An occasional sore neck is part of life. It can happen after a long day of work or after sleeping in the wrong position. Either way, when your neck is in pain, it’s important to take steps to treat it because a sore neck puts a damper on your quality of life.

If you’re experiencing a stiff or sore neck, here are the first three things you need to do:

1. Avoid Improper Reaching

Often, neck pain is the result of poor use of the muscles when reaching for an object. For instance, people will use their neck muscles in place of the muscles that control the shoulder blade. Improper use of the neck muscles while reaching for something can lead to even more pain if your neck is already sore.

There are many ways to avoid pain in your neck from improper reaching. For one thing, you should try to keep your shoulders down when reaching. To ensure you’re keeping your shoulders down, check to make sure your shoulders are in a position that’s away from your ears. This quick check tells you the shoulders and neck are in a better position for the reaching motion.

2. Fix your posture

Poor posture is one of the biggest contributors to strain and inflammation in your neck. It’s also harder to avoid poor posture thanks to cellphones and other handheld smart devices many of us use daily.

An example of how such devices lead to poor neck posture is the head position many people use when looking at their device. This head position involves holding your head too far forward as you’re looking down to text or play a game. People have even come up with a nickname for this type of poor posture: text neck.

Correcting your posture can help lessen your neck pain and prevent future pain from developing. Whether sitting, standing or looking at your phone, you should avoid holding your head forward. Avoiding this head-forward posture reduces much of the pressure placed on the muscles and joints in your neck.

3. Exercise your neck

Weak or tight muscles and soft tissue in the neck, shoulders and upper back provide inadequate support for your spine and head. This is a problem because poor support can lead to poor neck posture. In turn, poor neck posture can increase your risk of developing neck pain.

However, some simple daily exercises and stretches can help. Such exercises are designed to help neck muscles grow stronger and more flexible. This may lead to better neck and head support and may improve posture and reduce pain.

Visit Franklin Rehabilitation for neck pain treatment

Do you have chronic or severe neck pain that just won’t go away? If you’ve tried methods like these, and they’re not helping, you should visit a physical therapist for treatment.

Our physical therapists at Franklin Rehabilitation are versed in many techniques to help improve the condition of your neck. Contact our team today to learn more about treating neck pain or to schedule an initial appointment.