It's not unusual for people to wake up with a stiff neck. You may feel a tightness or a binding in your neck if you turn your head further than a certain point. Sometimes, this sensation lingers for a few hours and then fades away as the day goes on. But other times, it lasts for a day or more and becomes quite frustrating. If you're struggling with a lingering stiff neck, make an appointment with a chiropractor. They can adjust the spine in your neck, which can actually help ease a stiff neck in three different ways.

Taking pressure off neck muscles

If one of the vertebrae in your neck is out of place, it may be pulling on the muscles on one side of your neck. This constant tension may be causing the muscles to spasm, which is what's causing the stiffness you're experiencing. A chiropractor can adjust your spine to put that vertebra back in place, which will relieve the tension on the muscle. Although it might take a little while, the release of tension should allow the muscle fibers to relax out of their spasm state, which will ease your neck stiffness.

Taking pressure off nerves

Another possibility is that a misaligned vertebra in your neck is putting pressure on or even tugging on a nerve associated with the tissues in your neck. This pressure on the nerve prevents the muscles in your neck from receiving the signals from your brain that tells them to relax. So, they stay tense and stiff. A chiropractic adjustment can relieve the pressure on the nerve, thereby allowing your neck muscles to relax and stretch again.

Reducing stress

Often, a stiff neck is related to stress. People wake up with stiff necks when they have been anxious, worried, and under a lot of stress. You may be carrying a lot of this tension, physically, in your neck and back. A chiropractic adjustment can help you relax and unwind, which will address your stress in a healthier way and loosen your neck. People often get better sleep the night after a chiropractic adjustment and notice that once they wake up, their neck stiffness is gone.

These are the three main ways in which chiropractic care can help ease neck stiffness. Talk to your chiropractor to learn more. They may even give you some stretches and other exercises to help with your neck stiffness.

Contact a local chiropractor to learn more.