Stiffness in the neck can be a royal pain in the neck. Whether you wake up with a stiff neck, or you have done something that has aggravated your neck- a stiff neck and affect many aspects of your life. A stiff neck usually involves the muscles of your neck being affected. Stiffness of these muscles decreases mobility of your neck and causes neck pain. You may notice that is hard and painful to turn your head when driving or sitting.

There are many things that can cause stiffness in the neck: Sleeping on too many pillows or not using the right neck pillow at night can adversely affect the muscles of your neck. Being involved in a a car accident or trauma where your neck/head was affected. Sometimes even a mild trauma like a whiplash can have a lasting effect on your neck muscles and structures. Perhaps, it is your workstation at work? Have you changed something at work - ie the position of your chair or maybe you are talking on the phone with your head in an awkward position for a long time? Another big activity that can cause stiffness in the neck is working out- lifting too much weight or lifting too much weight is a common culpit of stiffness and muscle spasm of the neck. Finally, turning your head unexpectedly can also cause severe neck pain, increasing the muscle spams.

Changing your mattress and neck pillow can make a big difference in preventing a stiff neck in the morning. A pillow that puts your head and neck in the proper alignment is very important for a restful sleep. The Cervical traction neck pillow has a special "V" in the middle which aligns your head and neck while sleeping. Also, there is no need to use multiple pillows for sleeping- this brings your head and neck forward, further straining the neck muscles. The Neck pain Relief Kit carries many different type of neck pillows. Not all neck pillows are the same. Some specialize in traction, support, some for acute care of neck pain.



Another great idea is to start doing neck exercises everyday- that will decrease the stiffness and pain, increase your neck range of motion and help you sleep better at night. Hope this helps. Check out Dr.Bellingerf Neck Pain Relief Kit for pictures with illustration for neck exercises. Usually, right after the neck pain starts, there will be some inflammation. So in this case, an ice pack on the back of the neck for 20-30 minutes will be helpful. Take it off for 20-30 minutes and repeat this process a few times today. This should ease the pain and reduce any inflammation. Once the pain has resolved you can then use heat to loosen stiff muscles.