People with neck pain have many traditional treatment options to try — medications, physical therapy, even neck surgery if it's warranted. But there are also many complementary and alternative treatments available that can help soothe neck pain, either by making the neck stronger and more limber or by easing the pain itself.
Neck Pain Treatment: Massage
Massage therapists use their hands to work on the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues of the body. For people with neck pain, massage therapy can relax muscle spasms and soothe other types of pain. Massage therapy sessions are usually 30 or 60 minutes long. You lie on a table or sit on a stool or chair while the therapist works on your neck, shoulders, and back. Oil or powder might be used to reduce friction on the skin, and the therapist might also use items like ice, heat, or fragrant oils to help your muscles and body better relax.
Neck Pain Treatment: Acupuncture and Acupressure
Acupuncture involves placing needles in the skin at specific places in the body known as acupuncture points. The concept is to provoke a chemical or electrical response in the body, releasing hormones that provide pain relief and promote good health. When used to treat neck pain, acupuncture stimulates substances that naturally reduce pain and promote muscle relaxation. The metal needles used in acupuncture are very thin, and most people feel little or no pain when the needles are inserted.
Acupressure uses the practitioner’s fingers, rather than needles, to put pressure on strategic parts of the body. Unlike acupuncture, people can perform acupressure on themselves. Some places that can be pressed or squeezed to relieve neck pain include the middle of the web between your thumb and forefinger and the middle of the web between your pinky and ring finger.
Neck Pain Treatment: Tai Chi
Tai chi is a Chinese mind-body practice that involves slowly moving the body through a set series of movements in a relaxed and graceful way. These movements are accompanied by deep breathing and meditation. The body remains in constant flowing movement throughout a tai chi session. Many people use tai chi to improve muscle strength, coordination, and flexibility, all things that have an impact on neck pain.
Neck Pain Treatment: Yoga
Yoga is a mind-body practice from India that combines specific poses with meditation and breathing techniques. Yoga practitioners move from pose to pose, focusing their attention on the movement of their body and purposeful breathing to achieve results. The mediation relaxes the mind while the poses stretch and relax the body. Researchers believe yoga enhances your ability to deal with stress, as well as making you more aware of the connection between the mind and the body. Yoga can help neck pain by relaxing muscle tension and by improving strength and flexibility to make movement easier.
Neck Pain Treatment: Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is a technique that uses water as the treatment method. It can involve soaking in warm water in a whirlpool tub like a Jacuzzi, or simply placing warm compresses or ice packs on strategic parts of the body. For neck pain, an ice pack placed on the neck soon after an injury can decrease inflammation and relieve pain. A warm soak or hot compress can help relax neck muscles that are tense or in spasm. Hydrotherapy also includes physical activities performed in water, with the water serving as gentle resistance to movement, but without the impact on the body of exercising on hard surfaces. This form of hydrotherapy can be used to gently strengthen the muscles of the neck.
As the phrase complementary and alternative medicine implies, these therapies can be alternatives to other treatments or can be used with them for a more complete approach to neck pain relief. Tell your doctor if you want to try any of these alternatives to be sure they will mesh with any treatments already prescribed for you.
Last Updated: 5/7/2009