Shocking Tips to Ease Neck Pain
Many of us live with nagging neck pain. Sometimes the pain starts gradually while other times it’s a sharp intense pain. Unfortunately, many Americans do experience neck pain. Thankfully, we have some tips to consider when managing neck pain that you probably haven’t heard of!
Neck Pain Relief Tips:
1. Supportive Chairs:
It’s a known fact that when you are working all day at a computer, you tend to hunch forward toward your computer screen. That forward head posture adds extra stress on your spine, causing neck pain. Throughout the day, it’s important for us to be mindful of our posture, especially while sitting at a desk all day.
A great way to help support your neck and keep your head up is a chair with a headrest, any chair for that matter. A headrest will keep your head in place, allowing for your spine to relax without the stress of a forward hunch. Make sure you are utilizing all of your chairs headrests, even in your car.
2. Sleep with a Water Pillow:
That’s right, you heard us correctly, a water pillow. Many of us complain of chronic neck pain while sleeping. Not only does it cause a bad night’s rest but it could also make for a stiff neck in the morning. Although everyone’s comfort level is different, the water pillow allows you to adjust its firmness by simply adding more water; or less water for a softer pillow.
3. Seek Physical Therapy:
Often more times than not, people think of physical therapy to heal an injury. While this is correct, physical therapy can also do wonders for other things, such as neck and back pain. The benefits of this are as follows:
- Identifying poor posture or habits that may be contributing to pain and stiffness.
- Teaching you how to reduce the risk of reinjury.
- Strengthening the weak areas of the neck through targeted exercises.
When you improve your neck’s strength and flexibility it will help support the cervical spine, reducing pain. So, before you opt for something more serious, consider physical therapy first. You might be surprised at the outcome!
4. It’s pool Time:
Yep, get in that pool for some low-impact exercises. Swimming is a great solution for neck and back pain relief. When we get in the water, it adds buoyancy, which is less stress on your spine.
Speak with your doctor or physical therapist about the possibility of swimming. Depending on the issue, its possible swimming might be too strenuous on the neck and water aerobics might be a better fit.
5. Meditation:
It’s a good idea to sit back and relax every so often. Find a quiet spot to relax and focus the mind, which may help relieve stress and therefore give you pain relief. Some examples of mindful meditation include controlled breathing exercises or guided imagery, such as envisioning the pain moving from your neck to your arm and then eventually floating off your fingers. Although meditation may not work for everyone, many have reported benefits in relieving neck pain.
6. Put the Phone Down
Ok, at least put it at eye level. In today’s technology-driven society, many of us are continuously looking down at our phones. Whether it be text messaging or scrolling through our news feed. That forward bend we do to look down at our phone contributes to painful neck strains or even text neck. Some of us cradle a phone between our neck all day at work, which puts extra stress on your cervical spine.
To avoid neck pain from phone use following these tips:
- Use a hands-free headset to make calls.
- When you’re browsing or texting, hold the phone up higher to decrease the angle at which you’re holding your neck.
- Take frequent breaks to stretch your neck.
Also, see Text Neck & Prevention & Stretches
We get it, neck pain is so bothersome and sometimes even stressful. Hopefully, with the above tips, you can kick that pain to the curb. If after a few weeks you are still experiencing neck problems or become more severe contact a spine specialist at 888-409-8006.
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