If you’ve ever experienced a stiff neck before, then you understand how uncomfortable, awkward and painful it can be. While neck pain from a stiff neck tends to disappear on its own within a few minutes, hours or week or two at worst, it’s still not a fun condition to deal with or tolerate. Getting massage therapy for stiff neck is one of the quickest ways to ease this issue and get back to normal. Unfortunately, due to either time or money constraints, not everyone can afford to go to a massage therapist anytime their neck feels tense or is in pain. Learning how to massage a stiff neck by yourself is a much easier and affordable way to deal with this case. If you have been trying to give yourself a stiff neck massage at home with no luck or relief, then you are in the right place. Stick around to learn the causes of this condition and how to avoid them, stiff neck massage points to help relieve this pain fast, and much more.
The neck, like any other body part, is made up of a complex network of bones and tissue that together to not only support the head and its movements, but also are prone to injury or tension from overuse.
When the neck is stiff, you will find it hard to move your neck and turn your neck. According to the MayoClinic some symptoms associated with this issue include
The first step in fixing any problem is knowing and understanding what causes it. Some factors that could be causing pain in your neck include
The act of leaning over a workbench, computer or to read a book puts a strain in the neck muscles which eventually leads to pain. Try placing your laptop or book at eye level to ensure that you aren’t slouching for long periods.
According to an article by Harvard Health Publishing, the best sleeping postures that will reduce the likelihood of this happening again are sleeping on your back or on your side. Getting a proper pillow for each sleeping position is also essential.
In a review study done on teenage participants and published in 2019, researchers found that including stress and other psychological issues like depression, anxiety, catastrophizing, as well as a lack of social support increases the instances of neck pain in adolescents (10).
However, arthritis doesn’t discriminate and will affect any body part with bones and joints. Cervical spondylosis is the name of arthritis that affects the spinal disks in your neck and one of its symptoms is a stiff painful neck (2).
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Yes, it can. Massage therapy for stiff neck is one of the many treatments available for this condition. It should be noted that a massage will not work everytime as the best treatment for this issue is largely dependent on what caused it.
If you suspect that your neck pain is the cause of either poor posture i.e. slouching, an awkward sleeping position, trauma or whiplash, then massaging will very likely elevate the pain. For more serious issues – or if a massage doesn’t work -, it would be best to speak to a doctor and probably seek medication.
When it comes to massages, you can either choose to do it yourself or to seek a professional with better knowledge. If you’d prefer to see a professional to help relieve this pain, Spine Health suggests asking for either (7)
Studies over the years have shown that deep tissue massages can not only help manage pain and increase your range of motion, but they can also aid recovery after injury (3, 4). In light of this, for those suffering from neck pains caused by some kind of muscle strain or sprain, this would be the best massage to ask for.
If you’d prefer to just learn how to manage this pain away yourself, then learning about stiff neck massage points is a great way to help you better target the pain next time. The theory of massage points aka pressure points can be traced back to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurveda and Siddha medicine, as well as martial arts.
Touching or massaging these areas can help induce or relieve pain depending on how the points are touched and the pressure used. This practice, also known as acupressure, has been used for over 2,000 years and continues to benefit many people around the world today in terms of pain management:
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The easiest and best way to massage a stiff neck -even without a knowledge of acupressure – is to directly target the aching area. To do this:
For acupressure massage techniques, try targeting the following points:
Also known as GB21 or the “shoulder well”, it is located at the highest point of the shoulder – about halfway between your neck and where your arms begin. Find this point and press on it firmly with your fingers while gently stretching your neck toward your opposite shoulder. Massaging this pressure point has also been found to be effective in relieving labor pains, especially in the first stage of this process (12).
The beauty or acupressure is that you do not directly need to directly massage the neck to relieve pain in that area. Also known as L14 or the “joining valley”, it is located between the base of your thumb and index (pointer) finger.
This point is said to help relieve headaches, neck or facial pain as well as stress. This point is also used to treat peripheral circulatory failure. Ps. Pregnant women are warned to avoid massaging this point (1).
Referred to as GB20 or the “wind pool”, it is found behind your earlobe, toward the top of your neck and the base of your skull. If your stiff neck comes from sleeping in a bad position, massaging this area is very likely to relieve the pain. Acupuncture at this point has also been proven to help cerebral blood velocity (circulation) (5, 6).
Also known as the central islet or TE3, this stiff neck massage point is found in the valley formed by the tendons of the pinky and ring finger behind the knuckles. Like the He Gu point, the Zhong Zu point can help relieve both headaches and neck pain caused by tension and stress.
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If both your neck and shoulders are aching, massaging the Jian Jing point is a good way to help quickly relieve this pain. Assistant stretch therapy is also a good way to ease the tension in very tight shoulders and neck. Assisted stretch therapy can be done either individually or with a partner.
Side flexion is a great example of this:
For a stiff and painful neck, both exercising and massaging can help relieve pain – but they should be done at different points. Trying to exercise with a very painful neck by stretching it can make the pain worse. Instead, massage it to release some of the tension of knots and then try stretching it.
Aside from stiff neck massages, other ways to temporarily reduce this pain include
Learning how to do a stiff neck massage on yourself is a fantastic and cost effective way to get rid of a painful tense neck in the comfort of your home. If the massage doesn’t work and the pain persists for days even after massaging and stretching, please seek professional help or better yet speak to a doctor to find any underlying cause.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!