Getting Rid of a Stiff Neck

Getting Rid of a Stiff Neck

I woke up with a stiff neck this morning; ick. But after taking certain actions I am nearly pain-free less than 12 hours later. The following is how I relieved this uncomfortable, painful problem, and hopefully this information will be helpful to others. I am a massage therapist and help people everyday who are in pain. Today I was given the mixed blessing to work my professional know-how on myself. I've learned new things, and reinforced the efficacy of others. 

(Please note: I hope this information is helpful to you, but I cannot guarantee results, and please use your common sense in ensuring your own safety and well-being. (If you have other symptoms beyond just mild-moderate neck pain on one side and are concerned, check the National Institute of Health site.))

Stiff Neck Onset & Symptoms 

What a pain in the neck! says Lauren.

As in most cases, the onset of my stiff neck began  a couple days ago, but other than slightly reduced range of motion, and vague stiffness on one side, I felt no discomfort. But this morning the monster awoke and unleashed its wrath. Upon opening my eyes, I could feel the classic symptoms of a stiff neck: constant dull pain, focused on one side, and increasing to sudden, exquisite stabs of pain with certain movements. At its worst, a stiff neck hurts despite any movement, and the goal becomes to find the least painful position for your neck.

5 Steps to a Happier Neck
Luckily, there are some quick and easy steps you can take to work through and minimize a stiff neck. But keep in mind

• There is no silver bullet - you can recover from a stiff, painful neck sooner by taking action right away, but you will likely still feel mild discomfort or reduced range of motion for a couple days before full recovery, and  
• Different things work for different people - I am a licensed massage therapist and am presenting my viewpoint. You might find completely different resolutions to a stiff neck. Please feel free to comment with your methods.

Ok, you wake up with a painful and stiff neck, what to do? In general, think "Moderate Your Stress, Increase Your Circulation." Keep in mind, by moderating your (sense of) stress, your body will automatically increase circulation. The first four suggestions  should take 30-45 minutes to complete. The fifth suggestion is equally important and is dedicated to whatever you like to do to reduce stress, be it get bodywork, hike or go for a swim, etc. The last 2 'bonus' suggestions are quick and easy to incorporate, and will help your neck feel better, but less directly than the other 5 points.  

• 1) Therapeutic Exercises (8-12 minutes): move your neck in tiny, gentle, discreet contractions, using your hands to push against. Do the same for shoulders, scrunching them up and rolling them forwards and backwards, slowly and rhythmically. I recommend this video from Dr. Ben Benjamin. *** Note the model in the video does not have a stiff neck. Move slowly, cautiously and push very gently. But DO follow along, it is a very worthwhile eight minutes of your time. *** 
• 2) Cold pack (10-15 minutes): At first, it might seem more comforting to reach for the hot pack or take a hot shower, but instead use a cold pack. The cold will slow down the muscle spindle - the part of the muscle that causes contractions (and thus spasms). It doesn't have to be icy or numbing. A gel pack wrapped in a towel will feel comforting and provide relief. Please refer to my earlier blog on 'Hydrotherapy Part I' and Hydroptherapy Part II for more information, including on the use of both hot and cold therapy.
• 3) Conscious Breathing (8-12 minutes): Spend a few minutes focusing on your breath. Breathe into your ribcage and focus on mobilizing your ribs. Several neck and shoulder muscles are attached to your ribs and will benefit from this. Let your lungs gently fill and push your ribcage outward in all directions. Keep your belly soft and allow it to expand gently as well. Begin with expanding your ribcage to the front (4-5 breaths), then to the back (imagine breathing into your spine - 4-5 breaths). If it's hard to feel movement, place a hand where you want the movement to be. Also, imagine you can feel movement where you want it to be. Next, focus on your ribcage expanding sideways (4-5 times). Do not force your breathing, but rather let it grow and increase gently. (Your neck vertebrae are directly connected to your lungs via ligaments). Then relax your focus and breath normally, feeling for the change in your awareness and breathing.
• 4) Apply Topical analgesic (2-3 minutes) - I like Tiger Balm (available in many grocery stores), Sombra (available online or through practitioners, and Zheng Gu Shui (available online and through practitioners). If you don't like the smell or feel of camphor, Topricin, Traumeel and Arnica gels are also very effective. Give yourself some self-massage for a few minutes but don't overwork your muscles, you might just bruise the already irritated tissue. 

These first four suggestions can be accomplished in about a half hour or forty-five minutes. They should be helpful, if anything hurts, then stop. And though you may be busy, it's better to take action sooner than later. Repeat at end of day and the following morning. The last suggestion is also important, but may not be as easy to squeeze into a full schedule. But if that is the case, then it may be an indication that it is exactly what is most needed. 

Step 5 warrants a post all its own. Check it out here. 

Hydrotherapy Part II

HYDROTHERAPY PART II

(Here's the link to Hydrotherapy Part I)

This is a continuation of an earlier post, wherein I described the use of warm and cold packs or a combination of the two to help alleviate pain and speed healing. Here are some further thoughts, in Q & A form, on using hydrotherapy:

Q: Why should I use Hydrotherapy?
A: No doubt about it, hydrotherapy takes a little time and effort. So why bother? Pain is a great motivator, and hydrotherapy is an excellent, easy, non-invasive, cheap and readily available way to quickly reduce pain (and perhaps get a good night's sleep). Just using hot and cold packs to address a specific area for a few moments, or soaking in a warm tub and rinsing off with a 30-second cold shower for a full-body treatment can bring comfort and relief.

