With neck pain affecting up to 40% of people each year, it’s no surprise that the neck is one of the most common — and troubling — spots for tension to show up. And if you’re like many, the muscles along the sides of it can be especially sensitive to stress and strain, bringing along achiness, limited movement, and pain that flares up when you turn your head.
If symptoms like these sound familiar, you might’ve already tried gentle stretching or over-the-counter pain meds on days when your neck feels extra tight. But to find even more relief, massage is one option that could help.
Below, learn about the benefits of side-of-neck massage, plus a few techniques and tips to keep in mind before starting.
The Major Side-of-Neck Muscles
The neck contains dozens of muscles that work to keep your head comfortable, stable, and upright throughout the day, which is why neck pain can be so complex to figure out. But when the sides of it specifically are giving you trouble, these main muscles could be playing a role:
Sternocleidomastoid (SCM)
The sternocleidomastoid (also called the SCM) is the largest muscle in the front of the neck, running from the base of the skull and wrapping down toward the collarbone. It can be affected by posture, overuse, and countless other daily activities, making it one of the most common culprits behind side-of-neck tension.
The SCM supports a wide range of movements, including:
- Turning your head to the side, like when driving or looking over your shoulder
- Bringing your head and chin forward, or nodding down toward your chest
- Supporting your breathing by helping to lift your breastbone and collarbones
Levator Scapulae
If you have neck tension that spreads toward the upper back, the levator scapulae might also be involved. A deeper side-neck muscle, the levator scapulae crosses under the SCM and angles toward your back, starting from the cervical spine and running down to the top edge of the shoulder blade.
When these small muscles act up, it can feel like neck tension that gets worse when you turn or tilt your head. It might also come with headaches or pain that radiates down to the shoulder blades.
Scalenes
The scalenes are a group of smaller, deeper neck muscles that can wind up tense or tight alongside the SCM and levator scapulae. These little muscles start from the cervical spine and run down, attaching to the ribs to help lift your chest when you breathe. Like other side-of-neck muscles, tightness here can cause discomfort when rotating or tilting your head.
It’s important to note that since they’re so deep, the scalene muscles can be tough to target with massage. But they’re worth being aware of, since they carry tension similarly to — and work alongside — other side-of-neck muscles.
Common Causes of Side-of-Neck Tension
Whether your neck tension has settled most in the SCM, levator scapulae, or a combination of different muscles, here are some of the most common underlying causes to know about:
Overuse From Sports or Work
When you notice a new case of tightness along the side(s) of your neck, it can help to retrace your steps and think about any recent activities that might’ve caused it. For example, people in certain lines of work may be more likely to experience strain in their neck muscles, including:
- Construction workers
- Warehouse or assembly line workers
- Dental assistants or hygienists
- Hairstylists or estheticians
In any case, when you’re doing detailed work while hunched over for hours at a time, it can take a toll on your neck. Additionally, sports like golf or tennis (where you’re swinging your arms and rotating your body with force) can also lead to overusing or straining the SCM, levator scapulae, and surrounding muscles.
Improper Posture
Poor posture while sitting at a desk, walking around, or even while you sleep can also strain or “kink” your side-of-neck muscles. In many ways, posture-related tension can feel similar to overuse, since it involves holding the muscles under a static load for long stretches of time.
Health Conditions or Injuries
While most neck soreness can be traced back to everyday wear-and-tear (or a simple night of sleep gone wrong), certain health conditions can also play a role. These may include:
- A muscle tear or strain, either from a direct injury or a sudden, forceful movement
- Degenerative disc disease, arthritis, or other conditions affecting the spine
- A pinched nerve
- Rarely, more serious conditions, like meningitis, autoimmune conditions, a cyst, or a tumor
Typically, neck pain from other conditions may feel more intense or be accompanied by other symptoms, like headaches or nerve-related side effects. If you think that your discomfort might be from something beyond minor muscle stress, it’s important to see your doctor to rule out anything serious. You can also learn more about when neck pain may be an emergency in this Harvard Health article.
