Have you woken up with a stiff neck, began to get headaches after working at your computer, or even had to reach for painkillers to ease your neck pain?
If so, this blog is for you and tells you how to cure neck pain fast!
Why Do I Have Neck Pain?
Neck pain can have a number of causes, but a common cause is people spending a lot of time staring down – whether that’s at a computer screen at work (or worse, their laptop), driving, reading or looking at their smartphones.
All these activities have the same effect, certain muscles in your neck become weak, the neck’s posture puts undue pressure on the muscles and joints, and it can feel stiff because it no longer moves as freely. This stiffness also comes with neck pain.
And on top of all this, many people sleep with their necks in a poor position, and may be 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, if there are specific trauma-related incidents such as car incidents, falls or sporting injuries that cause neck pain can trigger long term neck pain that lasts for months—or years.
How To Cure Your 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 attention immediately rather than trying to self-treat or wait for any upcoming appointments that you may have.
If you aren’t suffering with any of the above, then there are some simple, but effective home remedies to cure neck pain fast without painkillers.
How To Cure Your 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 begin 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 15 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, make sure that the source of ice or heat is not directly touching your skin.
How To Cure Your 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 and comprehensive 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 pain and tightness to the affected area which slows recovery.
How To Cure Your 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 (or any pain for that matter). 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 manual PT, stretching and exercises.
With our approach to Physical Therapy at the Empire Sports Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, our goal is to help you recover from neck injuries and re-introduce the activities you love (and need to do)– 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 workouts, sports and activities you love without having to suffer with the current consequences (neck pain in this scenario).
Neck pain can be triggered, and certainly made worse by how we sleep. If you find that your neck pain is worse in the morning, or you 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).
First, check that you have a firm mattress—which 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 due to the hips being lower than the rest of your body (sorry to tell you, but your hips are the heaviest part of your body.
The second factor is ensuring that you use a properly fit pillow. Like 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. We highly recommend Pillowise pillows, which are custom fit to you to ensure you sleep in the proper position. For more information on Pillowise pillows, click on this link to their website or call us at 845-675-8444 and set up a time to be fit and a trial.
Finally, it is generally better to sleep on your back, or your side—compared to sleeping on your belly. If you sleep on your front, it is likely that your neck will be twisted to one side, and when you are in this position for hours at a time overnight, you will create a lot of stiffness in the morning.
How To Cure Your 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 you’re positioned.
Is your head pushed forward?
Are your shoulders slouched over?
Are your hips, shoulder and head aligned 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 decrease the pressure on your overworked neck muscles.
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 often.
When To Get Help To Cure Your 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 quickly, 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 we are here to help.
At Empire Sports Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, we have worked with thousands of patients to 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:
If you want to read more of our informative blogs, click the link below: Click Here To Read More Of Our Physical Therapy Blog Articles Click Here To Read – Can Stress Cause Body Aches And Pains? Click Here To Read –Is This a Migraine or Could It Be Your Neck? We also have free, downloadable reports for people with Back Pain, Knee Pain, Neck Pain, Foot and Ankle Pain, or Shoulder Pain Want videos on demand? Check Out Our YouTube Channel (Remember to hit subscribe so you don’t miss out on our new videos!)