How to Fix Your Stiff Neck In 60 Seconds

A knot in any muscle is a nuisance, but it’s especially frustrating when the offender is lodged in your neck or upper back.

And while getting a massage can work out the kink, chances are you don’t have time on your way to work to let the professionals get their hands on it.

Relax: You can actually knead away the cramp yourself in one minute, courtesy of Allyn Kakuk, D.P.T., a wellness physical therapist at the Mayo Clinic. Here’s how.

Stop Stress in 60 Seconds

Severe stress can do more damage than just turning your hair gray and making you shorter. People with chronic stress have a 59 percent increase in their odds of stroke over the next decade, according to new research from the University of Minnesota.

For every single-point increase in test scores measuring stress levels, study participants’ risk of stroke jumped 19 percent. Study authors think chronic activation of the fight-or-flight response may trigger your body’s inflammatory response to go into overdrive, impeding blood flow to the brain.