Side-of-Neck Massage: What Are the Benefits?
When done gently and consistently, massage can often bring noticeable relief to tense or tight neck muscles — offering benefits like:
- Increase range of motion by helping to warm and break up tension in the muscle fibers.
- Pain relief. Massage isn’t a cure-all, but many find it can provide real relief from muscle pain and soreness. This lines up with a 2024 study, which found that people from a variety of backgrounds reported significant neck pain relief after receiving regular medical massage over a three-year period.
- Improved back and shoulder comfort. Since the neck and shoulders are mechanically linked, easing tension in one of these muscle groups can often benefit the other.
- Stress and anxiety relief. By calming the body and triggering endorphins (your body’s natural pain relievers), massage can also help soothe stress-related muscle tension that might be spilling into the neck.
Safety Tips To Keep in Mind
As a rule of thumb, it’s always important to be gentle and avoid using heavy pressure near the front of the neck, where delicate structures, including your throat, arteries, and lymph nodes are located. When in doubt, focusing on muscles closer to the back and sides of the neck can be a safer option.
Additionally, if wanting to break up tension in the SCM, lightly pulling the tissue outward can help ensure you’re working on the muscle itself and not any delicate structures underneath. And as always, it’s best to start with light pressure and gradually increase as needed (as long as it feels good to you).
Aside from that, here are some extra tips to help you stay safe and comfortable along the way:
- Skip massage and seek medical guidance first if you have any unexplained symptoms (dizziness, tingling, fever, etc.), sharp pain, or conditions that haven’t been cleared for massage in the past.
- Avoid working on any current inflammation — such as irritated redness or swelling — or other recent injuries.
- Know that massage does not need to be painful or excessively deep to be effective. When it comes to the neck, less is often more.
- Stop if massage doesn’t seem to be helping, worsens pain, or triggers any other unusual symptoms.
How To Massage the Side of the Neck: 3 Gentle Ways
Here are three gentle side-of-neck massage techniques to try for everyday relief — ranging from focused release techniques to more broad, allover massage to soothe overworked muscles:
Hands-on Massage
When getting started with self-massage, using your hands is one of the simplest ways to soothe tense neck muscles — and because it requires zero equipment, it’s often the most accessible option to try. Here’s how:
- Start by sitting comfortably with straight posture.
- Wrap your hands around the back of your neck, letting your palms rest on the side muscles just below your ears.
- With light pressure, use gentle compressions to begin massaging the muscles, repeating up and down the neck for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, if you’d like, you can work on the levator scapulae. Place two fingers at the top of the back side of your neck, just behind your ear. With pressure that feels comfortable to you, run your fingers diagonally down toward the top of the shoulder blade.
- Repeat on the other side.
SCM Release
When the majority of your tension has settled into your SCM muscles, here’s one gentle release technique that can help:
- Turn your head to one side. On the opposite side, use your fingers to find the top of the SCM muscle, just behind your ear.
- Gently pull the muscle tissue outward.
- Then, slowly turn your head back in the opposite direction as you glide your fingers down along the length of the muscle.
Try a Restorative Neck Massager
Simple hands-on techniques can be a good way to ease tension when the sides of your neck are stiff or tense. But for everyday relief (or just to take your home massage routine up a level), tools like the MedMassager Neck Massager can be a helpful option.
This HSA/FSA-eligible tool works by kneading the neck muscles with gentle dual-direction motions, with the option to add heat for extra tension relief. While not focused on the side neck muscles specifically, it offers a hands-free way to get some allover relaxation whenever your muscles feel tight. Here’s how to use it:
- Wrap the massager around your neck comfortably, and turn it to its gentlest-pressure setting.
- Relax and allow your muscles to warm up to the massage.
- After one minute on the light pressure setting, you can increase the pressure if you’d like.
- Relax into the massage for 5-10 minutes.
