How to get rid of neck pain and stiffness after waking up? New

With winter approaching and the cold gradually increasing, many of you might feel stiffness, tightness, and pain in your neck in the morning.  This is commonly known as Morning Neck Stiffness. It feels as if someone has tightly tied a cloth around your neck, making it difficult for you to move.  

Sometimes, it’s accompanied by intense pain. However, there’s no need to worry, as I’ll share some simple tips and exercises with you that can provide almost immediate relief. This can even permanently solve your problem.  

First, let’s discuss what could be causing this.  

What causes morning neck stiffness?

The most common reason is sleeping in the wrong position at night. Another cause could be the stress we experience throughout the day, which is often linked to our working habits.  

Regardless of the cause, the tips I’m going to share will be very helpful for you.  

Sleeping in wrong position

One main issue is sleeping in the wrong position. For example, some people have a habit of sleeping on their stomachs. When you lie on your stomach, the alignment of your neck is slightly disturbed.  

In normal weather, there may be no issue, but during the cold season, muscles tend to be stiffer, and if we sleep incorrectly, the chances of increased stiffness rise.  

So, try to sleep straight on your back and avoid lying on your stomach.

Using thick pillow

Another cause is the use of a thick pillow while sleeping. Nowadays, many people use mobile phones at bedtime and sleep on thick pillows. Ideally, you should sleep on a thin pillow.  

If you frequently experience neck pain, you could try a cervical pillow, a special type of pillow designed for neck support. If you sleep on your side, make sure your neck alignment is straight and your neck isn’t twisted.  

You can place your hand under your head or slightly fold the pillow to help align your neck properly. Moreover, the fatigue and stress from the entire day can also lead to morning stiffness.  

Exercises for morning neck stiffness

So, how can we relieve this problem?  

Firstly, we should include neck pain exercises into our daily routine with shoulder relaxation exercises. These are very simple exercises.  You should include these exercises in your daily routine.

The ideal time is right after you wake up. Take 5–10 minutes to freshen up, then do these exercises, and your stiffness will reduce. If you do these exercises regularly for 3–4 days or a week, you’ll no longer experience morning stiffness.  

Neck stretching exercise

The first exercise is the neck stretching exercises. We have to stretch neck muscles on both the left and right sides. So, let’s start with left side neck muscle.

1. To stretch the left side neck muscles, take your right hand and place it gently on your left ear.
2. Then, pull it to the right side like this.
3. Hold it for at least 30 seconds, then relax and release.
4. Then, repeat the same process on the other side. Hold it for 30 seconds and then relax. 

You need to make sure you stretch only until you feel a comfortable stretch in your neck.  

Upper back stretching

Next, we also need to stretch the upper back muscles, particularly the shoulder blades, because stiffness in the shoulders can also cause neck stiffness.  

1. To stretch the left shoulder blade muscles, lift your left arm in front of your chest.
2. Now, grab your left elbow with your right hand, and then pull it towards your chest.
3. Pull it gently so that you will feel a comfortable stretch in your upper back or spine.
4. Hold this position for at least 10 to 30 seconds, then relax and release.  
5. Now, repeat the same process on the right side.
6. Repeat this at least three to four times in each session.  

Neck side bending

Now, moving on to another neck exercise: side bending.  

1. Your starting position for this exercise should stand or sit straight and relaxed.
2. Then slowly bend your neck to the right side, and then slowly bend to the left side.
3. Do this for each side 10 times, so bend to the left side 10 times.  

Neck rotation

The next exercise is neck rotation.

1. Your starting position will be similar to the last one, ie. sit or stand straight.
2. Now slowly rotate your neck to left side. Then rotate to the right side.
3. Do this 10 times to the left and 10 times to the right.  

Shoulder relaxation exercise

Let’s also relax the shoulders, as shoulder stiffness can affect the neck overall.  There are other advanced shoulder exercises with resistance bands, but a simple way to relax the shoulders is with the shoulder shrug exercise with shoulder forward and backward rotation.  

1. You need to perform this exercise in a standing position. So, stand straight and relaxed, and then raise your shoulders and then lower them back down. Do this 10 times.
2. Next is shoulder forward and backward rotation. Rotate your shoulders forward, then, shoulder backward rotation. Do 10 forward rotations and 10 backward rotations as well. 
3. This will quickly help release the stiffness around your neck.

Home tips for morning neck stiffness

Here’s another useful tip.  

If you often experience neck pain, apply a good pain relief balm before sleeping. Apply it to the areas where you feel pain in your neck. Most commonly, pain occurs in the supraspinatus region and around the shoulder blade muscles on the back, where stiffness tends to build up.  

Apply the balm thoroughly in these areas, and leave it for 10 minutes. In those 10 minutes, the balm will be absorbed by your body and will relax your muscles. Then, after 10 minutes, you should apply a warm compress to the area.  

You can give the warm compress in any way you prefer.  I recommend using an electric hot water bag. It’s very effective and easy to use.  You just need to connect it to electricity, leave it for 10 minutes, and it will heat up on its own. Then, apply it to the areas where you feel pain.  

This reduces the chances of stiffness in the morning because you’ve already relaxed your muscles at night.  

In the morning, you should do the simple exercises I’ve explained.

Keep Reading: How to Use Shiatsu Massager for Neck and Back| A Review

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Sunit. S. Ekka

Dr Sunit Sanjay Ekka is a physiotherapist in practice for the last 15 years. He has done his BPT from one of the premium Central Government physiotherapy colleges, ie, SVNIRTAR. The patient is his best teacher and whatever he gets to learn he loves to share it on his Youtube channel and blog.