The way that most of us find ourselves throughout our days with our with our necks flexed, whether it's reading, doing computer work or using our cellphones, may cause neck pain.

Neck pain is a common problem with many possible causes. Poor posture, hunching over a computer, arthritis, whiplash, and muscle strain from simple things like reading in bed or grinding your teeth can all trigger neck pain. When your neck muscles become tired and strained, pain may be the first symptom.

Some Things That Can Help

Thankfully, there are several things you can do to help. Along with coming in for Self-therapy is just one method, and it is often best practiced in combination with manual therapy. Here are three forms of self-therapy techniques your chiropractor might prescribe for you to do at home to help relieve your neck pain:

1) Stretch: There are a few muscles that are commonly associated with pain in the upper back and neck. Here are a couple of stretches that you can do throughout the day to help decrease your pain.

2) Strengthen: A simple exercise you can do at home to help with your neck pain is chin tucks. Chin tucks work on strengthening the deep neck muscles. This exercise can be performed standing or laying down. If you are standing, ensure that you are standing with a neutral posture, then actively pull your chin back, as if to create a double chin. If laying down, gently press the back of your head into the pillow, creating a double chin. Hold either of the variations for 10 seconds and repeat three times.

3) Most importantly…keep moving! It is important to make sure that you don’t stay in one position for too long; sitting or standing. If your day involves prolonged sitting, make sure to stand up and take walking breaks. If your job involves prolonged standing, try to take sitting breaks throughout the day and also ensure that you take walking breaks. Movement is key!

In rare cases, neck pain can be a sign of something serious. Seek immediate attention and tell your chiropractor if your neck pain is accompanied by severe headache, shooting pain in your shoulder, or arm, numbness or loss of strength in your arms or hands, trouble speaking, swallowing or walking, blurred vision or loss of balance.

Click here if you would like to read more about neck pain from the American Chiropractic Association