How To Cure A Stiff Neck

Hello, I'm Dr. Gemma Newman, and I'm a GP and broadcaster. And today, I'd like to help you with a few tips to improve your health.

I'd like to talk to you today about how to cure a stiff neck. Now unfortunately, it's a really common problem and around 2 in 3 of us will have a stiff neck at some stage in our lives. There's a few things I'd like to point out first to you that might make a stiff neck more serious.

If you have any weakness or numbness in the arms, if you have any difficulty of walking, if you have any problems with your bladder or bowel which are associated with a stiff neck, if you are having any fevers, or if you've got any underlying medical conditions like arthritis or cancer, it's important to see your doctor. Alright, so, how do we cure a stiff neck? Well, it depends on the cause sometimes. It may be simple wear and tear, and that does tend to happen as you get older.

Although most often, it's a simple sprain of muscles or ligaments around the neck, don't forget that the neck is a very important part of the spinal cord. It's the most flexible and has to support the weight of your head. So what do we do to prevent neck sprains and stiffness? Well, the first thing I would suggest is that it's really important to pay close attention to your posture.

Especially if you have a desk job, or if you tend to hunch up by a computer, it does tend to make neck strains more likely so it's worth paying attention to that. Things like yoga or pilates are really good for maintaining posture, and I'd recommend that if you haven't tried it that you do if you are prone to getting stiff necks. Time is a great healer, and often, if you do have a stiff neck, a few days are all you need to get back on track.

If you are in a lot of pain in the meantime however, you could try pain killers. Now, I'd start off with the simple and I'd move on to the stronger. So Paracetamol is always a great first bet.

You take 2 tablets 4 times a day, and that should settle down the pain. If that's not working, you could try anti-inflammatory painkillers, things like Naproxen, Ibuprofen or Voltaril. Sometimes, you need to go to your doctors for these, and they're not suitable for everyone, so if you're not sure, go and see your GP.

If you need something stronger or to relieve muscle spasm, you might need to see your GP for a muscle relaxant medication as well. So once we've gone through painkillers and posture, we can move on to things like exercises. Now I mentioned yoga and pilates, but there are also some specific neck exercises that you can try to improve your stiff neck.

You might want to see a physiotherapist for those. I would also suggest that you look into your lifestyle and make sure that you always wear bags with 2 straps and that you always lift things with your knees, as this will help your whole spine not just your neck. I hope that you found these top tips useful and I hope that your stiff neck clears up quickly.