Neck Pain Relief during travel

When we are on a long travel either on plane, bus, or train, we often get the neck pain which is a barrier to enjoy our trip, and sometimes the pain can lead to headache as well. So what should we do to handle this annoying neck pain real quick? 

Here are 5 simple stretches and self-massage steps for neck pain relief:

Step1: keep our shoulders and body straight and stay still. Bring our chin down to our chest for about 6-10 seconds then bring it back up like we are looking at the ceiling for the same period of time. Repeat it multiple times.

Step 2: keep our body and shoulder still just like the first step then move our ear to the right side about 45 degree for 6-10 seconds and repeat the same way to the left side. And do it 3-4 times.

Step 3:  Just put our right hand at the back of our right shoulder, and another hand on the head then turn our head to the left about 45 degree. Then pull the head down slowly. Hold it for 6-10 second, take a deep breath and relax. Repeat the same thing to another side and do it multiple times.

Step4: Trying to massage the back of the neck by using our hands to do circle compression on the area up to down twice times. Then move the hands to the shoulders, slowly press or doing circle compression on the muscle area that is hurt. This tip can release the tightness from our muscle and tension from our neck so good.

Step5: Use our left hand to grab the elbow of the other side then pull our arm to the left toward our chest. Hold it for 10 second, and repeat it on the other side.

These five steps will make us feel that the head is lighter than before, the tension on the neck is gone, and the pain on the neck and shoulders is released.

However, we need to know that the reason why we get this pain is because our body is tired or it has not moved actively since we are on the way and the seat space is small. So, it is really recommended to do simple movement as much as possible and get some nap to rest our body. In addition, as we travel in a long way, we should have a neck pillow because it can help to support our neck especially when we are taking our nap, and it can also prevent our neck from getting pain. And if we don’t have neck pillow, we can use our rolled shirt or tower as a temporary neck pillow as well. Good luck.  

Dawn view from Indonesia