Why You May Be Carrying Stress in Your Shoulders and Neck

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy Does Stress Lead to Neck and Shoulder Pain?Symptoms of Shoulder and Neck StressTips for Relieving Shoulder and Neck StressWhen to Call Your Doctor

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Why Does Stress Lead to Neck and Shoulder Pain?

Symptoms of Shoulder and Neck Stress

Tips for Relieving Shoulder and Neck Stress

When to Call Your Doctor

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Neck and shoulder pain is quite common in the general population, especially among people who experience high levels of stress.It’s no wonder that expressions like “carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders” came to be, or that people tend to describe challenging situations or difficult people as “pain in the necks.” Many of us carry our stress directly in ournecks and shoulders, which can lead to muscle tension, pain, and headaches.

Let’s take a look at how stress contributes toneckand shoulder pain, what symptoms feel like, and what you can do to get some much-needed relief.

A Therapist Reveals Her 10 Favorite Stress Relief Products

To understand how stress is linked to neck and shoulder pain, it can be helpful to consider something called “the stress response.”

The Stress Response Leads to Physical Symptoms

In essence, our neurological and hormonal systems are activated when we experience stress in life—whether work stress, relationship stress, money stress, stress about the state of the world, or other common contributors. Hormones likeadrenalineand cortisol is released, causing a cascade of physical symptoms.

Potential Physical Symptoms

Everyone experiences physical manifestations of stress differently, but stress can affect almost all of our bodily systems. For example, the stress reaction can cause:

Why You Experience Neck and Shoulder PainStress also strongly impacts the muscular system, causing muscles to tighten and contract. The neck and shoulders are one of the most common areas where muscles tighten due to stress. The higher your stress levels and the longer you remain in a high-stress state, the more neck and shoulder tension you may experience.

Why You Experience Neck and Shoulder Pain

Stress also strongly impacts the muscular system, causing muscles to tighten and contract. The neck and shoulders are one of the most common areas where muscles tighten due to stress. The higher your stress levels and the longer you remain in a high-stress state, the more neck and shoulder tension you may experience.

18 Effective Stress Relief Strategies

Stress manifesting in your neck and shoulder can cause a number of uncomfortable and disruptive symptoms. Again, each person will experience these symptoms in unique ways, but some of the possible symptoms include:

Tension in the neck and shoulders can also contribute to headache symptoms. People with stress that goes to their neck and shoulders are prone to tension headachesandmigraines.

When you are experiencing neck and shoulder pain and tension related to stress, managing your stress is one of the most powerful ways to decrease your symptoms. Thankfully, there are many effective ways to address stress in life. Let’s look at a few.

Physical Exercise

Physical exercise of any kind is known to reduce stress. People who exercise regularly may have lower heart rates than sedentary individuals and often have more balanced, stable moods. Just 30 minutes a day of any type of movement that you enjoy can make a difference.Studies have shown that yoga specifically can decrease stress levels.

As an added bonus, manyyoga posesallow you to stretch your neck and shoulder muscles to release tension.

Meditation

Practicingmindfulnessand meditation can help you learn to recognize stressful thoughts so that you can let them go and not let them dominate your life. This, in turn, can reduce stress in your body, and reduce stress-related symptoms like neck and shoulder pain.

Research backs up the power of meditation on stress relief. For example, a 2021-study found that people who participated in a 6-week mindfulness program experienced decreased levels of perceived stress, as well as increased engagement at work.

Getting Enough Sleep

You are probably aware that getting enough sleep increases your energy levels and ability to concentrate. You are also probably cognizant of the fact that increased stress levels can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. But what you may not know is that lack of sleep in and of itself can contribute to elevated levels of stress.

So, simply making it a strong habit to go to sleep on time can blunt some of the stress in your life.

Therapy

Therapy can help you deal with serious mental health conditions and help you work through traumas. But it can also help you better manage the common life stresses that all of us experience.

When You Need Immediate Relief

As you wait for your stress levels to decrease, you might be looking for more immediate pain relief. Besides managing your stress levels, you can speak to your healthcare provider for medication options for relieving neck and shoulder pain. You can also consider using hot or cold packs to provide relief. Gentle neck stretching can also be helpful. But for some people, resting the neck and shoulders and decreasing physical activity for a few days works best.

It’s important to distinguish between neck and shoulder pain or tension related to stress and symptoms that may be signs of a serious medical condition.

Symptoms may include:

Get Emergency SupportIf you or a loved one are experiencing signs of a potentially life-threatening condition, please seek medical care immediately.911

Get Emergency Support

If you or a loved one are experiencing signs of a potentially life-threatening condition, please seek medical care immediately.

911

A Word From Verywell

Experiencing neck and shoulder pain due to stress can be extremely uncomfortable and even debilitating at times. The good news is that neck and shoulder pain due to stress responds well to basic stress management techniques such as exercise, therapy, and meditation. You’ve got this.

