Neck pain can feel like a relentless shadow, affecting everything from your ability to focus at work to the quality of your sleep. Whether it’s a dull ache or sharp discomfort, understanding the causes and treatments is key to finding relief. Let’s explore the common reasons behind neck pain and stiffness, and how you can reclaim comfort and mobility.
Disclaimer: The content on this site and my posts are for educational and informational purposes only and not meant as medical advice. It is not intended as medical advice or to replace a relationship with a qualified healthcare professional. There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained or cited in an article touching on medical matters is true, correct, precise, or up-to-date. Please consult a clinician that is familiar with your care, if you have specific questions for your own care.
Common Causes of Neck Pain and Stiffness
Forward Head Posture and Poor Posture: Modern lifestyles, filled with hours hunched over phones and laptops, can lead to forward head posture. This poor alignment places extra strain on your neck muscles and spine, resulting in chronic neck pain and stiffness. It is not uncommon for those with neck pain to have a vertebrae or more out of alignment
Stress and Tension: Stress doesn’t just live in your mind; it manifests in your body too. Neck pain from stress often results in tight, overworked muscles, leading to tension headaches and restricted movement.
Underlying Conditions: Issues such as herniated discs, arthritis, or pinched nerves can cause symptoms ranging from localized neck pain to discomfort radiating down your arm.
Muscle Imbalance and Dysfunction: This is a widely known cause, because if one muscle is not doing it's job, your body has to compensate in order to survive. However, a Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT) practitioner will be able to assess things like your jaw, eyes, diaphragm, pelvic floor, etc. It is not uncommon for neck pain to be caused by imbalance in the core musculature.
Neck Pain Symptoms
Stiffness and Tightness in the Neck: The inability to move your head in any direction or the feeling of getting stuck
Spinal Stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal that compresses nerve roots.
Spondylolisthesis: Misalignment of vertebrae causing nerve impingement.
Injuries or Trauma: Accidents or falls that impact the upper spine.
Headaches: neck pain often can have a hand in headaches due to the nature of the musculature
Neck Weakness: Neck weakness or difficulty holding your head up can signal muscular or neurological concerns.
Effective Treatment for Neck Pain Relief at Home
Please note that due to the complexity and people's own anatomical differences in neck pain the below activities may provide you pain relief or increase your neck pain. These are general guides to discuss with a clinician familiar with your care.
Stretches for Neck Pain: Stretches like the upper trap and levator scap stretch can relieve your neck pain. Neck pain can also be caused by immobility and tension above and below the neck. So, some stretches to the thoracic spine may help your neck pain
Neck Mobility Exercises to decrease neck stiffness. This activity can be helpful, but I do recommend you follow-up with a provider regarding it's effectiveness in your specific situation
Heat Therapy: Applying heat to sore areas is one of the simplest and most effective ways to ease muscle tension and stiffness. Heat increases blood flow, relaxes muscles, and reduces pain signals. Apply a moist heating pad for 15–20 minutes. Avoid excessive heat to prevent burns. NOTE that moist heating pads are the most effective. My favorite brands are Thermophore and Thermipaq
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Cold Therapy: Can help to decrease the inflammation as well as numb the area. Thermipaq has a a great cold pack that stays cold or purchase a cold massager to roll over the symptomatic area
Topical Magnesium: our muscles use magnesium to contract and relax so using it topically can decrease muscle tightness (without upsetting your stomach). My favorite is Trace Minerals products, their Magnesium Lotion has been out of stock recently, as I think they're switching to this spray. You can get 20% off with my Fullscript link, you just need to sign-up for an account but can continue to use this indefinitely
CBD can work on both nervous system level and physical level of pain, making it super effective.
Arnica is anti-inflammatory and a fantastic use for pain, strains, sprains, bruising , carpel tunnel and swelling. You can use my Fullscripts link here as well for a discount on arnica
St. John's Wort can be used for nerve pain
Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Chronic pain often involves an overactive nervous system that is constantly living in fight-or-flight. Calming the nervous system can reduce pain intensity and promote healing. Society today is terrible to our nervous systems and the vagus nerve. It was not programmed to handle the frequency and intensity of the stressors of today’s world. Improving vagus nerve dysfunction teaches your system to be flexible when faced with a stressor or “trigger” and how to accurately “read” them and respond appropriately. I have many free resources for vagus nerve activation on my site at www.releaseology.com/vagus plus book with me with my services below. I ALWAYS recommend the NKT Vagus Nerve Combo to assess where the pain is coming from and then relieve you, but if you want full vagus nerve time, book the Vagus Nerve Harmony Massage. If you don't live locally, I also offer vagus nerve services virtually.
Neck Pain Relief in Tempe by Releaseology - The Releaseology Difference
At Releaseology, I don’t just treat symptoms—I uncover the root cause of your pain. Using hands-on manual techniques tailored to your needs, I aim to address everything from poor posture neck pain to radiating discomfort. I look at many other things that other clinicians may overlook: a seemingly unrelated muscle, your jaw, eyes, diaphragm, core, pelvic floor, scar tissue, ligaments and nervous system. Whether it’s stress-related tension, persistent stiffness, or complex symptoms like headaches or arm pain, my approach ensures you leave feeling better and moving freely.
Don’t let neck pain hold you back any longer. Book your session today and experience the Releaseology difference firsthand. Relief is just a click away!
Any of these services will include an assessment and evaluation into your neck pain or book a free consultation below
Disclaimer: The content on this site and my posts are for educational and informational purposes only and not meant as medical advice. It is not intended as medical advice or to replace a relationship with a qualified healthcare professional. There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained or cited in an article touching on medical matters is true, correct, precise, or up-to-date. Please consult a clinician that is familiar with your care, if you have specific questions for your own care.
Medical Disclaimer
The content on this site and my posts are for educational and informational purposes only and not meant as medical advice. It is not intended as medical advice or to replace a relationship with a qualified healthcare professional. There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained or cited in an article touching on medical matters is true, correct, precise, or up-to-date. Please consult a clinician that is familiar with your care, if you have specific questions for your own care.
Essential Oils for Neck Pain Relief
More from Releaseology
Don't forget to check out other resources on my site! You can book a session with me here, find a list of conditions I treat here, find more about me here, learn how to regulate your own vagus nerve and nervous system here and read more on my blog here. Lastly, follow me on my social channels: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok!
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