with insufficient pillows, cold drafts, etc.

How to Treat a Stiff Neck at Home - Step 3
4

If the cramp lasts for a long time or the pain is very intense, it is best to go to a physiotherapist. With massages and localized infrared heat therapy, you'll solve the problem much quicker. In addition, you may be given a list of exercises to carry out on a daily basis, even if you are not in pain, to strengthen your muscles. Always remember to warm up your muscles before doing any stretches.

5

Doing daily exercise, especially activities such as yoga and pilates, significantly reduces the occurrence of musculo-skeletal problems. In addition, they teach you how to maintain a healthy posture during your day-to-day life.

How to Treat a Stiff Neck at Home - Step 5
6

Doing relaxation exercises, especially when you wake up and before you go to bed, can really help to channel the emotional tension accumulated during the day. Taking short breaks frequently throughout the day, thinking positive thoughts and controlling your breathing are ways to make yourself feel more relaxed.

7

Another option is to take natural remedies. Plants with anti-inflammatory properties, such as ginger or nettles, in herbal teas, can help to combat neck cramps.

How to Treat a Stiff Neck at Home - Step 7

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Treat a Stiff Neck at Home, we recommend you visit our Diseases & secondary effects category.

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How to Treat a Stiff Neck at Home