Dr. Arnan Sisson, PT| August 10, 2022

Have you woken up with a stiff neck, began to get headaches after working at your computer, or had to reach for painkillers to ease your neck pain?

If so, we have put together this blog which tells you how to cure neck pain fast!

Why Do I Have Neck Pain?

Neck pain can be caused by a number of things, but an increasingly common cause is people spending a lot of time staring down – whether that’s at a computer screen at work, driving, reading or looking at their smartphones.

All these activities have the same effect, and day by day, certain muscles in your neck become weak, the neck become misaligned, and it can feel stiff because it no longer moves freely. This stiffness also usually coincides with neck pain.

Add on top of this potentially sleeping with your neck in a poor position, and you are creating lots of stress on the neck muscles which results in neck pain that won’t go away, and neck pain that keeps getting worse.

Finally, there are specific trauma-related incidents such as car incidents, falls or sporting injuries that can cause neck pain which can trigger long term neck pain that lasts for months, or years.

How To Cure Neck Pain Fast Without Painkillers

If you want to know how to cure neck pain fast, the first thing to consider is the severity and nature of the neck pain.

If you are experiencing neck pain which is extremely painful, you suffer from other symptoms such as loss of consciousness, pins and needles, numbness, weakness, or a cold arm, you should seek medical advice immediately rather than trying to self-treat or wait for any upcoming appointments that you may have.

If you aren’t suffering with the above, then there are some simple, but effective home remedies to cure neck pain fast without painkillers.

How To Cure Neck Pain Fast Using Ice And Heat

A fast way to cure neck pain is to alternate using ice and heat. Ice works by lowering blood flow to the area which can reduce swelling and inflammation. Heat works by stimulating blood flow to the area.

This strategy can be a really effective way to cure neck pain that is caused by a strained, or torn neck muscle.

As general advice, we would recommend applying heat or ice for 20 minutes at a time, a few times a day. When using hot water bottles, ice or heat packs, or even a bag of frozen peas ensure that the source of ice or heat is not directly touching your skin.

How To Cure Neck Pain Fast Using Stretches

Another way to cure neck pain fast is to use certain stretches such as shoulder rolls, shoulder blade squeezes, and head rotations.

However, the best stretches to do will depend on your specific neck injury so we would recommend speaking to our team who can create a tailored stretching plan for you, which enables you to cure neck pain fast and avoid it coming back in future.

As general advice, the stretches should be very gentle and slow, avoid sudden movements and over-stretching which may cause more damage to the affected area which slows recovery and increases pain.

How To Cure Neck Pain Fast By Avoiding Activities That Created The Pain

In the short term, avoiding the specific activities that caused, or contributed to the problem can be a fast way to cure neck pain. This gives the affected area time to recover.

How long to avoid specific activities, like heavy lifting, sports, and driving long distance will vary depending on the severity of your neck pain, but our team can ensure you recover much faster through a variety of solutions which may include massage, acupuncture, stretching and exercises.

With our approach to physical therapy at Sisson & Associates, our goal is to help you recover from neck injuries and re-introduce the activities – we don’t tell you to stop doing the things you love if they are the cause of the pain. Instead, we can work with you so that you can do the things you love, without having to suffer with the current consequences (neck pain in this scenario).

How To Cure Neck Pain Fast By Better Sleeping Habits

Neck pain can be triggered, and certainly made worse by how we sleep. If you find that your neck pain is worse on a morning after you’ve slept, or struggle to get comfortable in bed because of neck stiffness and pain, addressing your sleeping habits can be a really important thing to cure neck pain fast (especially since we all spend about a third of every day asleep).

Firstly, ensuring that you have a firm mattress means that your body, from your hips, shoulders and into your neck and head is in natural alignment. If you have a particularly soft mattress, this can contribute to neck pain because your body is resting in an unnatural position for a long time.

The second factor is ensuring that you use a low, firm pillow. Similar to the mattress, a good pillow can support your neck and head meaning that your muscles and joints are resting in the correct position. If you sleep with too many pillows, or pillows that are too high, your neck and head are essentially pushed forward and this places extra stress on your neck muscles at a time they should be recovering.

Finally, it is generally better to sleep on your back, or your side, compared to sleeping on your front. If you sleep on your front, it is likely that your neck will be twisted to one side, and being in this position for hours at a time over night can create a lot of stiffness and discomfort in the morning.

How To Cure Neck Pain Fast By Good Posture

This is more of a preventative tip, but if poor posture is the reason for your neck pain, then improving how you walk, sit and move can cure neck pain fast. When you are sitting at your desk, driving, or on the sofa reading a book or watching TV try to avoid slouching and periodically think about how your positioned.

Is your head pushed forward?

Are your shoulders slouched over?

Are your hips, shoulder and head in alignment or are they uneven? (for example, is your right hip raised up, your left shoulder dropped and your neck leaning forward?)

By correcting your posture, you can relieve pressure on overworked neck muscles which can contribute to neck pain that won’t go away.

Another often overlooked cause of neck pain is carrying heavy items such as bags or grandchildren on one side. Over time, this places much greater stress on one side of the body and to protect itself, your posture will change to help with the load. Unfortunately, this can be a cause of neck pain so try to switch the shoulder you carry your bag on, and which side you carry your grandchildren.

How To Cure Neck Pain Fast Using Massage

The final tip we have to cure neck pain fast is to get massage which can loosen and stretch tight and overworked neck muscles that are contributing to the regular neck pain you are suffering with.

Massage also helps by increasing blood flow to the area, and is a great way to speed up the recovery time from a neck strain.

It is important to seek professional help if you are suffering with neck pain – sure, it might be tempting to ask your spouse to massage your neck and this might provide some short term relief, but as they are not trained in this area, it could actually make the neck pain and stiffness worse.

When To Get Help To Cure Neck Pain

With neck pain, you may find that without any help, pain gradually reduces within a few days and it may heal itself within a a week or two.

However, if it doesn’t go away, the pain or stiffness gets worse, or the problem keeps returning, then it’s likely that you will need some expert help to cure neck pain.

If you are in the “suffered with neck pain for weeks, and it’s not getting any better” group, then our team are here to help.

At Sisson & Associates, our practice is located in the heart of Montross and we have worked with thousands of patients across the Northern Neck overcome neck pain without resorting to strong painkillers or injections.

To find our more, we offer free physical therapy consultations, where you can speak to a member of our team, ask any questions that you have, and find out what’s stopping you from getting the life you want.

Link other free resources (other blogs, relevant free reports) such as: 

Click Here To Read More Of Our Physical Therapy Blog Articles

Click Here To Read – Three Quick Tips to Reduce Neck Pain While Surfing The Web

Click Here To Read – The Steering Wheel Mistake That Makes Neck Pain Much Worse When Driving…

Click Here To Read – How to Lower Injury Risk to Neck By 50% In Under 1 Sec

We also have a free, downloadable reports for people with neck and shoulder pain where you can learn how to ease annoying, daily, irritating neck and shoulder pain naturally – before it gets any worse… –  Download Your Free Neck And Shoulder Pain Report

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