At first, the effects of stress and anxiety might seem obvious — a rapid heartbeat, racing thoughts, or just generally feeling on edge. But it may surprise you to learn that the stiff, painful feeling you get in your neck after a long day can also be a hidden effect of stress.
It makes sense when you think about how stress naturally builds up in the neck and shoulders, but it can also come with other, deeper biological changes — many of which might trigger (or intensify) a neck ache.
So, how exactly does stress cause neck pain, and what can you do about it? Read on to learn about some of the major ways stress affects your neck, plus five tools and remedies that can help.
The Stress-Neck Pain Connection
Neck pain (medically known as cervicalgia) can range from a lingering, dull ache that stretches across your shoulders to a sharp, wincing pain that happens every time you turn your head.
Acute pain (like from an injury) usually feels like the latter, but for the former, there’s a growing body of research showing that stress may play a big role. In fact, a 2022 review of studies found that long-term stress, lack of social support, depression, and anxiety are all risk factors for neck pain.
Beyond that, researchers from that same review noted that anxiety is the second most common condition diagnosed with neck pain. But why exactly does this connection exist? Here are a few key factors that research suggests could play a role:
Muscle Tension and Stress
Anxiety often comes with a slew of physiological changes that can directly — or indirectly — contribute to neck pain. For example:
- Adrenaline and cortisol spike during your fight-or-flight response, and these hormones trigger your muscles (especially the neck and shoulders) to tense up.
- Painful trigger points can form over time, especially with chronic stress and tension in the upper body.
- Tension can restrict blood flow, making it harder for tissues to get the nutrients and oxygen they need.
Anxiety and Pain Perception
Even when your neck pain is more than just muscle tension, anxiety may affect the way that your brain perceives the pain. This is because when you’re under stress, your nervous system becomes more sensitive and reactive — and if neck pain is a source of stress for you, you might find yourself hyperaware of it.
A 2025 review of studies found that anxiety was linked to lower pain thresholds, or being more sensitive to pain than usual.
Posture
Have you ever stopped to notice your posture when you’re stressed out? During the fight-or-flight response, your body might instinctively make itself smaller — tensing your neck, lowering your head forward, and rounding your shoulders to take a protective position.
Unfortunately, long-term posture like this can be a major factor in neck pain. Every inch your head leans forward can put several extra pounds of pressure on your neck joints. At the same time, your lower traps and other middle-back muscles can stretch and weaken, while the upper back and neck muscles may become overactive and tense to compensate.
Lifestyle Habits That Cause Neck Pain
Beyond heightened tension and pain perception, high stress can also lead to lifestyle habits and side effects that might contribute to neck pain. These include:
- Spending more time sitting or being sedentary due to low motivation
- More screen time (plus the eye strain and forward posture that comes with it)
- Jaw clenching or teeth grinding
- Poor sleep patterns, which can cause or worsen musculoskeletal pain
When To See a Doctor About Neck Pain
When your neck hurts, it may very well be from everyday stress or simple wear and tear — but sometimes it’s worth checking in with your doctor to rule out any underlying causes. Be sure to make an appointment if your pain is bothersome, lasts more than a few days, or comes with other symptoms, like recurring headaches or a limited range of motion.
Beyond that, if your neck pain is severe, happens after an injury, causes weakness in your arms or legs, or comes with a fever, it’s important to seek medical care right away.
Stress and Neck Pain: What Can You Do About It?
With all the different ways that stress affects your biology, it makes sense that neck pain often comes with it. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to find relief — and these five remedies are a great place to start:
1. Try Some Gentle Neck-Soothing Stretches
When your neck feels sore or tight, it can help to start with a few minutes of gentle mobility work. Stretching works by breaking up tension in the muscle fibers while helping circulate blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the tissue, all of which can help soothe and support achy muscles.
