Have you ever woken up with a tight and uncomfortable feeling around your neck?

Like you can’t move your neck, and if you do it turns out to be very painful? Stiff neck is a condition that many people experience frequently. The feeling usually goes away on its own after a few days, so you don’t need to get worried about the situation getting serious.

What are the possible causes of a stiff neck?

• Injury – a neck injury can lead to astiff For example, if you jerk your neck suddenly, you injure the neck muscles and ligaments which can subsequently cause injury, pain, and stiffness. Neck injuries can happen when undertaking in sporting activities, through a fall or a motor accident.
• Muscle spasms – stiffness can occur involuntarily especially when the nerves sends individual messages to your muscles making them contract
• Stress – stress is an emotion that the body responds to by tensing the muscles. If you are under tremendous stress, then your stiffness can occur as a form of response to stress by the body.
• Sleeping posture – neck stiffness can be as result of poor sleeping posture. When you sleep, your body gets into a relaxed Therefore, a sudden poor sleeping posture can cause the muscles around your neck to pull causing stiff neck
• Arthritis – Arthritis in particular rheumatoid arthritis is a common cause ofstiff Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that targets the neck joints causing neck pains and stiffness.
• Meningitis – Meningitis is a condition that infects the fluids surrounding the brain and the spinal cord. For this condition, stiff neck is a common symptom so if you find that none of the above factors is the reason for your stiff neck, you may want to see a doctor immediately as this could be a possible indication of meningitis.

Possible treatment for stiff neck

• One way to treat stiff neck is by taking anti-inflammatory drugs. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are good remedies to help alleviate the neck pains associated with stiffness.
• Heat or cold treatment – heat and cold are known to be great for pain reduction and reducing inflammation. Just get an icepack and press it on the neck to bring down the swelling and reduce inflammation around your neck. A heat pack, on the other hand, will help to expand your neck muscles giving them room to relax and reduce stiffness.
• Get a proper neck pillow – if improper posture causes your stiff neck, then you will want to get a pillow that provides your neck with the needed support; this eventually reduces chances of you suffering from neck stiffness.
• Relaxation techniques –as indicated earlier, stress can lead to neck stiffness. Therefore, if your stiffness is stressrelated, you will want to find ways to reduce stress using relaxation techniques like meditation andyoga.
• Massage – for stress related stiffness, massage is also a good way to relax tensed muscles. Use natural soothing oils to massage your neck moderately with a little bit of pressure. This should help to relieve the pains and possibly undo the stiffness.
• The range of motion neck exercise – range of motion can help to alleviate neck pains and stiffness. This exercise involves rotating the neck on both sides in turns then dropping your head down. You can do this for a few days until the pain fades away and your neck gets normal.
• Sleep on a firm and comfortable mattress – poor sleeping position encourages stiff neck and neck pains. It is even worse when you sleep on the wrong mattress. Always sleep on a firm mattress that supports your body weight. Also, always sleep with your head aligned with the spine. Avoid sleeping on your stomach and do not sleep on pillows that are too thick.
• You can get a comfortable and firm mattress from sleepjunkie.org.