Learning about the home remedies for stiff neck can help you deal with a crick in your neck, that is otherwise a harmless problem effectively, so that you don't have to spend the rest of the day acting like you had some kind of paralysis in your neck.
A cricked neck or a stiff neck can be a real pain otherwise treated properly. However, because it is not serious at all, it is also difficult to find medical or therapeutic remedies which will help you recover within a several hours. Lucky for you, we have compiled for you personally some of the best home remedies for stiff neck, which will help you recover in no time. The best part is, all these remedies are completely natural and non-intrusive, which could heal your problem without any side effects.
Before we learn about these home remedies, let us check out the common causes that might lead to your developing this condition in the first place. The most common causes of a cricked neck include:
- Sleeping within an odd position
- Hard pillows
- Sitting for prolonged hours
- Trauma or injury
- Playing sports
- Sneezing too hard
- Bad posture
- Rigorous exercise
- Stress
When you develop a stiff neck, you might find it difficult to move your head from one side to another completely. You might also have trouble sleeping and experience pain and cramps not only in your neck, but also in your shoulders, spine and lower back. If you wish to avoid all these complicated problems and obtain rid of a stiff neck inside a couple of hours, here are the best home remedies, which are super easy and super effective.
1. Essential oils
The best and maybe most effective home remedy for a stiff neck includes the use of essential oils, whose healing properties can loosen parts of your muscles, release the tension in your neck as well as increase the rate of blood flow, all of which can get rid of your condition within a couple of hours at most.
The best way to use essential oils would be to massage them onto your shoulders and neck. It is advised that you use oils like lavender, eucalyptus, juniper, rosemary and others, which are both fragrant and relaxing.
2. Light exercises
Neck workouts are one of the best ways in which you can get rid of a cricked neck. These are easy to do and they can be done immediately after you wake up, without even getting out of bed from your bed, or in your office chair, or wherever you else you spend time and you feel a crick coming on.
Rotate your head in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. You may also nod your head forwards and backwards and sideways and roll your shoulders, all of which constitute good exercises which will get rid of your condition.
3. Apple cider vinegar
If you have apple cider vinegar lying around in your house, you'll be able to also make use of that to get rid of your stiff neck problem. It's effective, as it helps in eliminating the stiffness in the muscles and whenever you are experiencing cramps, then apple cider vinegar can also help you get rid of that problem.
Soak a piece of cloth in apple cider vinegar treatment and place it on your neck for about half an hour and then remove it. Wash the region with warm water, and the pain will appear reduced immediately afterwards.
4. Heat pads
If you want to cure your condition within a couple of minutes, then you can use a heat pad, which will help you recover in no time. Heat that radiate from a heat pad allows your muscles to relax and release the strain from tour muscles, while simultaneously increasing blood circulation to the area.
If you don't have a heat pad nearby, you can also make use of a hot towel, which has the same effect.
5. Peppermint oil
Peppermint oil is definitely an exceptionally useful essential oil with regards to fixing problems like a stiff neck. It contains menthol and analgesic properties, which help in reducing the stiffness from the muscles and increases blood flow in the area, all of which eases your discomfort an helps you heal in a couple of hours.
Massage a combination of olive oil which has been warmed within the microwave, and peppermint oil onto your neck. Let the oil seep to your skin for half an hour and then wipe it off or wash it off, and feel no pain during or following the process.
6. Cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper is considered one of the best natural pain killers since it has excellent anti-inflammatory properties, and may help stimulate your muscles, so they start functioning properly again. When used properly, red pepper cayenne can get rid of the pain inside your neck within 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
Mix a tablespoon of red pepper cayenne in warm olive oil and massage it onto your neck. Make sure you wear gloves so that no accidents occur. You may feel a slight burning sensation, but after you wash it off, you will not have the crick in your neck anymore.
7. Turmeric
Turmeric is an organic substance which has been employed for ages and ages for stopping all inflammations and abrasions on our bodies, because of its wonderful anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Turmeric can not only stimulate your muscles so that the pain dissipates, but also enhance the flow of blood in that area, so that you don't create a stiff neck.
Make a paste with a few drops of water and turmeric powder and put it on your shoulders and your neck. Whenever you wash it off after half an hour, you are going to infinitely better. Turmeric paste can also be great for the skin, so it's a double bonus!
8. Acupuncture
If a cricked neck is something you suffer from on a regular basis, then you may try getting acupuncture therapy, which appeals to the core energy of your body, and heals the condition on the deep, biological level. It is a process in which thin needles are inserted into pressure points in your body to stimulate enzymes, hormones and blood circulation, to make your body perform better.
Do not test to practice acupuncture on your own. You will find professionals who are trained to identify the pressure points in your body, which can help you get better on a more long-term basis.
9. Celery leaves
If using celery like a home remedy for crick in your neck sounds odd, then there's no reason to be surprised, because celery has natural properties which will help you recover in no time. It cuts down on inflammation, and along with that, celery leaves also provide the same effect as a massage would, if you chose to go with the latter for your stiff neck problem.
The best way to use celery leaves is by extracting the juice and soaking cloth in it. Apply this wet cloth to your neck and watch your pain disappear in not time. You may also boil celery leaves and put the leave on your neck and shoulders, so that the good properties are absorbed through the body.
10. Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is an effective herbal remedy if you have a crick in the neck. The herbal properties of ashwagandha, that is a herb primarily found in the Indian subcontinent, will help you get relief from the pain, and also stimulate the muscles, so that your body is less susceptible to a stiff neck later on.
Even though you can apply ashwagandha paste to your neck, the best way to make use of this herb is by consuming it in the form of capsules, which you can have two to three times each day, to heal your problem by the end of the day, and prevent it from recurring the next day.
11. Chamomile tea
If you are looking for a simpler and much more effective remedy for a crick in the neck, then I can suggest using chamomile tea, which is also a natural remedy, much recommended by those who are prone to this problem. Chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties which soothe your neck, and the compounds present in chamomile tea also releases enzymes which could massage your muscles and increase blood flow, thereby reducing the pain that inevitably has a cricked neck.
Soak a couple of chamomile tea bags in serious trouble, and remove them. After they have cooled, put them on your neck and allow it to sit for half an hour.
A crick in your neck is one of the most common problems that you have to cope with, which is why it is always handy to have this list on hand of the best and natural home remedies for stiff neck.
Let us be aware of creative and natural ways in which you deal with a crick in your neck, in the comments section below!
