Neck muscle pain...

[southernmommie]

I can't move my neck too much to the side or up and down. The muscle is really tight. What can I do to ease the muscles?? I am getting a massage in a couple of days, but I need something to ease it in the meantime.

[Panserbjorne]

you could try:

a castor oil pack

magnesium supplement (like naturalcalm)

epsom salt soaks

mag phos cell salt

a homeopathic remedy-bryonia is excellent for things like that where it hurts like heck to move.

best of luck!

[Drummer's Wife]

Will heat help?  I make rice socks with a tube sock filled with rice and then microwaved.  It's the perfect size to wrap around my neck. 

[southernmommie]

I can do the rice pack, but it hurts within minutes of removing the rice. So I try to keep it on as much as possible. But I also don't want to overuse the heat. Is that even possible?

How do I do the Castor oil pack? And the Epsom salt soak? I have a regular small bathtub so my neck doesn't necessarily get to soak no matter how far down I lean in the tub. So the soak would be quite a hard task to accomplish. Lol.

[Panserbjorne]

I don't personally think you can overdo heat (unless of course you burn yourself!)  I'd keep it on there.

Castor oil pack-just saturate a washcloth you're willing to part with with castor oil, heat it up (you can nuke it) until you're comfortable with the temp and apply.  It's has excellent anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.  The warmth will help too. I usually keep them on for 30-60 minutes.  It will stain clothing, so be aware of that.  I keep my washcloths in a ziploc bag in the fridge.  Do NOT attempt to wash it.

For the epsom salt soak, your neck doesn't need to be in the water.  the mag sulf gets absorbed into the body and used to relax muscles.

Good luck!

[southernmommie]

Thanks. :)