Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and acupuncture in the treatment of naval soldiers with stiff neck. Methods Fifty naval soldiers with neck stiffness were divided into PNF group and acupuncture group (received PNF or acupuncture treatment, respectively), each group with 25 cases. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score of patients in the two groups was compared immediately and at 3 months after treatment, the degree of range of motion was compared immediately after treatment, and the recurrence rate was compared at 5 months after treatment. Results The VAS scores of patients in the two groups immediately after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (1.9±0.5 vs 7.6±1.6, 2.7±0.7 vs 8.0±1.4; both P<0.01). The VAS score in the PNF group was significantly higher than that in the acupuncture group immediately after treatment (2.7±0.7 vs 1.9±0.5, P<0.05), with no significant difference at 3 months after treatment. The range of motion in all directions of patients in the acupuncture group immediately after treatment were significantly improved versus those before treatment (P<0.01), and were significantly better than those in the PNF group (P<0.01). The recurrence rate in the PNF group (4.2%, 1/24) was lower than that in the acupuncture group (25.0%, 6/24), but the difference was not significant (P>0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture has a better immediate effect than PNF in treating patients with stiff neck, but PNF is simple to operate and may reduce the recurrence rate of stiff neck, indicating that PNF can be used as an alternative in the treatment of stiff neck.