Q What is Neck Stiffness?

Do you suffer from Stiff Neck? Neck stiffness is caused by excessive tension in the muscles supporting the back of the head, which leads to discomfort in the neck.

What is the cause of Neck Stiffness?

Neck Stiffness can be caused by one of five things:

  • Cervical Injury: Damage near the neck bone or cervical vertebrae such as whiplash by a car accident or a hard blow to the head. The muscles then stiffen around the injury as a natural response.
  • Repetitive Strain: Poor posture such as due to working in front of PC all day long. As is often said, a human’s head including the skull and brain inside weights as much as a bowling ball. The muscles of the neck support the head with fine adjustment, but if the head is kept in a posture in which it sticks out forward, the neck muscles will be excessively strained all the time to adjust it.
  • Hormonal changes: Changes in one’s constitution or hormonal balance can also cause Stiff Neck. For example, the body constitution and hormonal balance change after the age of 40, or when going through menopause. Muscle tension can become high during such changes, which can cause strong neck stiffness. Many people notice stiffness after 40, especially if they have never experienced it before.
  • Age-related degeneration of the cervical spine: Degeneration of the bones and the joints causes inflammation to spread to the surrounding muscles, resulting in Neck Stiffness.
  • Mental stress: There is a strong connection between neck stiffness and stress. When we are under stress, or depressed, it is known that changes in our brain activities may cause pain and stiffness in the neck or back area. Signals of discomfort are always sent to the brain from the neck and spine. When we are feeling depressed, the brain is not able to filter these signals out effectively and you feel more stiffness and pain than usual. We often have poor posture when under stress. When we are depressed or feel nervous, we stoop and bend our back naturally, and it causes a stress on our neck muscle.
  • Laughing and eating happily boosts the immune system and in fact, enjoying ourselves and laughing boosts the immune system and reduces inflammation in our own bodies. On the other hand, if we are unable to laugh, or if we are under pressure, our immunity is weakened, and our body becomes more prone to inflammation. A sore neck is one example. Symptoms vary from person to person, such as dermatitis (e.g., atopy) or gastroenteritis (e.g., stomach-ache).

What are the symptoms of Neck Stiffness?

Symptoms caused by neck stiffness are very diverse:

  • Pain or discomfort first occurs in the nape of neck or the back of head. Some of the symptoms of stiff neck include stiffness, tension and fatigue. You may also experience a sense of being stuck or feel a sensation of something hard in your neck, or general heaviness.
  • Beyond the neck, you may also experience some pain, numbness, muscle weakness or tingling in the shoulders, arms and fingers. This may be worse when you wake up.
  • Sometimes, these symptoms are so strong that they cause headache, nausea, vomiting, heaviness in the head, heaviness around the eyes, or even dizziness. After a while, due to the strain on the neck muscles, the range of motion of the neck can become limited, to the extent that you need to turn your whole body, because you can’t turn your head. If the neck appears structurally normal, for instance if there is no bone abnormality showing in an MRI, symptoms worsen with Neck Stiffness and there are no other explanations found, it’s likely that these severe symptoms are associated with the Neck Stiffness.

Neck Stiffness Treatment

Stiff Neck is not officially recognised as a “disease” and there is no one recommended way to treat it. Some holistic therapies or practices which can help ease the discomfort are acupuncture, moxibustion, massage and or using an adjusting pillow.

A new treatment has emerged for neck stiffness which target the problematic blood vessels in the muscles and connective tissue. It has a potential to eliminate discomfort around the neck.

The role of blood vessels in Stiff Neck

Four of the causes mentioned above have one thing in common, namely the presence of an abnormality in the blood vessels caused by chronic inflammation of body, which is triggered by injury, repetitive strain, hormonal imbalance or deformation.

When you hear the word “blood vessels,” you may wonder how they could be related to stiffness. In fact, the human body forms blood vessels together with nerves, even in cases where abnormal blood vessels develop within the body. These improperly formed vessels are often accompanied by nerves, which can lead to chronic discomfort such as pain and stiffness. An increase in problematic blood vessels in the neck area can cause stiffness that is difficult to heal. In recent years, it has been found that treating the problem blood vessels can improve neck stiffness.

