Stiff Neck

Dont worry. Just lie down straight on the floor or hard bed without cushion and without pillow, for a few minutes. It will be alright. more  

Rest. Bed rest is only recommended when there is a significant injury, such as a neck fracture or ruptured disc. However, modifying activities can often help reduce pain and prevent making the underlying injury worse. Some common sense advice applies. Avoid quick movements, positions that hurt, and the activity that you think caused the pain. When you do rest, keep your neck in a healthy position. Lying down for 20 to 30 minutes with your neck supported in a neutral position can be helpful. Try this: Lie on your back, with a pillow under your knees to help your back relax. Support the curve of your neck using a rolled-up towel, foam cylinder, or cervical pillow designed to support the neck. When you get up, turn onto your side and use your hands to push yourself to a sitting position. Your doctor may recommend a cervical collar (usually made of foam or plastic) to help rest your neck muscles and protect damaged tissues from painful movements. Prolonged or constant use of such collars can reduce your range of motion and weaken neck muscles, so follow your doctor’s instructions to the letter. Cold and heat. Cold numbs pain and reduces swelling. An easy way to apply cold to an injured neck is by wrapping an ice pack (or even a bag of frozen peas) in a cloth and placing it against the painful area for 15 to 20 minutes out of every hour. Do not apply ice directly to the skin for more than a minute. Heat, applied for about 15 minutes at a time, is a good way to reduce pain and stiffness and relieve muscle spasms. You can apply a heat pack directly to the sore or tense areas of your neck. You can buy hot packs and moist/dry heating pads, but a homemade hot pack works just as well. Heat a damp folded towel in a microwave oven (usually for about 10 to 60 seconds, depending on the strength of the oven and the towel’s thickness). To avoid burns, check to be sure the towel is not too hot before applying it to your neck. After an injury, use ice for a maximum of 15 to 20 minutes an hour for the first 24 to 48 hours. After that, you can alternate ice and heat or use either ice or heat alone. more  

here's your chance to get in touch with your neck...it must have been yearning for your attention, so, how does it feel to know that you have a neck? now let the neck speak.....whenever we get a body problem-learn what it is saying....for example, now, who is this entity called and what does it represent? by anatomical standards it is a large sized pipe on the back side it is called the neck and the front is called the neck+throat...now this is turning funny,anyways, we will continue....this structure houses 7 cervical vertebrae (in mammals), having the wind-pipe in front,pharynx, spinal cord carrying nerves from brain to the body...boy, neck sure is an important guy in our body-family. NECK per se represents FLEXIBILITY-the ability to see whats back there....right, now extend it further....problems of the neck curtail movement badly if nothing else affecting the windpipe,etc....NECK PROBLEMS signify-REFUSAL TO SEE OTHER SIDES OF A QUESTION. being STUBBORN, inflexible......makes sense?huh! more  

agree with Richi, dont give any heat for atleast 48 hours initially and try to move your neck in a pain free range more  

Hi, I am an experienced physiotherapist... Shiwani plz apply ice to the affected area and do mild neck movements like up and down, side bending without forcing your neck into the said direction...don't overexert. do this twice a day and within 3 days itt will resolve. Don't take too high pillow and if you suffer this often try taking cervical pillow of a good brand... more