by Sitting hunched over your computer for hours combined with bone-chilling winter weather can make you look like you’re wearing your shoulders as earrings.
Taking long flights to visit family or getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic can easily cause stiff necks, headaches, and knots in your shoulders that just won’t go away.
In this blog post, I’m going to share 5 simple solutions to resolve that crick in the neck so you feel like yourself again.
Solution #1: Hot and Cold Therapy
Everybody knows that plopping an ice pack on a sore neck can numb the pain and reduce inflammation.
Topical analgesics such as Biofreeze are also frequently used to reduce muscle pain.
Current research has shown that compared to ice, Biofreeze resulted in significantly less pain and caused a 63% reduction in pain perception.
When a muscle is really tight, a heating pad, hot compress, or hot shower can help soften and soothe the tense muscles.
Alternating between cold and hot therapies is an effective home remedy that can help speed up the healing process of a painful stiff neck.
What happens to some people is that once the cold and heat therapy wear off, the crick comes back with a vengeance. In that case, it might be a muscle tear or impinged nerve and consulting with your doctor is the best choice.
Solution #2: OTC Medicine
Over the counter pain, relievers and anti-inflammatory medication can help reduce swelling and temporarily mask the pain but usually carry unwanted side effects.
Remember to read the label, and take the pills as directed, so as not to abuse.
Solution #3: Stretching
If only the human head were as flexible as an owl’s – rotating 270 degrees without breaking blood vessels or tearing tendons.
The Owls’ head is connected by only one socket pivot, whereas a person’s head is connected by two socket pivots.
This limits our ability to possess Exorcist-like head-spinning skills.
We can, however, increase our neck flexibility and range of motion by practicing these 5 Neck Stretches.
Solution #4: Sleep on It Right!
Many people blame that crick in their neck from “sleeping on their neck wrong”, waking up in the morning twisted like a pretzel with a neck that feels like a frozen chicken.
Consider using the Sleep Innovations Contour Memory Foam Pillow that supports both the neck and shoulders and makes it easier to sleep through the night with less neck and shoulder stiffness.
However, if the pillow doesn’t help, ditch the pillows all together and just lie flat on your back.
Sleep Tips:
- Don’t use too many pillows. This puts the head and neck in an awkward position and will lead to unwanted neck spasms.
- Don’t sleep on the stomach. Sleeping on one’s back is better for the neck.
Solution #5: Massage and Cupping Break Up The Knots
Manual Massage helps to loosen up tight, contracted muscles and increase blood flow to ischemic tissue.
When sustained pressure is applied on trigger points, they become deactivated, pain is decreased and normal muscle function is restored.
When the negative pressure of Massage Cupping is added to the mix, knots, kinks, and cricks become just a distant memory.
Massage Cupping instantly releases rigid soft tissue; drains excess fluids and toxins; loosens adhesions and lifts connective tissue; and brings blood flow to stagnant skin and muscles.
The strong vacuum mimics the rolling action of deep tissue massage without discomfort. Using solely the compression of manual massage, these kinds of results are simply not possible.
So there you have it- 5 solutions to help resolve a crick in the neck.
You might also like:
7 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Deep Knots in Shoulder Blades
The #1 Muscle That Fixes Ugly Forward Head Posture, Text Neck and Back Pain
Massage Cupping Works Out The Knots
Sources: suite101.com, symptomfind.com, forwardheadposturefix.com
