Crick in the neck is annoying and it especially makes its presence felt at night. This article discusses some of the easy-to-do home remedies for it.

Why do you think people look for home remedies? The reason is that, these home remedies have been used by our ancestors since ages, and so are a trusted means to cure the problem concerned. Moreover, they have minimal side effects, and also spare us from the hefty medical bills. I guess, you had a crick in the neck sometime back, and it had been a horrifying experience you never would want to experience. But unfortunately, these cricks cannot be avoided completely, and the use of home remedies to counter it is a good option.

Neck cricks generally happen suddenly without any warning signs. And the common causes for this include - stress on the neck, improper positions while sleeping, sudden jerky movement of the neck, any past injury in the neck region, etc. A crick is basically a spasm in the neck muscles, and when a muscle is in between a spasm, the blood flow is hindered. Obstruction in the supply of blood affects smooth movement of the neck muscles. Crick in the neck or facet syndrome as it is sometimes called is bound to give you some tense moments due to the severe pain in the neck it accompanies. It can also make it difficult for you to move the neck muscles for some minutes. Certain home remedies given below would help relieve the pain to some extent.

Home Remedies

⇒ Moisten a cotton cloth using cold water, and spread on the neck region. Cold water has an effect on the neck muscles, and thus relieves the pain. The cold water treatment can be implemented in many other ways. Take a cotton cloth and spread crushed ice over it, fold the cloth, and pat it on the neck region for sometime. You can also fill a small plastic bag with crushed ice, and apply it on the neck skin.

⇒ Alternatively, you can make use of hot water treatment, in a similar way we had discussed for cold water. Dampen a cloth with hot water, and spread it on the neck for some time. The use of hot water promotes blood circulation, which in turn relieves the spasm and pain. You can also make use of heating pads, if not hot water.

⇒ After the hot and cold treatment comes massage. Along with improving blood circulation, massage also relieves the pain. Gently massage the neck in the opposite direction of the pain. Massage in circular motions works the best. Massage with hands for about 10 minutes is fine, but for massaging you can also make use of some pain reliever balms, that are easily available at medical stores.

⇒ Neck strengthening exercises keep the muscles and ligaments of the neck fit and healthy. Some easy exercises that make use of neck, like bending of the head back and forth, or moving it from one side to the other is also beneficial. Regularly doing the neck exercises reduces the stress and strain on the neck muscles, which is said to be the chief reason behind neck cricks.

⇒ Most of the people experience crick in the neck in between night due to improper sleeping positions. Use of a hard or too thick or rough pillow should be avoided. Do not twist and turn your head too much, and avoid the sleeping positions that put stress on the neck. While sleeping, always use a soft and comfortable pillow. This indeed is a remedy to prevent the occurrences of neck cricks.

Seek a doctor's advice if there are repeated occurrences of these annoying cricks. They are a common problem because, sitting for long hours in the office in the same position puts stress on the neck. So, doing the neck exercises at regular intervals is essential and also beneficial.