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What to Do for Neck Pain

Neck pain is a condition that can either be debilitating or can be dealt with without causing too much extra pain. Although some types of neck pain are chronic and other types are temporary, there are a few things that can be done to alleviate the pain-- regardless of what the cause of the pain is.

  1. Over-the-Counter Medications

    • Take over-the-counter medications to help deal with the pain. Although these medications may help provide pain relief, they do not do anything to get to the root of the problem. Don't hesitate to use pain medication, but you should plan on doing other things for the neck as well to decrease the likelihood of pain in the future.

    Heat and Cold

    • Use heat and cold on your neck. Place an ice pack or a plastic baggie full of ice on your neck for about 20 minutes a few times a day. This will help reduce inflammation. In between icing sessions, find time to apply heat to the neck. You can do this by taking a warm shower or by using a heating pad. Be careful when using heat. Although it can help relax muscles, heat also sometimes increases inflammation.

    Rest

    • Resting is always a good way to reduce neck pain. You should find a good balance in how much you allow yourself to rest. While lying down from time to time during the day can be an effective way of giving your neck a rest from holding up your head, resting for too long can increase stiffness in the neck muscles.

    Stretching

    • Do some light stretching of the neck muscles to reduce neck pain. It is important that you are careful to stretch the neck only as far as is comfortable. Stretching the neck when you are in pain is more about getting the neck moving and less about making the neck flexible. Do simple stretches that do not cause extra pain. You can simply move your head from side to side to stretch the neck.

    Creams

    • Use creams that can be obtained over the counter. Creams that have ingredients such as menthol or camphor are particularly effective at providing relief to necks that are experiencing muscle pain.

    Neck Brace

    • A neck that is in more intense pain may need to be immobilized by a soft neck brace. These neck braces decrease the neck's range of movement. This, in turn, decreases the probability that you will move your neck in a way that would be painful to you.

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