Check with your doctor or physical therapist before getting started if you have a current neck injury or condition. From there, here are two beginner-friendly movements to help you release some of that stress-related neck tension:
Neck Glides (Chin Tucks)
Chin tucks involve gliding your chin forward and backward in a straight line — and despite being surprisingly simple, they’re great for strengthening the deep neck flexors, stretching the upper traps, and promoting healthier overall neck alignment. To try them:
- Stand in relaxed, upright posture with your chest open.
- Glide your chin forward a few inches, keeping your eyes forward and chin level with the floor.
- Move your chin backward until you feel a stretch in the back of your neck, being sure not to tilt your head up or down. Hold for a few seconds.
- Repeat 8-10 times, two or three times per day.
Ear-to-Shoulder
For an easy way to release tension in the upper trapezius muscles, try this ear-to-shoulder stretch:
- Sit comfortably with upright posture.
- Gently tilt your head toward your left shoulder until you feel a stretch in the right trapezius. (Tip: Move slowly, taking care not to overstretch your muscles.)
- Hold for 10-25 seconds. Optionally, you can lightly rest your left hand on your right cheek to deepen the stretch.
- Repeat with the other side.
2. Stress Management Tools for Your Muscles (& Mind)
If stress is at the root of your neck pain, finding ways to address it can help — even if you don’t see results right away. One useful technique is called progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), which aims to reduce stress and help you tune into areas holding the most tension.
It works like this: Try to tense a muscle group, and hold for a few seconds. Then, mindfully relax those muscles as much as you can. For the neck region, this might look like shrugging or squeezing your shoulder blades together. You’d then hold your muscles like that for a few seconds, followed by trying to fully let go of all that tension.
PMR is just one helpful tool, but other ways to soothe and manage stress include:
- Meditation and mindfulness practices
- Slow movement like yoga or tai chi
- Deep breathing exercises
- Regular physical activity (even walking can make a difference!)
3. Use Heat or Cold for Temporary Relief
Both heat and cold therapy can have a place in neck pain care, but when and why you use them can look different.
For most people with stress-related neck pain, a quick heat therapy session might be better since it helps improve circulation, boosts mobility, and encourages overall relaxation. And when chronic tension is the main culprit behind your neck pain, these effects could bring some noticeable relief.
Cold, on the other hand, is typically better for fresh injuries — like a muscle strain, sprain, or bruise — since it temporarily eases inflammation or swelling.
4. Massage Therapy
Another powerful tool for stress-related neck tension? Massage therapy. It works by easing tight muscles directly, all while calming the nervous system to boost relaxation and overall well-being. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, massage may even be helpful for anxiety symptoms, based on research on people living with both anxiety disorders and chronic pain.
Hands-on massage therapy from a professional is one way to try it — but if you’re looking to add neck massage into your self-care routine, here are two options that can work at home:
Note: Check with your doctor before trying massage if you have any health conditions, inflammation, or injuries that haven’t been OK’d for it in the past.
Easy Self-Neck Massage
This neck massage is a technique you can use on yourself or with the help of a partner:
- Sit comfortably and take a deep, calming breath in.
- Begin by using both hands to gently compress (or squeeze) the muscles along the length of the back of your neck. Start near your head and make your way down the neck, repeating for 30 seconds.
- Then, reach your right hand over your left shoulder to find your trapezius muscle — the thick band of tissue between your neck and shoulder. (If you tend to hold stress in the upper body, chances are it will feel very tight!)
- Use two or three fingers to massage this muscle in small, circular motions, making your way up the neck.
- Switch sides and repeat.
- To finish, place your fingers from both hands at the center of the neck. Glide the tissue outward, gently splaying the muscles away from the spine as you move down toward your back.
Try a Neck Massager
It’s not always practical to give yourself a neck massage, especially when you just need some relaxing, hands-off relief. In times like this, it might be better to try a high-quality neck massager instead.