Recommended stretches or exercises to relieve neck stiffness:

To reduce the strain on your neck, it is good to stretch and exercise the mid back and lower back. This is because softening the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae reduces the burden on the cervical vertebrae above them.

■Thoracic Spine Stretching
To stretch the thoracic spine, follow the steps below.

  1. Sit on a chair.
  2. Round your back so that your solar plexus is pulled back.
  3. Stretch your back so that your solar plexus moves forward.
  4. Repeat "2" and "3" slowly 10 times.

■Lumbar Spine Stretching

  1. Lie on your back with both knees bent.
  2. Keeping both knees bent, slowly roll to the left.
  3. Next, slowly topple to the right.
  4. Repeat "2" and "3" slowly 10 times.

The above two stretches should be done for 10 times with breathing slowly.

In addition, if the posture is such that the chin is forward, the strain on the neck muscles is increased and muscle tension is more likely to occur. Please refer to the following tips for exercises that are effective in relieving the strain on the neck muscles.

■Posture

Posture in which the chin is forward
→More stress on the neck muscles
→Likely to lead to muscle tension

■Neck Exercises

  1. Gently pull back the chin.
  2. Turn your head downward, thinking the ears as the axis (red ●).
  3. Turn upward in the same manner as "2".
  4. Slowly repeat "2" and "3" 10 times.

Acupressure points or massages for Neck Stiffness:

■Neck Massage1

Please check the position of bumps (red ●) below the back of head.

Wrap your head with both hands so that your thumbs touch the red ● area.
Press them slowly. You may feel a little pain but keep it not so uncomfortable level.
It is better to press slowly for about 20 seconds rather than rubbing.

■Neck Massage2

Gently massage the chin with light pressure, placing your finger on the area where it moves when you open and close your mouth.

Massage the area above and behind the ears with light pressure using your fingers. Imaging as if you were moving the scalp.

Effective products to improve Stiff Neck:

Adjustable Pillows:

One of the most effective goods for improving neck stiffness is to choose a pillow that suits you, such as the following.

It is best to make a pillow with an adjustable height that is appropriate for you.
How high is best depends on your age and the condition of your neck bones. A good rule of thumb is to lie on your back with your hands crossed in front of your chest, and with the pillow on your head, toss and turn from side to side. The pillow should be just the right height so that it is not too painful to turn over, and so that you can turn over smoothly without using the strength of your hands.

To adjust a pillow of the ideal height as described above for an individual, it is convenient to make one by folding a bath towel or the like and adjusting its height.

We do not recommend commercially available pillows that have bulges on either side or that are concave at the head and slightly protrude at the neck. This makes it difficult to turn over in bed and puts strain on the neck.

Cold and Heat Compress not recommended:

Neither cold therapy nor applying heat is recommended as a treatment for neck stiffness. Cooling or warming often does not solve the problem, and both can cause excessive irritation, which can lead to extra sensitivity. The stretching mentioned above and acupressure on the discomfort area are considered better ways to take care of the problem by yourself.

Deep Tissue Massage short term effects:

Our Brains produce a substance in reaction to any strong rubbing of our body which makes it difficult to feel pain a short while after the stimulus. The pain and stiffness may seem to improve, but it is only temporary, usually lasting only a few hours. the strong irritation to the neck and shoulders after a strong massage can in fact worsen inflammation and cause strong pain signals later. This would cause a terrible pain in the next day. Thus, a strong massage is not recommended. Massage does not solve the underlying cause.

Consultation

The root cause of stiff neck, as mentioned above, can be injury from major trauma, repetitive strain, or hormonal imbalance, all of which can cause problem blood vessels to form near the neck bones. When problem blood vessels form in the muscles and connective tissue around the neck bones, the nerves increase with them, causing discomfort and pain.

Recently, it has been discovered that transcatheter artery embolization is available to safely reduce this abnormally formed blood vessel and improve the longstanding symptoms of stiff neck. If you are experiencing neck stiffness, it is important to see a health professional who can help diagnose and treat your condition.