Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Neck Pain - Home Treatment
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
Even if you need medical treatment such as prescription medicines for your neck pain, the following home treatment measures will help speed your recovery.
Heat or ice
There is not strong evidence that either heat or ice will help. But it won't hurt to try them.
- Use a heating pad on a low or medium setting for 15 to 20 minutes every 2 or 3 hours.
- Take a warm shower in place of one session with the heating pad.
- You can buy single-use heat wraps that last up to 8 hours.
- Try an ice pack for 10 to 15 minutes every 2 to 3 hours.
Get moving, but carefully
- Ease back into your normal daily activities as soon as you can. Movement helps your muscles stay strong.
- Avoid activities such as lifting and sports that make pain and stiffness worse.
- Do stretching and strengthening exercises to keep your neck flexible and strong and prevent stiffness.
- Avoid or change any activities that may be causing your neck pain, such as sitting for a long time at the computer or doing too much overhead work at a time.
- Gently massage or rub the area to relieve pain and encourage blood flow. Don't massage the injured area if it causes pain. Nonprescription creams or gels, such as Bengay, may provide pain relief.
Take pain relievers
- Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can help relieve pain.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including aspirin (such as Bayer), ibuprofen (such as Advil), and naproxen (such as Aleve), can help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than 20 because of the risk of Reye syndrome.
Practice good health habits
- Try to reduce stress and tension at work and home.
- Practice muscle relaxation exercises.
- Consider getting a massage.
- Stop smoking. Smoking slows healing because it decreases blood supply and delays tissue repair.
- Exercise regularly, including aerobic exercise such as walking.
For more information, see the topics Stress Management, Quitting Smoking, and Fitness.
An important part of home treatment is learning how to keep from hurting your neck again. For more information, see Prevention.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: March 15, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Robert B. Keller, MD - Orthopedics | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network