12 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dighriri YH, Akkur MA, Alharbi SA, et al.Prevalence and associated factors of neck, shoulder, and low-back pains among medical students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. 2019;8(12):3826-3831. doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_721_19Lundberg U, Dohns IE, Melin B, et al.Psychophysiological stress responses, muscle tension, and neck and shoulder pain among supermarket cashiers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 1999;4(3): 245–255. doi:10.1037//1076-8998.4.3.245Chu B, Marwaha K, Sanvictores T, et al.Physiology, Stress Reaction. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. 2022.American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.Cleveland Clinic.Neck Pain.Shah N, Hameed S.Muscle Contraction Tension Headache. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. 2022.Chu H, Liang C, Lee J, et al.Associations Between Depression/Anxiety and Headache Frequency in Migraineurs: A Cross-Sectional Study. Headache. 2018;58(3):407-415. doi:10.1111/head.13215Childs E, de Wit H.Regular exercise is associated with emotional resilience to acute stress in healthy adults. Frontiers in Physiology. 2014;5:161. doi:10.3389/fphys.2014.00161Shohani M, Badfar G, Nasirkandy MP, et al.The Effect of Yoga on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women. International Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2018;9:21. doi:10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_242_16Alotaibi AD, Alosaimi FM, Alajlan AA, et al.The relationship between sleep quality, stress, and academic performance among medical students. Journal of Family and Community Medicine. 2020;27(1):23–28. doi:10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_132_19Hofmann SG, Gómez AF.Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2017;40(4):739-749. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008Harvard Health Publishing.When to seek immediate medical attention for neck pain.

12 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dighriri YH, Akkur MA, Alharbi SA, et al.Prevalence and associated factors of neck, shoulder, and low-back pains among medical students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. 2019;8(12):3826-3831. doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_721_19Lundberg U, Dohns IE, Melin B, et al.Psychophysiological stress responses, muscle tension, and neck and shoulder pain among supermarket cashiers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 1999;4(3): 245–255. doi:10.1037//1076-8998.4.3.245Chu B, Marwaha K, Sanvictores T, et al.Physiology, Stress Reaction. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. 2022.American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.Cleveland Clinic.Neck Pain.Shah N, Hameed S.Muscle Contraction Tension Headache. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. 2022.Chu H, Liang C, Lee J, et al.Associations Between Depression/Anxiety and Headache Frequency in Migraineurs: A Cross-Sectional Study. Headache. 2018;58(3):407-415. doi:10.1111/head.13215Childs E, de Wit H.Regular exercise is associated with emotional resilience to acute stress in healthy adults. Frontiers in Physiology. 2014;5:161. doi:10.3389/fphys.2014.00161Shohani M, Badfar G, Nasirkandy MP, et al.The Effect of Yoga on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women. International Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2018;9:21. doi:10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_242_16Alotaibi AD, Alosaimi FM, Alajlan AA, et al.The relationship between sleep quality, stress, and academic performance among medical students. Journal of Family and Community Medicine. 2020;27(1):23–28. doi:10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_132_19Hofmann SG, Gómez AF.Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2017;40(4):739-749. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008Harvard Health Publishing.When to seek immediate medical attention for neck pain.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Dighriri YH, Akkur MA, Alharbi SA, et al.Prevalence and associated factors of neck, shoulder, and low-back pains among medical students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. 2019;8(12):3826-3831. doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_721_19Lundberg U, Dohns IE, Melin B, et al.Psychophysiological stress responses, muscle tension, and neck and shoulder pain among supermarket cashiers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 1999;4(3): 245–255. doi:10.1037//1076-8998.4.3.245Chu B, Marwaha K, Sanvictores T, et al.Physiology, Stress Reaction. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. 2022.American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.Cleveland Clinic.Neck Pain.Shah N, Hameed S.Muscle Contraction Tension Headache. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. 2022.Chu H, Liang C, Lee J, et al.Associations Between Depression/Anxiety and Headache Frequency in Migraineurs: A Cross-Sectional Study. Headache. 2018;58(3):407-415. doi:10.1111/head.13215Childs E, de Wit H.Regular exercise is associated with emotional resilience to acute stress in healthy adults. Frontiers in Physiology. 2014;5:161. doi:10.3389/fphys.2014.00161Shohani M, Badfar G, Nasirkandy MP, et al.The Effect of Yoga on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women. International Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2018;9:21. doi:10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_242_16Alotaibi AD, Alosaimi FM, Alajlan AA, et al.The relationship between sleep quality, stress, and academic performance among medical students. Journal of Family and Community Medicine. 2020;27(1):23–28. doi:10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_132_19Hofmann SG, Gómez AF.Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2017;40(4):739-749. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008Harvard Health Publishing.When to seek immediate medical attention for neck pain.

Dighriri YH, Akkur MA, Alharbi SA, et al.Prevalence and associated factors of neck, shoulder, and low-back pains among medical students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. 2019;8(12):3826-3831. doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_721_19

Lundberg U, Dohns IE, Melin B, et al.Psychophysiological stress responses, muscle tension, and neck and shoulder pain among supermarket cashiers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 1999;4(3): 245–255. doi:10.1037//1076-8998.4.3.245

Chu B, Marwaha K, Sanvictores T, et al.Physiology, Stress Reaction. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. 2022.

American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.

Cleveland Clinic.Neck Pain.

Shah N, Hameed S.Muscle Contraction Tension Headache. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. 2022.

Chu H, Liang C, Lee J, et al.Associations Between Depression/Anxiety and Headache Frequency in Migraineurs: A Cross-Sectional Study. Headache. 2018;58(3):407-415. doi:10.1111/head.13215

Childs E, de Wit H.Regular exercise is associated with emotional resilience to acute stress in healthy adults. Frontiers in Physiology. 2014;5:161. doi:10.3389/fphys.2014.00161

Shohani M, Badfar G, Nasirkandy MP, et al.The Effect of Yoga on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women. International Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2018;9:21. doi:10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_242_16

Alotaibi AD, Alosaimi FM, Alajlan AA, et al.The relationship between sleep quality, stress, and academic performance among medical students. Journal of Family and Community Medicine. 2020;27(1):23–28. doi:10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_132_19

Hofmann SG, Gómez AF.Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2017;40(4):739-749. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008

Harvard Health Publishing.When to seek immediate medical attention for neck pain.

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