It would help if you specified how long you’ve had the neck pain, if you’ve suffered a trauma or an accident, if you have migraine, or if you are mentally tense. Usually, these are the causes of severe neck pains. Also, if you have bad posture or any other problem like arthritis or cervical spondylitis, it could be leading to neck pain too. These conditions inflame the neck muscles leading to pain. If it’s a neck sprain that you have suffered recently, you will probably be fine soon. Though, it would be better if you visited an orthopedic surgeon to know more about the problem is and dealt with it soon.
Other than what the specialist prescribes, you can ease the pain by following some tips. Lie down and let your muscles recover. However, do not keep a thick pillow for support as it could aggravate the pain. Ice is very effective at anesthetizing the pain and also reducing inflammation. Make an ice pack by putting ice cubes in a plastic bag and covering the bag with a cloth or thin towel. Treat your neck with the ice pack for 15 minutes. Alternate it with a heat treatment. Take a hot water shower, or apply a damp wet towel, heating pad or a hot water bottle to the neck for about 10 minutes. Heat promotes blood circulation and eases stiff muscles. You also need to ensure that your posture is right. Sleep on firm mattresses, avoid using a pillow, and if you sit in one place for long hours, take a break every one hour and take a walk for 10 minutes to avoid straining the neck. A calming warm bath also eases the muscles and brings relief from pains and aches. This will also relax your mind and deal with the pain if it is induced by tension.
You can also do some simple neck exercises. Sit or stand erect, but make sure your body is relaxed. As far as you comfortably can, slowly turn your head to the right. Hold for about three seconds and come back to the normal stance. Repeat with the other side. Another exercise is dropping your chin down slowly toward your chest, holding it for three seconds and then bringing it back up. Tilt your head towards one shoulder, hold, come back to center and tilt on the other side. You must do each exercise five times at least two times a day.