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Stiff neck relief What helps a stiff neck at home, and what to do when the stiffness keeps coming back
Stiff neck relief usually starts at home: gentle movement within a comfortable range, heat or ice for 15 to 20 minutes, a short course of an over-the-counter pain reliever if it is safe for you, and fixing the pillow, screen or posture that set it off. Most stiff necks from sleeping awkwardly or a minor strain loosen within a few days to two weeks. When stiffness keeps returning, is worse in the morning and when you look up or turn your head, the small facet joints of the neck are a common source, and a pain physician can confirm that with a diagnostic block and treat it.
Waking up unable to turn your head is common, and it is usually a strained muscle or an irritated joint that settles on its own. A stiff neck that returns every few weeks, or never fully goes away, is a different problem. The good news is that both have clear next steps, and stiff neck relief does not have to mean living on pain pills. The first video shows one of the options for stiffness that comes from the joints of the neck.
Stiff neck relief in the first few days
- Keep it moving gently: slow turns, tilts and chin tucks within a comfortable range every hour or two; complete rest tends to make stiffness worse
- Heat or ice: 15 to 20 minutes at a time; heat often feels better for muscle tightness, ice for a fresh strain
- Pain relief: a short course of an over-the-counter pain reliever, if your doctor says it is safe for you
- Fix the trigger: a pillow that keeps the neck level, a screen at eye level, and breaks from looking down at a phone
- Easy stretches: our stretches for neck pain post shows seven a physical therapist recommends
Avoid sudden cracking, forceful stretching or heavy lifting until the stiffness eases.
How long does a stiff neck last?
A stiff neck from sleeping wrong or a minor strain usually improves within a few days and is gone within one to two weeks. Stiffness after a car accident can take longer and should be checked, as explained in our whiplash after a car accident guide. If your neck is still stiff after two weeks, keeps coming back, or limits driving and work, it is time for an evaluation.
When stiffness comes from the neck joints
Each level of the neck has two small facet joints that guide movement. With age, arthritis or an old injury they can become inflamed, and the result is a neck that feels stiff and sore, especially in the morning, when looking up or over the shoulder, and sometimes with an ache into the shoulder blade or a headache at the base of the skull. Our facet joint pain post explains these joints in more detail.
A physician confirms the source with a medial branch block: numbing medicine is placed under X-ray guidance on the small nerves that carry pain from those joints, as in the first video. If the neck moves much more easily for a few hours, the joints are the likely cause. For lasting relief, radiofrequency ablation can then quiet those nerves, often for many months.
Other treatment for a stiff neck that keeps coming back
- Physical therapy: hands-on care, mobility work and strengthening for the neck and upper back, covered in physical therapy for neck pain, sometimes with supportive tape (see how does kinesio tape work?)
- Traction: cervical traction can ease stiffness linked to disc or nerve irritation for some patients (offered at both our Brooklyn and Staten Island offices)
- Muscle-focused care: when tight, knotted muscles are the main problem, see neck tension relief
For a wider look at long-standing neck pain, read chronic neck pain treatment or visit our neck pain page.
When a stiff neck needs urgent care
Get emergency care for a stiff neck with fever, a severe headache, confusion or sensitivity to light, which can be signs of infection. See a doctor promptly for stiffness after a fall or accident, numbness or weakness in an arm, or neck pain that wakes you at night.
More videos on treating a stiff neck that keeps coming back
More clips from our YouTube channel @precisioncaremedical showing fluoroscopy-guided treatment for the small joints of the neck.
Related care at Precision Care Medical & Sports Performance
Help for a stiff neck near you
Looking for a neck pain doctor near me? Precision Care Medical & Sports Performance treats neck stiffness at all three offices, where our pain physicians, Ashley Marcus, MD in Brooklyn, Jake Stephen, DO on Staten Island and Yuri Gordin, MD in Manhattan evaluate the neck and explain the options. For neck pain treatment in Brooklyn, our Brooklyn pain management office on Shell Rd is close to Sheepshead Bay, Midwood and Gravesend.
On Staten Island, our Staten Island pain management office on Richmond Rd is a short drive from Dongan Hills, New Dorp and Great Kills. In Manhattan, the Precision Care Spine & Pain Center in Midtown Manhattan is convenient to Midtown East and an easy ride from Spanish Harlem and Washington Heights. Pain procedures are performed at all three offices, and your physician explains where and when yours will be scheduled. Request an appointment or call the office closest to you.
150 E 55th St, Suite 401, New York, NY 10022
(212) 840-0135
Questions patients ask
How do you get rid of a stiff neck fast?
Keep the neck moving gently within a comfortable range, use heat or ice for 15 to 20 minutes, take an over-the-counter pain reliever if it is safe for you, and fix the pillow, screen or posture that set it off. Most stiff necks loosen within a few days.
How long does a stiff neck last?
A stiff neck from sleeping awkwardly or a minor strain usually improves within a few days and is gone within one to two weeks. If it lasts longer or keeps coming back, have it evaluated.
Why does my neck keep getting stiff?
Repeated stiffness often comes from irritated facet joints in the neck, arthritis, posture and screen habits, or weak muscles in the neck and upper back. A physician can find which one is the main cause.
What is a medial branch block for the neck?
It is a diagnostic injection in which numbing medicine is placed, under X-ray guidance, on the small nerves that carry pain from the neck joints. If the pain and stiffness ease for a few hours, those joints are the likely source, and radiofrequency ablation may give longer relief.
When is a stiff neck an emergency?
Get emergency care for a stiff neck with fever, a severe headache, confusion or sensitivity to light. See a doctor promptly after a fall or accident, or for arm numbness or weakness.
Where can I get help for a stiff neck near me?
Precision Care Medical & Sports Performance sees patients with neck stiffness at all three offices:
- Brooklyn2781 Shell Rd, Suite 101, Brooklyn, NY 11223(718) 648-1234 · Get directions
- Staten Island1630 Richmond Rd, Suite 101, Staten Island, NY 10304(718) 339-7100 · Get directions
- Midtown Manhattan150 E 55th St, Suite 401, New York, NY 10022(212) 840-0135 · Get directions
Physical therapy for the neck is offered at the Brooklyn and Staten Island offices only.
Educational only, not medical advice. These videos and this article explain common problems and treatments in general terms. They are not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for you. Results vary from person to person. See a qualified clinician about your own symptoms, and call 911 or go to an emergency room for an emergency.
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