This Five-Second Towel Stretch Helps Cut Neck Pain Nearly in Half, New Research Shows

You’re just trying to get through your day when that unmistakable ache in your neck starts creeping in. Suddenly, the time you were supposed to spend turning the pages of your favorite cozy fall mystery book or braiding your granddaughter’s hair is spent grasping at your neck, trying to ease the pain. Sound familiar? If it does, it may be time for a surprisingly simple change. New research says the towel hanging in your bathroom right now could help ease neck pain in just five seconds. And the best part? We’ve got other expert-approved neck pain hacks that start relieving the ache fast. 

What causes neck pain? 

“Pain originating in the neck can radiate into the head or the shoulder,” says Myriah Pahl, PT, DPT, owner of Good Life Physical Therapy. “Neck pain often limits the ability to move the head through its full range of motion, such as decreased ability to turn the head or tip the ear toward the shoulder.”

And while it may feel like your neck pain snuck up on you, it can quietly build behind the scenes. “Neck pain is typically caused by postural changes over time,” explains Ashley Katzenback PT, DPT, owner of Cape Concierge Physical Therapy. “Prolonged sitting most specifically, which causes the head to migrate forward changing the alignment of your head over your neck and shoulders.”

Neck pain can impact anyone, but women in menopause and perimenopause may find themselves particularly affected. “When estrogen walks out the door in perimenopause and menopause, you have less collagen in your ligaments and tendons, which can lead to increased stiffness in joints,” adds Katzenback. “A more likely cause of neck pain during this age range is the increase in anxiety that goes along with menopause.”

The five-second towel trick to ease neck pain 

Research reveals there’s a quick fix for neck pain that takes just seconds, and all you need is a towel. In a small study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers divided 46 participants who had neck pain for at least 12 weeks into two groups. One group performed a towel-based neck strengthening exercise, other neck exercises and self-massage. The other group did neck stretches without a towel or thai-self massage. After four weeks, both groups experienced less neck pain and tenderness, but the stretching-only group saw their average pain scores drop by about 26 percent, while those who did towel exercise experienced an impressive 49 percent drop in pain. 

The study-backed towel-stretch technique: Lie on your back with a small rolled towel beneath the back of your head. Gently nod as if saying “yes,” pressing the back of your head slightly into the towel; hold for five seconds before relaxing and repeating the exercise 10 times. Repeat this stretch session three times per week. 

Why it works to soothe neck pain

While participants in the towel group did a variety of neck strengthening exercises, Pahl gives a specific shout out to towel-assisted chin tucks as being a helpful and common exercise to strengthen the deep neck flexor muscles. “Using a towel roll under the neck while lying on the back provides both proprioceptive feedback (awareness of the movement) and light resistance to increase the awareness of the position of the head and neck and the work of the muscles,” she says. “With neck pain, activation of muscles and strengthening of weak stabilizing muscles helps improve posture over time and can help with pain sensation and range of motion in the short term.” 

If you feel like you’ve tried everything under the sun, you’re probably side-eyeing these results, wondering why something as simple as a towel could make such a difference.

“Using the towel gives patients tactile feedback and helps them know where their head is in space,” explains Katzenback. “With postural changes over time, you often don’t realize how far forward your head has migrated. The towel helps fill the gap in space and gives a patient something tangible to press into.”

Pahl calls towels a tool to provide easier access to physical therapy exercises. “When prescribing exercises, I always look to limit the barriers that might prevent patients from not being able to do their homework, so using materials we all have around the house is helpful,” she notes. 

2 more moves to ease neck pain fast 

Before starting any exercises, check in with your doctor or physical therapist, especially if you’ve had any recent injuries. “Folks with whiplash or concussion injuries or recent car accidents or falls and those with osteopenia or osteoporosis should not undertake any neck exercise program without clearance and guidance from a physical therapist or medical doctor,” says Pahl. 

But if you’ve gotten the go-ahead from your medical provider and want to incorporate exciting new research into your life, Pahl has you covered with two towel tricks that take just seconds to try.

Chin-to-chest stretch 

How to do it: “Lie on your back and place a small hand towel rolled under your chin,” explains Pahl. “Keep your back and shoulders on the ground, curl your head up looking toward your feet and press the towel between your chin and upper chest.”

Pahl says to hold each movement for five seconds before releasing your head back down, then repeating the movement 10 times. 

Neck rotations 

How to do it: “Take a small hand towel and wrap it around the back of the neck near the hairline like a scarf,” says Pahl. “Cross your empty hands (right on top) and grab the left end of the towel in the right (top) hand and the right end of the towel in the left hand. Gently pull down toward your chest with the bottom (left) hand. With the top (right) hand create some light tension on the towel.  Now turn your head into the towel to look toward the left. Your neck should be working to turn, but your head is not actually moving. This creates an isometric activation of the muscle, meaning the muscle is working but not moving.”

Pahl recommends holding the position for 10 seconds, then switching sides so your head is turning to the right and repeating five times. 

The bottom line on how to ease neck pain fast 

Sometimes, when we’re combating pain, it can feel like we need a complicated, multistep process to find relief. But research and our experts say taking steps toward less pain can start with something as simple as a bath towel and a few seconds.

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