A neck self-massage takes five to eight minutes and consists of five techniques: stroking, kneading the top of the shoulder, circling beside the spine, holding the base of the skull and finishing with a tennis ball against a wall. On a scale from zero to ten, the pressure should sit at about four to six. The front of the throat, the pulse point at the side of the neck and the spine itself are off limits. The massage loosens things up for a few hours, but it does not replace exercise.
This article is purely the how-to. Causes and strengthening exercises are covered in Neck pain: what really helps?, the theory behind tight knots in Releasing trigger points yourself. If the tension comes from grinding your teeth, read Releasing trigger points in the jaw.
Before you start: where to massage and where not to
Only the back of the neck and the top edge of the shoulders are massaged. Your landmark is the sternocleidomastoid, the diagonal band of muscle running from behind the ear to the breastbone. It stands out when you turn your head to the side. Leave everything in front of it alone. That is where the carotid artery, windpipe and larynx run. Wherever you can feel a pulse, do not press.
The second boundary is the spine. Do not press on the bony bumps you can feel down the middle. The muscles you are looking for lie one to two finger widths to either side.
- Posture: Sit upright, elbows on a table. Arms held up in the air tense exactly the muscles you are trying to relax.
- Pressure: Noticeable, yet you can keep breathing calmly. Sharp or radiating pain means: lighter, straight away.
- Duration: Five to eight minutes for the whole routine, no more than 30 to 60 seconds on any single point.
- Equipment: A tennis ball and a clear stretch of wall. No oil needed, it works through a thin shirt too.
The routine, technique by technique
1. Stroking
Place your right hand flat on the left side of your neck, just below the back of your head. Stroke downwards with light pressure over the neck to the shoulder. Ten times, then swap sides. This warms up the tissue. Duration: about one minute.
2. Kneading the top of the shoulder
The upper trapezius is the ridge between neck and shoulder. Grip it with the opposite hand, thumb at the front, fingers at the back. Lift it slightly, squeeze for two seconds and let go. Work your way like this from the neck to just short of the shoulder joint. Tilt your head a little towards the other side as you go, which makes the muscle easier to grip. One minute per side.
3. Circling beside the spine
Interlace your fingers behind your head so that the fingertips rest to the left and right of the spine. Make slow, small circles, letting the skin move with them. Work down from the back of the head, one finger width at a time, to where the neck meets the back. Where it feels noticeably firmer, stay for ten seconds. Duration: about one and a half minutes.
4. Holding the base of the skull
Place your fingertips from below against the bony ridge at the back of your head, about two finger widths from the centre. Lean your head back slightly into your fingers. The weight of your head provides the pressure, you do not dig in. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Stop if you feel tingling or dizziness.
5. Tennis ball against the wall
Stand with your back to a wall and trap the ball between the wall and the strip beside the inner edge of your shoulder blade. You control the pressure with your feet: the further they stand from the wall, the more weight rests on the ball. Bend your knees slightly and straighten again, so the ball rolls up and down. On a tender spot, hold still for 30 seconds. Never take the ball higher than the shoulder blades and never over the spine. Two minutes is enough.
A version for the sofa: put two tennis balls into a sock, knot it, lie on your back and slide the balls under the edge of the back of your head. The spine then sits in the gap between them. Remove the balls after two minutes. To finish, turn your head slowly left and right and roll your shoulders backwards five times.
What you should not do
- Front of the throat and pulse point: No pressure in front of the sternocleidomastoid, no grips around the neck.
- Spine: Do not press on the bones, do not roll the ball over them.
- Digging in: More pressure does not bring more effect. Bruises the next day mean: too hard.
- Massage gun on the neck: Separate rules apply here, see Massage gun on the neck.
- Bad days: Do not massage with a fresh injury, a fever or inflamed skin. If you take blood thinners, ask your doctor first.
A case report from Japan shows that the boundary at the throat is not excessive caution. A 39-year-old man had massaged his neck with his fingers and then had brief neck pain. A week later, a nerve supplying the tongue was paralysed. The cause was a tear in the wall of the internal carotid artery. A single case does not prove a high risk, but it shows where the risk lies. Further documented cases are collected in Are massage devices dangerous?.
What the studies show and what they do not
There are hardly any robust studies on neck self-massage. The evidence comes from massage given by professionals. A Cochrane review of 15 trials found signs of short-term relief of pain and tenderness. The quality, however, was low to very low, and only four of the 15 trials described exactly how the massage was done.
A study from Seattle with 228 people with chronic neck pain is revealing on dose. Those who received two or three 30-minute sessions a week for four weeks did no measurably better than the waiting-list group. Only 60 minutes, two or three times a week, brought a clear improvement.
For five minutes at your desk, the honest conclusion is: they help against acute tension, but they are no treatment for chronic neck pain. That calls for strengthening and movement.
Hands, ball or device
A neck massager sits around the neck like a collar and kneads with rotating heads, usually with heat. It can take over from your hands for the broader techniques one to three, and it has one advantage: your arms stay down. Otherwise it is the shoulder girdle, of all places, that tires. You can find models under Neck massagers, and the right type is explained in Which massage device for neck tension.
A device cannot replace techniques four and five. At the base of the skull and at the shoulder blade, your fingers look for one particular spot and feel when it gives. A device follows a programme. If you would rather lean back completely, you can book the NAIPO Relax Lounge in Hamburg and spend an hour in a massage chair.
When to see a doctor
Call the emergency number 112 immediately in case of sudden paralysis or numbness on one side of the body, problems speaking or seeing, a drooping corner of the mouth, severe dizziness or a sudden, unusually intense headache or neck pain, especially during or after a massage. These can be signs of a stroke.
Have the following checked by a doctor promptly:
- Pain radiating into the arm or hand, as well as tingling, numbness or weakness in the fingers.
- Neck pain with a fever or after a fall or accident.
- Symptoms that are especially bad at night or have not improved after two to three weeks.
With any of these signs, stop massaging until the cause has been clarified.
Frequently asked questions
How often can I massage my own neck?
Once or twice a day, as long as the muscles feel looser afterwards rather than more sensitive. If your neck feels sore the next day, take two days off and use less pressure.
Does self-massage help with headaches?
When the pain pulls from the neck to the back of the head, many people find technique four pleasant. This has not been studied for self-massage. Please have new, very severe or unfamiliar headaches checked by a doctor.
Sources
- Patel KC, Gross A, Graham N et al. (2012): Massage for mechanical neck disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004871.pub4
- Sherman KJ, Cook AJ, Wellman RD et al. (2014): Five-week outcomes from a dosing trial of therapeutic massage for chronic neck pain. Annals of Family Medicine. doi:10.1370/afm.1602
- Shibata Y (2023): Extracranial Internal Carotid Arterial Dissection With Hypoglossal Nerve Palsy Caused by Cervical Self-Massage: A Case Report. Cureus. doi:10.7759/cureus.45516
This article does not replace medical advice.
Written by NAIPO Editorial Team · Massage & Product Experts from Hamburg
Product experts, service technicians, and massage enthusiasts at Alsterwell GmbH — specializing in massage technology for over a decade, with our own workshop and showrooms for test sitting.
Fact-checked by David Eberst · Co-founder of NAIPO
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