Sally and her stiff neck: Solutions for neck pain relief

My friend Sally was experiencing right sided neck pain. She could not bring her right ear to her right shoulder, or turn her head from sided to side. She had tried heat and even a neck massager, but nothing worked.

Solution: It appears that Sally has a muscle sprain/strain- she has pain in the neck plus decrease in range of motion in lateral flexion. She could have slept incorrectly, done repetitive motions (for example typing for a prolonged period of time) with her head in an awkward position, jerked her head in a uncomfortable way---- many many things that could have caused this. One solution would be try to take a hot shower and do some gentle stretches with her neck specifically: forward flexion (bringing her chin to her chest), bending her head to each side, and extending her head back. Sally should not do these to the point of pain- only to the point of feeling a stretch. Also, she should try to use biofreeze natural pain relieving gel for the muscle spasms in her neck. Finally, she should get a good cervical support neck pillow for sleeping so that she can sleep with her head and neck properly supported- try a traction pillow.