Q: How often should I use hot/cold packs?
A: It is typically recommended to administer hydrotherapy for 15-20 minutes every hour for three hours per day. I personally recommend do just do what you can, as far as you're motivated, and don't beat yourself up if you only do a little bit. If all you can manage is to slap on a frozen bag of peas to your shoulder while you catch the evening news or read an article, that's great.

Q: How long should a hydrotherapeutic session last?
A: Hydrotherapy sessions should not extend past 20 minutes per treatment. If you're taking hot bath, don't over do it. If you have a cold pack applied, do not fall asleep with it on, if you're using a heating pad, do not forget about it or fall asleep with it. Too much of either hot or cold therapy can cause unnecessary inflammation, and thus cause pain and inhibit the healing process.

Q: How do I know which to use, Hot? Cold? Both?
A: Go with what works best for you. Be fair to yourself and give each a try. I am a big advocated of contrast hydrotherapy (using both hot and cold), but more than anything, I recommend using what works best for you. Remember, contrast therapy uses a 3:1 ratio, with warm being applied for 3 minutes and cold for 1 minute. You can play around with the timing, just stick to the ratio of 3:1 and always end on cold.

Me and Qigong

After two years of saying 'shoulda, coulda, woulda' about learning some qigong for self-care, I finally jumped in to the summer session taught at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) in late July. The specific form we learned was Hui Gong (pronounced "way gong"), which means "Heart Wisdom" qigong and focuses on the energy of the Heart. This form is taught in the summer as the 'Heart' is a part of the Fire element, which corresponds to the hot, bright month's of the year's cycle, summer.

Qigong from afar looks kind of like a person pretending to swim very slowly underwater, or perhaps dancing among the clouds with some flourishes of the hands thrown in for poetic dazzlement. Really, it is a beautiful form of combined mindful exercise, breath and meditation. Each movement and repetition has a very specific wisdom, purpose, meaning and execution.  I find it helpful, and very interesting, to know the story behind each motion, but it is not necessary to understand the background in order to get the benefits of the exercise.

I was finally prompted learn and practice qigong because of a worsening overuse injury to my shoulder. Indeed, the exercise worked wonders and I am amazed how quickly I began to heal and feel less pain immediately after the first class. Ideally, I would practice the Hui Gong routine daily (it takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes for a sesssion), but I usually manage 4-5 times per week.

Also, in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) paradigm, the physical is not separate from the mental, emotional and spiritual health of a person - all of these things combined is well-being. So while my qigong exercise helps with my shoulders, arms and neck, it also helps me to deal with stress, be more communicative, and especially, achieve a deep sense of self-security and calm, as I've noticed over the past several weeks.

Hydotherapy, Part I

"Hey Kate, What is hydrotherapy and how should I use it?" you might ask. "Hydrotherapy," I would answer, "Is the use of water for therapeutic reasons"

The term can refer to drinking extra water to help flush toxins from your system, released during a bodywork session. But more often hydrotherapy is used to describe using heat or cold to encourage the body's healing process.

Hot (Thermo) Hydrotherapy
Using heat can be very comforting to tense muscles, though I would not encourage it on injured muscles alone. Contrast hydotherapy (the use of both hot and cold) is ok, but I am getting ahead of myself. The idea with using heat is that it increases blood flow and thus nutrients, hydration, white blood cells and other good stuff to an area that needs it. Hot hydrotherapy can come from an electric heating pad, a hot water bottle, hot tub, sauna, steam room, hot shower, etc. As with all forms of hydrotherapy, it is key to not overdue it; do not use heat for more than about 15-20 minutes, or else it will increase inflammation in the area and be counterproductive to healing and relaxation. 

Cold (Cryo) Hydrotherapy
Using cold packs is great! I highly encourage using more cold packs - this coming from someone who used to hate even the thought of ice packs. But I've learned, you don't have to use ice - just using cool is even beneficial. Cold therapy slows down muscle spasm, calms down the inflammation response, and actually can increase circulation, just like hot hydrotherapy. Cryotherapy can come from ice cubes in a plastic bag, a cold pack, a frozen bag of peas, or even submersion in a bathtub of cold water, augmented with several trays worth of ice cubes. Again, do not overuse any form of cold hydrotherapy - use cold for max 15-20 minutes, otherwise it becomes counterproductive, just like in hot hydrotherapy.

Contrast (Hot-and-Cold) Hydrotherapy
Contrast therapy is a really great way to get the benefits and comforts of both hot and cold hydrotherapies. The cold calms down spasming muslces, while the heat keeps from the area from  up too much. Contrast hydrotherapy is invigorating and the routine ensures that you don't get bored or distracted and leave a cold or hot pack on for too long. It can be seen as more work, but if you use a shower to switch from cold to hot and back again, it can be a pretty convenient and effective way to get the maximum benefits from both hot and cold. There are two 'rules' to keep in mind with contrast therapy. 1) Use the ratio of 1:3 for cold and hot therapies. Use a cold pack for 1 minute, followed by a hot pack for 3 minutes, and so on. Or use cold for 3 minutes and warm for 9 minutes, etc. And 2) Always end on cold, to discourage inflammation.