Home Remedies for Soothing a Stiff Neck

If you have ever woken up with a sore neck then you can appreciate how painful and annoying it can be. A pain is noticed as soon as you try to turn your head in the morning. If for whatever reason your neck goes out-of-place whilst you are sleeping there are several different remedies which might be practiced to help with soothing a sore or stiff feeling neck. Here are some of the main remedies that might be used at home -

Medications

If you wake up with a sore neck due to sleeping in a somewhat awkward position then a first thing to reach for in the morning might the supply of NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the medicine cabinet. These might include aspirin, naproxen sodium or ibuprofen, which are all everyday pain medications that can be quite effective in relieving the sore neck symptoms.

Gently Move the Neck

A common reaction to waking up with a sore neck is to twist and turn to try to loosen it up. However, this is the exact opposite of what you should be doing. Rather then aggressively moving the neck, it is a lot more beneficial to gradually move the neck in a left and right, up and down direction, which should be done in small movements. Always aim to be gentle in your movements. You might also want to try to massage the neck to help with loosening up the sore neck muscles. If you continue to do this gently for five to ten minutes then the neck should start to loosen up.

Use an Ice Pack

Besides doing a gentle massage, another effective technique that can be used to loosen the neck muscles is to place an ice pack on the sore area, which should slow help to relieve the pain and reduce the inflammation. An ice pack can often be used over a period of 72 hours if the stiffness persists.

In most cases the sore neck is a result of sleeping in an awkward position and because of that you wake up hurting. However, if the aches seem to be more persistent and noticeable than usual it might mean that something more serious is the problem. Neck or back pain can be serious, so if the symptoms of a sore neck include numbness, fever, or a headache then it is often best to visit a doctor to find the full extent of the problem.