by Wayne T, LMP

Practice this self-help technique regularly to reduce or eliminate neck pain and tension. For this simple at-home trick, all you need is a towel and a hair-tie or rubber band.

1. Just before bed, take a regular length bath towel (or beach towel) and lay it out flat on the floor or bed.

2. Roll the towel lengthwise, so it is long and skinny.

Once it is rolled up, hang the towel around your neck so that both ends dangle in front of you.

3. Place the hair-tie or rubber band around both ends, halfway up the towel’s hanging length, to bind the loose ends together. You should now look like you’re wearing a towel as a neck tie!

4. Without a pillow, lay on your back in bed, with your head relaxed over the rolled towel and chin slightly lifted. This helps to promote the natural curvature in your neck as you sleep.

5. Enjoy a nap or wonderful night’s rest, knowing that when you wake up, you won’t spend 20 minutes rubbing that sore spot in your neck where the pain used to be.

~ This article was written by Wayne T. a massage therapist at Dreamclinic’s Roosevelt location. He attributes a great deal of his knowledge of massage, and the injury recovery process, to the treatment he received after being hit by a car as a pedestrian while enrolled in massage school. When he is not with a client, Wayne loves to play guitar and juggle just about anything he can get his hands on.