Common Side-of-Neck Massage Questions
With all of the different muscles involved, the side of the neck can feel like a tricky area when it comes to massage. With that said, if you’re new to it and have questions, here are a few answers to help guide you as you get started:
How Can You Get the Most Out of Massage?
As you start adding massage into your routine, here are a few extra pointers to help make it more effective:
- Try adding some warmth to your session, either through a heated massager or by applying a warm towel beforehand. Heat can help encourage better blood flow, making it easier for muscles to relax.
- Stretch before or after your massage for an extra range of motion boost.
- Use massage regularly, but be sure not to overdo it. A 5-10 minute session a few times per week can be a good place to start if you’re new to massage and want to see how your muscles respond.
- Consider professional massage for chronic or complex neck muscle tension. Self-massage can certainly be helpful thanks to its accessibility — but if you have complex tension, trigger points, or previous injuries, a professional massage therapist may be able to offer more relief through their knowledge of safe, targeted techniques.
Can Side-of-Neck Massage Help With Headaches?
In some cases, yes — if you have headaches stemming from tension, trigger points, or changes in body mechanics due to tight muscles, massage may be able to help. Specifically, it may help ease tension headaches by soothing tight muscles and reducing stress, both of which may offer indirect benefits for headache pain.
Other Remedies for Neck Tension Relief
If tension in the sides of your neck — or neck discomfort in general — keeps showing up for you, a good first step is to think about what might be causing it. Sometimes, the solution is as simple as adjusting your work setup, investing in a new pillow, or paying more attention to your posture day-to-day. In other cases, it can also be helpful to work with your doctor to look into any underlying issues that might be playing a role.
Along the way, here are a few more remedies that can help you ease pain, combat tension, and better support your neck overall:
Stretches and Posture-Supporting Exercises
When it comes to relieving neck pain, stretching and strengthening are often two important pieces of the puzzle. Stretching helps loosen things up throughout the day, while building strength in key areas can support your alignment and reduce strain on your neck over time. Exercises that many people find helpful include:
Side-to-Side Bends
Neck side bends offer an easy, quick way to lengthen your side-of-neck muscles when they tighten up. Here’s how they work:
- Sit with comfortable yet upright posture, aiming to keep your shoulders down and back.
- Slowly tilt your head to one side until you feel a gentle yet effective stretch in the neck.
- Hold for 5-15 seconds, and repeat with the other side.
The Y-Stretch
Although not targeting the neck directly, the Y-stretch is a great movement to help “reset” your posture throughout the day — and it’s also useful for engaging some of the back muscles that can get sleepy and underactive due to rounding forward. To try it:
- Stand with straight posture.
- Lift your arms out to your sides, opening up your chest muscles. Bend your elbows so that your hands point up toward the ceiling.
- Engage your back muscles to bring the shoulder blades together. As you do so, slowly stretch your arms up above your head until your hands meet in the center.
- Slowly bring your arms back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.
Other Treatments for Tension and Pain
Simple home exercises and small postural adjustments can go a long way if neck tension affects your daily life. But sometimes, it’s worth checking with your doctor about other tools and resources that can help.
For everyday tension, they might suggest things like heat therapy, workspace adjustments, or even over-the-counter pain meds when symptoms flare up. But if you’re someone with serious myofascial pain or muscle knots, they can also help you explore other options. These might include things like trigger point injections, physical therapy, acupuncture, or other personalized lifestyle adjustments for longer-term relief.
The Bottom Line
With how much work the muscles along the sides of your neck do, you’re certainly not alone if they’ve been feeling tight or sore lately. The good news is that gentle, allover massage can ease tightness, while focused release techniques can help target tension in specific muscles like the levator scapulae and SCM. And if you’d like to bring more restorative massage into your routine without all the hands-on work, home massage tools can help.
Learn more about the HSA/FSA-eligible MedMassager Neck Massager today, or see the full range of home tools here.
