Relieving Stiff Necks: Should You Stretch or Rest for Fast Relief- Advice from a Linwood and Northfield Chiropractor

Introduction

A stiff neck can occur after a bad nights, sleep, after having your neck in an unusual position, while watching TV or looking at your phone, or from vigorous activity, where abnormal amounts of stress can build up in your neck.

Finding the right approach to next stiffness, can increase recovery time and prevent, making your neck worse.

As experienced chiropractors in Linwood and Northfield, New Jersey we have the benefit of seeing and helping thousands of people experience neck relief from neck stiffness over the last 20+ years. We want to share some of what we have learned with you.

Understanding Stiff Necks

Neck stiffness can occur little by little from repetitive stresses that we do each and every day. This would include how we look at our phone, how our workstation is set up, where our TV is positioned in comparison to our couch or favorite chair. Little imbalances that build up to big neck tension over time. 

The other cause of a stiff neck is from performing activities that you haven’t performed in a while for extended periods of time. This can include taking a long bike ride, carrying heavy objects or groceries, or doing things that caused vibration to the arms, shoulders and neck, like hammering, or using power tools. Of course, we should always mention trauma, like banging your head, trying to get into the car or standing up in a basement with a low ceiling.

Structurally, stiff necks can also be caused from losing good posture in your neck. This puts strain on your spine and disc, stretching your nerves. Neck stiffness can also be caused by overstretched muscles, which is also caused by poor posture. 

A stiff neck can negatively impact your ability to turn your neck properly making it unsafe to drive. If left uncheck, neck stiffness can lead to neck pain, headaches, and pain that can radiate into your shoulders, arms, and hands.

The key to addressing neck stiffness is to address it promptly to prevent further discomfort or injury.

The Stretching Solution: Expert Advice from a Linwood and Northfield Chiropractor 

Before you stretch, it is always better to reduce motion in your neck and allow the muscles some time to relax. This could include not doing any vigorous activity, especially activity with your arms or shoulders. 

Try to rest your neck at least 24 to 48 hours. While you are resting, use ice on your neck 20 minutes on and 30 minutes off for at least six rounds. 

At this point some of the stiffness and inflammation should begin to subside. It is at this point that you will be able to decide if it is a better idea to rest another day or two if the neck stiffness is still present, or has gotten worse. Or, if there is noticeable improvement, this may be the right time to start very gentle stretches.

If your neck is getting worse. Please find your local chiropractor or call our Northfield and Linwood chiropractor at 609-926-8900.

Hopefully, your neck has begun to relax, and some movement has started to come back. It is at this point that you will want to start with very gentle neck stretches. The reason you want to go very slow in the beginning is because any aggravation to your neck, and it wouldn’t take much, Can cause your neck to regress back to the state that it was or could even get worse. When you stretch you only want to do a light stretch for a couple seconds and go back to icing and rest until tomorrow so you can fully assess the condition of your neck and the benefits of those stretches. You can always slowly add more tomorrow, but you can’t undo overdoing it. 

Here is a video with some neck stretches that you may like to try. Always start with a modified version and work your way up to whatever you see in the video. Make sure you are warmed up before first. You can start by taking a walk or use a sweatshirt that covers your neck.

The Rest Approach: Insights from a Northfield and Linwood Chiropractor

Rest is always the first step, because it is the safest step towards fast, long, lasting relief.

Physically, rest includes keeping your neck in a good posture, or resting your head in a comfortable position on a pillow so you do not have to carry your head weight. However, when you do get up, make sure you use your hands to lift your neck so you’re not using your neck muscles which could become aggravated.

The other component of rest for the neck requires not doing any activity that causes vibration or stress to your arms, shoulders, upper back or neck.

Rest also includes the use of ice or heat. It is always better to start with ice. The best way to use Ice is 20 minutes on and 40 minutes off for six rounds. Make sure you try ice first, because it is the best at dealing with inflammation and acute injuries to your spine and muscles.

When using heat, you may find that it feels very relaxing, but beware because when you remove the heat, the muscles can go into spasm. I don’t suggest trying heat unless you’ve already found that ice wasn’t providing you with a significant benefit over two or three days. 

When implementing heat try just 5 minutes with heat and 40 minutes without heat. In between see how your body responds to heat. If you have a favorable response, you can increase the time up to 20 minutes of heat and 2 hours without heat.

Here is a link to more ICE or HEAT instructions with links to ice packs and heating pads.

Here is a video with more information about ICE vs. HEAT:

Equally important is mental rest. Do your best not to worry about what you aren’t getting done or that you were planning to do. Keep a notepad or phone to get thoughts out of your head, so you know they are stored someplace safe, so you don’t have to keep going over your list in your head.

Chiropractors in Linwood and Northfield, New Jersey, recommend combining rest with other therapies for optimal results

When you start to experience relief and mobility begins to be restored to your neck, it may be a good time to learn about some therapies that can promote better health to your neck to avoid neck stiffness and injury in the future.

Here is a great video to show you some great at home neck therapy equipment you can use to take tension off your neck each day. This will allow your neck to get healthier, handle stress better, and recover faster.

Finding the Balance: Integrating Stretching and Rest

The fastest way to experience relief and reduce the risk of further injury, is to know when to stretch, and when the rest. There are a number of individual factors that a chiropractor in Linwood and Northfield, New Jersey, would use to determine when either rest and stretching, both, or even if additional therapies would be appropriate. 

Chiropractors have the ability to take a thorough history, understand your work and at home demands, evaluate x-rays, MRI’s and overall spine and disc health, as well as, muscle flexibility and vulnerability. This combination of skills allows a chiropractor to find a comprehensive and individualized care plan to address the specific needs of your neck and the cause of your neck stiffness. 

Don’t let these types of problems go on for years and turn into arthritis and disc problems that become a lot harder to address. 

Learn how to take care of your neck, spine, and muscles early and often to keep you healthy and active as you age.

Additional Tips for Neck Health

Some additional health tips would include using good posture, setting up, workstations to alleviate stress on your neck, and finding a good pillow.

Seeking regular chiropractic care can help to keep the joints of your spine adjusted and moving so that they could stay healthy and young and last longer. It is also good to maintain muscle flexibility so that they could handle stress and not be overwhelmed by tension. 

In the end, every good plan requires good habits that reduce tension on your neck in the first place, along with consistency and time performing health promoting activities that improve the health and posture of your spine, and the flexibility and strength of your neck muscles. If you can apply these concepts in the right measure, you will notice the health of your neck improve over time.

Conclusion

It is very important to learn how to restore health to your neck. Our body parts go through so much throughout our lifetime and keeping a healthy neck is vital for feeling good and being active as you age.

Knowing when to stretch, when to rest, when to apply ice or heat, will determine how fast you recover. This is also a great opportunity to improve the health of your neck, which may have been slowly declining over the years. Sometimes, it is when we experience pain that we first learn there was a problem. So use every opportunity you can to improve your health.

If you need help knowing where to start consult with a chiropractor in Lynnwood or Northfield, New Jersey. They can give you a comprehensive analysis on the health of your neck and provide you with an individualized care plan that will allow you to get well fast and stay well longer. What you learn can even be beneficial to help you minimize relapses that can stop you from living your life.

Being proactive with self-care is the number one way to experience better health, reduce the risk of injury, and keep healthcare affordable.

If you need help with anything, you can always leave a comment in the section below or email me at drjohnfresh@gmail.com. 

My book, The Health Equation has tons of great information about getting and staying healthy, active, and young. 

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