How to treat neck pain can be very frustrated for a lot of us. Many people suffer from chronic neck pain. Chiropractic care and medications do not always provide relief to neck pain. There are various techniques that are used in the relief of neck pain. However, you should speak to the doctor before you commence any of the treatments, since some may have negative side effects.
Causes of neck pain
The neck supports the head and is pre-disposed to conditions and injuries that restrict motion and cause pain. Some of the causes of neck pain include:
- Muscle Strains– Overworking the body with activities such as staying for long hours on the smartphone or computer is a major cause of muscle strain.
- Worn Joints– Similar to other body joints, neck joints wear down as yu grow older. A condition known as Osteoarthritis leads to the deterioration of cartilages between your bones. The body responds by forming bone spurs that alter joint motion, something that causes pain.
- Nerve Compression– The bone spurs in your neck’s vertebrae do press on the nerves that branch from the spinal cord, an activity that causes pain.
- Injuries– Did you know that rear end collisions cause whiplash injury? This occurs when the head jerks forward and backward, straining the neck’s soft tissues.
- Diseases– Diseases like cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and meningitis lead to neck pain.
HOW TO CURE NECK PAIN? HERE ARE 9 SIMPLE WAYS:
- Stay Hydrated
The discs in the vertebrae need water to maintain the appropriate disc height as well as the spinal alignment to release pressure from the spine. Spine discs are composed of 80 percent water at birth, a ratio that decreases with increase in age, leading to the degeneration of discs.
To cure neck pain, ensure that that you take enough fluids to keep you hydrated to avoid degeneration of your cervical discs. Water is an effective remedy in the treatment of neck pain. Carry enough water in your bottle to ensure that you do not forget to take water.
- Use Your Phone Carefully
Do you know that cradling the phone while talking aggravates the neck? The activity puts excessive strain in the cervical spine. Today, many people suffer from text neck as a result of craning the neck down as they browse the internet or text.
How to Avoid Neck Pain While Using Your Phone:
- Use a hands-free/ Bluetooth headset when making calls
- When texting/browsing, hold your phone up to reduce the angle at which you hold your neck.
- Ensure that you stretch your neck frequently
- Start Swimming
Swimming is known to have therapeutic effects on neck pain. Swimming reduces inflammation and provides a quick relief by easing neck stiffness.
How to treat Neck Pain through Swimming:
- Get the level of water up to your neck and move around in a swift manner.
- Squat until water reaches the chin then moved forth and back, right and left.
- Use swimming pools that have warm water
- Get a gentle stroke on the neck and use it for swimming laps or consult a health professional such as a physical therapist for recommendation. If you are an experienced swimmer, you can do some breaststrokes and engage in aerobic exercises without twisting the neck.
- Should swimming be strenuous for you, engage in water therapy as an alternative.
- Visit Your Physical Therapist
Physical therapists are known for treating injuries with the aim of reducing pain. This is not false, but physical therapy has other benefits on the neck. Such benefits include:
- Identifying the secondary causes of pain
- Teaching you on ways of reducing risks associates with reinjury
- Strengthening the neck’s weak areas using targeted exercises.
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- Acupuncture
Unknown to many people, acupuncture offers great neck pain relief. However, depending on the nature of your neck pain as well as your body. The skills of your practitioner are also a determining factor in deep tissue massage and acupuncture. Therefore, ensure that your practitioner is well experienced for the best results.
- Ensure that your chair is Neck-Supporting
Another great tip when looking to learn how to treat neck pain is to ensure that you maintain a good posture keeps the neck pain under control. Headrests keep our cervical spines in neutral positions, which is why you must ensure that your office chair has one. In your car, ensure that a headrest is used on the recliner.
- Ice Therapy
Those who have experienced neck pain know that it is associated by numbness and nagging headaches and tingling in the neck, hands, shoulders and the back of the head. Putting ice on body parts such as index fingers, behind the ear and the thumb as well as the eyebrow reduces the pain associated with these symptoms.
- Take Lots of Magnesium
Neck pain is mostly caused by sprain and muscle strain. Improving on magnesium intake helps in the relaxation and contraction of your muscles, helping you stay away from the pain causing problems.
- Magnesium is found in beans, fruits, whole grains, soy products and beans. Nutrition labels will help you understand your daily recommended amount.
- Magnesium is also absorbed through the skin by bathing with Epsom salts or such supplements.
- Applying magnesium oil directly on the skin after a warm bath also helps in the absorption of magnesium.
Note: Before you use any oil or supplement, consul your physician to prevent adverse reactions.
- Use a good Water Pillow
Water pillows have rejuvenating effects, and the good thing is that they allow you to dictate the firmness of the pillow. More water in a pillow makes it firmer, while less water makes your pillow softer. For those who have tried braces and traditional neck pillows without success, water pillows are your best option.
How to treat neck pain require the right techniques. The tips above are little known but have worked greatly in reducing neck pain among patients. Try the methods out and your neck pain will be gone forever. After healing, avoid activities that caused the neck pain to prevent you from suffering from the same problem in the future.
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