Neck pain..

If it's injured then and ice pack (or bag of frozen peas) wrapped in a tea towel will help reduce the swelling, as will taking asprin or ibuprofen. If you are sure there is no serious damage and it's just stiff/sore from sitting at a desk or on a computer all day, then there is a really simple video on You Tube, which I often do when I get in from work to loosen it all up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5zJAM2Ekls&feature=related

Hope this helps.

Do gentle stretches.

1. Take 1 ear to your shoulder (gently) and hold for 10-15 seconds. Then hold your head up for 5 seconds. Then repeat with the other ear. Do that ~5 times.

2. Hold your head as straight up as possible. Turn your head over your right shoulder and hold for 10-15 seconds. Then look straight for 5 seconds. Then repeat on the left side. Do that ~5 times.

3. Lean your head to the right. Roll in a half circle to the front to your left shoulder, slowly. Then roll back. Repeat ~5 times. (Do not roll your head back!)

Advil is a good medicine (follow bottle instructions) for the pain. Alternate heat and ice, as birdlover suggested. Do the stretches after every heat treatment.

I had a pretty bad muscle spasm in my neck. These are the instructions that my doctor/pt had me follow once I was able to lift my head with my own strength. If it ever gets to where it is "stuck" on one side, call and make an appointment with your doctor. It means one or more of the tiny muscles around your neck are having spasms and it's better to let a professional help you get them to let go.

Good luck!

If you're getting pain in your neck from sit ups, your head may not be getting the support it needs and/or you're straining your neck as you go up. Make sure you don't have any strain in your neck when you're doing sit ups/crunches. I'd advise stopping the sit ups until your neck is better, and possibly just doing crunches for a bit until you're sure you've got the form down.

Well it just started hurting last night, not sure if it's from sit ups? I tookj a muscle relaxer to help me sleep, then after I did my sit ups it hurt again.. Guess I need to stop sit ups.. But will try heat and ice, and an epsom salt bath sounds great!

You don't have to stop sit ups. It just sounds like you need to work on your form a little. Form is VERY important to work your muscles properly and also avoid injury. You neck should never be straining during a sit up.

To sit up properly, you NEVER want to put your chin to your chest. You should be looking at the ceiling and have your neck pretty much in alignment. You want to be lifting your shoulders up off the ground and NOT putting the strain on your neck.

To help with this, you should not put your hands behind your head when you do sit ups (as it is tempting to PULL your neck up, very bad).

They also have these rockers available (with head rests) to help you keep proper form when doing sit ups. I'm not sure how well they work since I do not own one.

Ab rollers are great for reducing neck pain. I've got an old whiplash injury that made crunches impossible until I tried an ab roller at my gym. Everlast do a good one - I'm thinking of getting one for at home as they really do make your abs feel like they're getting a good workout.