How to Treat Neck Spasms at Home

A muscle spasm is an unintentional tightening of muscles in a given body part. These spasms often cause intense pain. This pain can remain for a while after the muscle relaxes and the spasm recedes. Spasms can occur anywhere in your body, including the neck.

Neck spasm symptoms
When people feel a neck spasm, they will feel a sudden and sharp pain in the neck, deep in the muscle tissue. The affected muscle may feel tight or hard and it may be painful to move your neck.

Treatment of neck spasm
Neck spasms treatment can often be done at home without medical intervention if the causes are common and non-serious. Below we will outline some helpful exercises and other home remedies to ease your neck spasms.

Exercises
Here are three simple stretches you can do at home or work to ease neck spasms and pain:

Simple neck stretch
1. Stand or sit down with your head pointing forward
2. Loosely place your hands behind your head, using the neck, turn your head to the right
3. Use the arms to lightly push your chin towards the right side of your chest
4.Hold it there for 15 seconds
5. Repeat three times for both sides

Scalene stretch
1. Stand or sit with both of your hands behind your back
2. While pushing one shoulder down, tilt your head towards the opposite side until you feel a slight stretch in your neck
3. Hold this position for up to 30 seconds and return to a regular position
4. Repeat three times for each side

Head lift with neck curl
1. On a flat surface, lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the ground
2. Tuck the chin into your chest, lift your head up around three inches from the floor, keeping your shoulders on the floor
3. Hold for 10 seconds
4. Repeat five to six times
5. Try holding your head up longer as you continue doing this exercise

Home Remedies

Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication
There are many OTC pain medications that could help relieve neck pain, such as:

- Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
- Aspirin
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Naproxen sodium (Aleve)

OTC medications reduce muscle tension by lowering inflammation that increases the pain from neck spasms. Whenever taking these medications, follow the dosage recommendations closely. Some OTC can be harmful when going over the dosage.

Ice packs
People have used ice for a long time to relieve pain. According to the experts, ice is able to relieve muscle pain for a short-term and can be used repeatedly throughout the day. It’s not clear how exactly ice relieves pain but it seems that ice can dull the nerves, which stops or reduces the sharpness of muscle spasms.

Never put ice packs directly on your skin. You should instead place an ice pack between the folds of a towel. Although you can reapply ice packs once an hour, never apply for over 10 minutes at a time.

Massage
Another effective short-term method to ease neck spasms is a massage. You can relieve tension and ease neck spasms by applying pressure to the neck muscles. A 2014 study found short massage therapies can considerably reduce neck pain.

It’s very easy to give your self a relieving massage. Gently but firmly press on the tight part of your neck and move your fingers in a small circle. You can also ask a family member or friend to help you.

When to call your doctor
There are different causes for neck spasms, some are more serious than others. If your symptoms don’t improve after a week or your neck pain was caused by a fall or injury, talk to a doctor right away. Another reason to get in touch with a doctor is when your neck spasms or pain keeps you up at night.

Seek emergency medical help if you experience symptoms of meningitis:

- Headaches
- Sudden chills or high fever
- Stiff neck
- Purple areas on the skin that resemble bruises