The MedMassager Neck Massager is one user-friendly, HSA/FSA eligible option designed to comfortably fit the contour of your neck muscles. It has multiple speed and heat options to help personalize your massage to whatever your muscles need — whether that’s light relaxation or deeper tension relief. To use it:
- Wrap the massager comfortably around the back of your neck, using the hand straps to adjust its position as needed.
- Turn it to its lightest setting. (Optionally, you can enable the heat for deeper relaxation.)
- Let your neck muscles warm up to the massage for one minute.
- Adjust the pressure to your desired level.
- Relax into the massage for 5-15 minutes.
5. Professional Therapies and Treatments
Finally, if neck pain is getting in the way of your daily life, it might be worth exploring professional treatments that can help.
A good first step? Checking with your doctor, who can help identify any underlying issues (aside from stress) that could be causing your discomfort. This way, you can make sure you’re on the right treatment plan for your unique situation.
Once you’ve been cleared for any serious issues, there are plenty of options for easing stress-related neck pain — whether that means trying a muscle-focused therapy, reducing anxiety, or a combination of both. Some include:
- Professional massage therapy to reduce stress, support healthy body mechanics, and target deep muscle tension
- Physical therapy to correct muscle imbalances and postural issues that can develop due to chronic stress
- Mental health treatments like cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or biofeedback therapy to help you better manage stress
- Trigger point injections for stubborn muscle knots
- Anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants, which may be prescribed by your doctor
Common Questions About Neck Pain and Stress
If you have questions about stress-related neck pain, you’re certainly not alone. Here are answers to some common ones, including how to really know if stress is behind your pain, which muscles are most affected, and more:
How Do I Know if Neck Pain Is Stress-Related, or an Actual Injury?
When your neck pain is from stress, it usually feels like tight, achy muscles — especially around the traps, back of the neck, and base of the skull. You might notice this type of pain more after an emotionally tense period, sometimes with other stress-related symptoms like headaches or jaw tension.
However, if you have sharp, localized pain that doesn’t seem to ease up when stress goes down, it’s likely related to an underlying injury or condition. In these cases, it’s important to see your doctor to rule out anything serious.
Can Stress Also Cause Headaches?
Yes — stress can trigger a few different types of headaches, including tension-type headaches (TTH). The tension in your neck and shoulders can both be a symptom of headaches like these, and help set one off. So, reducing stress-related neck pain may indirectly result in fewer headaches, too.
What Neck Muscles Are Most Affected by Stress?
While many neck muscles are vulnerable to stress, the ones at the sides and back of the neck tend to feel it most. These include the:
- Upper part of the trapezius — the long, diamond-shaped muscles that span across your upper back and neck
- Levator scapulae — small neck muscles that connect your neck to your shoulder blades
- Suboccipitals — or the tiny muscles at the base of your skull
- Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) — the large side-of-neck muscles that help stabilize the head and neck
Lifestyle Habits for Lasting Relief
Aside from managing stress, here are a few steps you can take to make your neck more resilient, reduce strain, and find longer-term relief:
- Pay attention to your posture and positioning throughout the day. Watch out for rounded shoulders and forward head posture, which can be especially hard on the neck.
- Work on strengthening the lower and middle trapezius muscles, rhomboids, and deep neck flexors — all of which can help support better posture.
- Gently stretch out muscles like the upper traps, levator scapulae, and SCM muscles, which are common hotspots for neck tension.
- Live an active lifestyle to promote blood flow, boost muscle health, and help your body deal with stress more effectively.
The Takeaway on Stress and Neck Pain
If you’ve ever had a hunch that your neck pain was linked to stress, research shows you may be right. Stress has several biological effects that can trigger or worsen neck muscle pain, with fight-or-flight hormones causing tension, poor posture, and even changes in the way you feel pain itself. The good news is that remedies like massage, stretching, and certain professional therapies can often ease some of that tension — and break up stress along the way.
And for those moments you need deeper relief, the right tools can make things easier. Pick up the MedMassager Neck Massager today to get started with restorative home neck massage, or view the full range of trusted tools here.
