Best ways to loosen a stiff neck or shoulder

Neck and shoulder pain can be caused by something as simple as sleeping the wrong way, or as serious as a herniated disk - and one can be just as agonizing as the other! To be safe, always take things gently when trying to loosen and stretch the area, to ensure you don't make any injuries worse.

If you know the pain is the result of injury, you should start with an ice pack. The aim is to stop inflammation in its tracks - otherwise it will be even more painful tomorrow! Once the injury has settled down, or if you know the pain is muscle spasm, then a heat pack will work better. However, heat can make inflammation worse - so if there's the slightest chance there's an underlying injury, don't risk it no matter how tempting that soothing heat may sound!

Shoulder pain is often not really in the shoulder at all - it's what is called "referred pain" from the neck. So if your problem is shoulder pain, it's worth trying some of the neck exercises as well, to see if they help.

Begin with the gentlest neck stretch.

Lie down on the bed. Now slide the back of your head away from your shoulders - think about lengthening the back of your neck. Your head will tilt forward slightly and your chin will tuck into your neck. Pull your chin in as far as you can and press the back of your neck into the mattress for 10 seconds, then relax. Do 3 sets of 10.

You may want to be alone when you do this exercise - if you do it right, it will make you look like you have a really attractive double chin (if not several)!

Next, still lying on the bed, roll your head from side to side. Don't try to force it or control it, just let your head turn gently and rhythmically from one shoulder to the other. You could even play some music to keep time to! Keep this up as long as you can manage - you'll find your range gradually increases, the longer you keep rolling.

If this is easy, you can do the "chin tuck" exercise sitting or standing in front of a mirror. Looking straight ahead, tuck your chin into your neck (there are those gorgeous double chins again) and push backwards, stretching the back of your neck. To make this stretch stronger, you can put both hands on your chin and push back. Don't drop your head - if you keep looking in the mirror, it helps you hold the right posture.

These exercises can be done several times a day, whenever you remember.

If you can do the basic exercises without exacerbating your pain, it's time to move on to more advanced versions.

These are basically the same neck exercises you'll find at any fitness class - dropping your chin to your chest and turning it side to side - but there are important differences.

Sit on a hard chair with your back straight. Tuck your chin in (as for the basic exercise above), then lower your head forward. Move your head only, don't drop your shoulders or round your back, and keep pulling your chin in. Now place your hands gently on the top of your head - don't press down, just let them rest there. Hold for 10 seconds and release. Do 3 sets of 10.

Do the same thing to the side. Hold the edge of the chair with your right hand, to prevent you lifting your right shoulder. Keeping your chin tucked in, lower your left ear to your left shoulder. Lift your left hand and rest it gently over your head, fingers touching your right ear. Don't press down, just feel the weight. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat the whole exercise on the other side.

The third exercise is simply to turn your head from side to side. Keep your your head upright, and turn to look as far as you can over each shoulder without forcing it.

You'll notice I don't suggest an exercise to tilt your head back. That's because tilting the head back can pinch the nerves at the back of the neck, so it's best avoided unless you have been given the all-clear to do so by a professional.

For the shoulder exercise, you'll need a long thin bolster. If you have a cervical roll, you could use that - otherwise roll up a towel tightly into a tube shape.

Lie down on your back on the floor, and position the roll so it runs along your spine, from just below your neck to your waist (this can take a bit of adjustment!). Let your arms fall out to the side, palms up. Feel your shoulder blades dropping down each side of the roll and your chest opening up. You can put a thin pillow under your head if you're feeling uncomfortable in this position.

If your shoulder is very sore, just relaxing in this position may be enough. If you're ready to go further:

Bring your arms to your sides, palms facing your thighs. Now, keeping your arms relaxed and slightly bent, lift them straight up and take them as far over your head as you can. Your goal, eventually, is to touch the floor above your head - but don't force it!

Do this exercise quite fast, swinging your arms loosely over your head and back down to your thighs. Aim to do at least 100 of these swings. As you do it, you should feel your shoulder blades dropping more and more either side of the roll. Don't worry if you can't get far over your head at first, and don't force it - it should be a very relaxed movement.

None of these exercises will help much if you're doing things in your daily life to make your neck sore again!

One of the biggest culprits is your sleeping position. If your head is turned sideways to your body while you're sleeping, or scrunched into your shoulder, you're almost guaranteeing you'll have neck pain one day. Your head and shoulders need to be in alignment while you sleep. Many people skimp on a good pillow, because it seems ludicrous to pay seventy or eighty dollars for a simple cube of latex. Think of it this way - it's not an investment in a pillow, it's an investment in your neck!

The other major source of neck pain is the computer. Check out your work set-up. Sit in your chair and reach forward with your hand. If you can't touch your monitor with your fingertips, it's too far away - your head has to move forward slightly to see it, putting huge pressure on our neck.

If you fix the things that are causing your problem, and keep doing the simple exercises for a week or so after the pain has cleared, you can beat neck and shoulder pain. As with all things, if pain persists, see your doctor.

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All text copyright Marisa Wright. Crick in the neck photo courtesy of [message redacted] on Flickr