| These easy-to-do traditional Chinese techniques form | | | | lightly lubricate the skin. Too much and the spoon will |
| a highly effective stiff neck remedy. The first is a | | | | slip and slide uncontrollably.3. Stand behind the person |
| simple | | | | and start scraping his/her neck in long, even strokes |
| massage technique that warms and loosens your | | | | with the edge of the spoon, from the base of the skull, |
| neck muscles to relieve stiffness and pain. The second | | | | down the neck and across the top of the shoulder. |
| technique provides stiff neck relief by stimulating blood | | | | Press as hard as you can without causing excess pain |
| flow in your neck, shoulders and upper back - all you | | | | - it's the muscles you're working with more than the |
| need is a spoon and a few drops of oil.Stiff Neck | | | | skin so you need to apply a little pressure. Apply 30-50 |
| Remedy - Neck MassageRub your hands together | | | | strokes. Notice the skin turning red. There may be lots |
| briskly to warm them up and charge them with energy. | | | | of tiny red spots which may actually be dark red, |
| Place your palms on the back of your neck with your | | | | purple or even black. This is simply stagnant blood in |
| fingers interlocked. Rub your neck from side to side for | | | | the muscles - it's nothing to be concerned about. The |
| several minutes. Feel the heat penetrating your neck | | | | darker the spots, the more stiffness, pain and |
| muscles. Repeat several times a day.Or, as above but | | | | stagnation the person usually has in their neck. All |
| just use the fingers of one hand to rub your neck with | | | | you're doing is releasing the stagnant blood and |
| firm, even strokes from the base of your skull to the | | | | improving circulation in the neck muscles. This very |
| base of your neck. Make sure you rub both sides of | | | | often gives immediate relief.4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 |
| the back of your neck and any painful or tender spots. | | | | on the other side of the neck. People with neck |
| This technique works well as a preventative stiff neck | | | | problems often have pain and tension in their |
| remedy too - as soon as you begin feeling stiffness or | | | | upper back too, so you may also have to scrape |
| pain, use it to relax and loosen your neck muscles.Stiff | | | | down either side of their spine between their shoulder |
| Neck Remedy - Skin ScrapingThis is a traditional | | | | blades.5. If the person feels dizzy at any stage, stop, |
| Chinese home remedy for stiff neck that anyone can | | | | and have them lie down and take some slow deep |
| quickly learn. As it's not easy to do on your own neck | | | | breaths.6. Depending on the color of the spots, they |
| you'll need someone else to do it for you. All you need | | | | make take several days to a week or more to fade. |
| is a spoon and a few drops of oil - massage oil, | | | | Once faded completely, you may reapply the |
| sesame oil or even vicks vaporub will do. A Chinese | | | | treatment if the person still has pain. One to three |
| soup spoon works well as does the edge of a metal | | | | scraping treatments over several weeks is usually |
| vicks vaporub lid. Basically, you use the edge of the | | | | enough to alleviate most neck problems involving |
| spoon or lid to rub (scrape) the neck for a few | | | | muscular tension, stiffness and pain.A final note - don't |
| minutes until it turns red (or in some cases purple!) The | | | | be fooled by the apparent simplicity of this technique. |
| scraping action moves the blood in the underlying | | | | As mentioned, it very often provides instant stiff neck |
| muscles and soft tissues of the neck, relieving stiffness | | | | relief and may be the only stiff neck remedy you ever |
| and pain almost immediately. It works equally well for | | | | need. In fact the author has found skin scraping to be |
| acute and chronic stiff neck. Here're the steps to | | | | a more effective stiff neck remedy than |
| follow:1. The person with the stiff neck should sit down | | | | acupuncture.Matthew Scott is a professionally trained |
| and remove any clothing or jewelry covering the neck, | | | | Chinese medicine practitioner from Australia, living in |
| and also tie up long hair.2. Apply a few drops of oil to | | | | China since 2000. |
| ONE side of the back of the neck - just enough to | | | | |