Stretching your neck loosens tight muscles and may help relieve pain. Here is one easy neck stretch you can try before bed to loosen your levator scapulae muscle (the muscle that connects your neck to your shoulder blade). Sit up straight with both hands at the sides. Raise the right arm forward and reach over the back with the hand grasping Neck and shoulder pain is usually the result of strains and sprains from overexertion or bad posture. But the pain can also be the result of an injury that needs treatment and in rare cases, the Relaxation techniques. Physical and psychological relaxation therapies can help stave off tension headaches, so long as you practice these techniques regularly. Physical approaches include applying a heating pad to your neck and shoulders to relax the muscles. Exercising these muscles also helps by strengthening and stretching them. These natural pain-relieving tips are intended as ideas for you to consider on your personal journey with managing chronic pain. If your pain worsens or affects your ability to perform everyday tasks, talk to your doctor for medical treatment options. Learn more: 7 Ways to Relieve Back Pain Naturally. 6 Overlooked Remedies for Lower Back Pain Lie down flat on your bed with your head on a (relatively flat) pillow. Tuck your chin down toward the front of your neck until you feel the muscles on the back of your neck stretch. Keeping your Exercise 1: Anterior Scalene Muscles Stretch. Exercise 2: Upper Trapezius (“Trap”) Stretch. Exercise 3: Levator Scapulae (“Scap”) Stretch. Exercise 4: Corner Pectoralis (“Pec”) Stretch. In order to get the most benefit, you should perform these neck stretch exercises at least 2 to 3 times a week. Sleep on your back or side. These positions help support optimal spinal alignment, which will help to prevent and reduce neck, shoulder, and back pain. Use a supportive pillow that's designed for 2. Hot and Cold Therapy. You can use hot and cold therapy to relieve neck pain if you experience a ligament sprain or muscle strain. For the first one or two days, you can apply ice to reduce swelling in your neck. Once the swelling subsides, you can use heat wraps to help your muscles relax and loosen. To try acupressure for neck pain relief, follow these steps: Relax and breathe in deeply. Be mindful to choose a comfortable and quiet setting to practice acupressure treatment. Pain is one of the most common presenting symptoms of head and neck cancer, along with hoarseness, dysphagia, cough, and an enlarging neck mass. 2 As tumors grow, pain may worsen given the abundance of highly innervated structures in the head and neck. In addition to pain from the cancer itself, the treatment of the head and neck causes 3jVE.