tense neck

sleep and stress and massage. Try sleeping on a hard surface like the floor. I think that's suppose to help with back/spine alignment. Stressed about something? If you feel stressed but don't know why so can't fix issue that is stressing you and giving neck pain, then mind over matter. Pretend everything is fine. Get a massage.

To treat the physical symptoms, I use massage therapy, topical analgesics and an over-the-counter antiinflammantory like ibuprofen.  Being aware of my posture also helps.  Always check with your physician for serious injuries such as whiplash, bulging disks, etc., 

When I treat neck pain as a mind/body therapist, I use massage therapy techniques to encourage the muscle tension to relax and breathwork, visualization and relaxation techniques to address any underlying emotion or mental causes.

Louise Hay says that the neck represents being able to see both sides of the story.  One of the questions I ask my clients is, "Is there an issue in your life that you need to be more open-minded about?"  Usually there is.

To treat the stiffness in your neck, one great treatment is neck stretches. You want to make sure you hold each stress for at least 10-15 seconds. Don't do them to the point of pain, only to the point of feeling a stretch in the c-spine. Here are some great exercises that you can do for stretching of the cervical muscles: