How To Alleviate Neck And Back Pain

How To Alleviate Neck And Back Pain

How To Alleviate Neck And Back Pain

Hot Cold And Electrotherapy

How to relieve neck and back pain

Heating pads, ice or cold packs, and electrotherapy are natural ways to get relief from neck and shoulder pain. A general rule of thumb suggests choosing different therapies based on how long youve been experiencing pain.

Use cold for recent neck or shoulder pain

During the first six weeks after a fresh injury, experts recommend applying ice to help reduce inflammation and pain. Ice packs, cold sprays, and/or cold gels are great options to relieve acute swelling.

Use heat for chronic aches and pains

Heat encourages blood flow and helps relax tight muscles. This type of therapy can be introduced six weeks after an injury, and also works best for lingering aches and pains. Make sure your heat therapy isnt too hot. Try:

• Heating pads
• Warm baths, whirlpools and saunas
• Warm baths with Epsom salts

Try electrotherapy for short and long-term neck and shoulder pain

TENS, or Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, is a drug-free alternative to pain relief that works for both short- and long-term pain. TENS units use mild, pain-free electrical currents to disrupt pain signals.

Make sure you dont place the TENS unit pads too close to your head or sides of your neck and spine. Please follow the manufacturers directions for the best and safest pad placement.

Recommended Reading: Sprained Wrist Vs Broken

Neck Side Bend And Rotation

Stand or sit facing forward, and begin by tilting your neck to the right. You should feel the stretch through your neck to your trap muscle.

After about 10 seconds, slowly roll your head in a counterclockwise direction. Pause for 10 seconds when you reach your left shoulder.

Complete the rotation by ending where you started. Repeat these steps rolling in a clockwise direction.

Repeat this sequence 2-3 times.

Good for: neck and upper back

Adjusting Your Posture To Prevent Neck And Shoulder Pain

It might not be obvious, but posture has a cascading effect on other parts of the body. Paying attention to your core strength and lower back can ease strain on your neck and shoulders.

Take the wall test to adjust your standing posture.

• Stand with your head, shoulder blades, and buttocks touching the wall
• Keep your heels around 2 to 4 inches away from the wall
• Put your hand behind the curve in your back and touch the wall with your palm

Your hand should fit neatly inside of this space.

• If the fit is too loose, tighten your abdominal muscles
• If its too tight, arch your back

Remember what it feels like when you find the right spot. This is the standing posture you want to maintain as much as possible. Do the wall test daily as many times as you need to.

Adjust your sitting posture

If you spend a lot of time behind a desk, fixing your sitting posture is especially important.

• Avoid crossing your legs

Recommended Reading: Difference Between Sprain And Fracture Wrist

What Are The Symptoms Of Back And Neck Pain

Symptoms associated with back pain may include:

• Dull, burning, or sharp pain in your back. The pain can be confined to a single spot or cover a large area

• Leg numbness or tingling above or below your knee

• Stiffness or achiness that occurs anywhere along your spine

• Sharp, shooting pain that radiates from your low back to your buttocks, down the back of your thigh, and into your calf and toes

• Consistent ache in the middle or lower part of your back, especially after standing or sitting for an extended period

Loss of bladder and bowel control, with weakness in both legs, are symptoms of a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention.

Symptoms associated with neck pain can be:

• Arm numbness or tingling

• Shoulder pain

• Sharp shooting pains or a dull aches in your neck

Pain that occurs suddenly in your back or neck, due to an injury, is considered to be acute pain. Acute pain comes on quickly and may leave sooner than chronic back or neck pain. This type of pain should not last more than 6 weeks.

Pain that may come on quickly or slowly and lingers for weeks, 3 months or greater, is considered to be chronic pain. Chronic pain is less common than acute pain.

Best Sleeping Positions For Back Pain

The best sleeping position for lower back pain is widely considered to be on your back. This position distributes the weight along the entire spine. Placing a pillow under your knees will help to maintain the natural curve of the spine.

For those who sleep on their side, placing a firm pillow between the knees helps to maintain the natural alignment of the hips, pelvis and spine. However, if you are a side sleeper, try to alternate sides. This will help to avoid muscle imbalance and perhaps even scoliosis. In addition, side sleeping in a curled-up fetal position may help those with herniated disc pain.

Lying on your stomach is considered the worst sleeping position for back pain. However, if it is difficult to change sleeping positions, place a thin pillow underneath your hips and stomach to improve the alignment of the spine.

Don’t Miss: Pineapple And Stomach Pain

Exercises To Help Neck Pain

The goal of exercises for neck pain is to relieve tense muscles and improve your range of motion. A stiff and sore neck can make it hard to turn your head or engage in physical activity. These exercises focus on deliberate stretches and motions to reduce pain and tension without injury.

Nodding

One of the simplest motions you can do to relieve neck pain is nodding. The goal for this stretch is to keep your shoulders straight. This helps you actually stretch your neck muscles instead of compensating with other muscles.

Step 1: Sit or stand with an upright posture, and your shoulders relaxed. Look straight ahead.

Step 2: Slowly look down, lowering your chin towards your chest. Stop when you feel a gentle stretch in your neck and hold the position for up to thirty seconds.

Step 3: Slowly return your head to a neutral position.

Repeat this three to five times a day, or whenever you feel neck tension.

Side to Side Tilts

This exercise helps stretch the muscles on the sides of your neck, relieving muscle tension, and helping reduce pain.

Step 1: Sit or stand with good posture and look straight ahead.

Step 2: Gently lean your head to the left, aiming your left ear at your shoulder. Hold this position for up to thirty seconds, then return your head to neutral.

Step 3: Repeat on your right side.

Continued

Side to Side Rotations

If your neck is stiff and it’s difficult to look to the side, this is a useful exercise to regain your range of motion.

Step 3: Return to a neutral position.

What Causes A Pinched Nerve

A pinched nerve can be caused by several conditions including spondylosis, stenosis, bulging discs or herniated disc. This can be caused by prolonged non-ideal postures or trauma. However, most of the time pinched nerves are caused by age-related degeneration of the bones and discs that make up the vertebrae . When this happens, the discs decrease in height and this can cause the narrowing of spaces where the nerves exit which can compress the nerves. This degeneration can also lead to bone spurs which can compress on the nerves.

• Weakness in arm
• Can vary with changes in head and neck position

Note: In my experience, this condition can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms could simply be elbow pain or shoulder pain.

Many times, a patient will come to me with a diagnosis of elbow tendonitis, when actually the root cause of the symptoms is an irritation of a nerve in the neck. As you can see, this condition can be easily misdiagnosed.

Is there a long-term solution?

As mentioned previously, the most common cause of this is from age related causes. We cannot reverse this, but we can control our posture, which can put us a better position to decrease the likelihood of compressing nerve. Research shows that improving posture can provide sustainable relief.

In this article well focus on exercises and stretches you can do at home.

Also Check: Sprained Or Broken Wrist

What Are Possible Complications Of Neck And Back Pain

Complications of back and neck pain may include:

• Loss of productivity. Back pain is the most common reason for disability in working adults.
• Nerve damage. If your back pain is from a herniated disk, pressure on the spinal nerves may cause a variety of problems, such as weakness, numbness, or severe shooting pain that travels from the back to the leg.
• Depression. Back or neck pain can disrupt all aspects of life. This includes work, physical exercise, social activities, and sleep. The anxiety and stress caused by the change in movement and pain can lead to depression.
• Weight gain. Loss of movement and inability to exercise can lead to weight gain and the loss of muscle strength.

It is a good idea to see a healthcare provider if you have numbness or tingling, or if your pain is severe and does not get better with medicine and rest. If you have trouble urinating, weakness, pain, or numbness in your legs, fever, or unintentional weight loss, call your healthcare provider right away.

What’s Under The Cover:

How to Relieve Neck Pain in 30 SECONDS

• Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam

  Germ resistant, odour eliminating and soft rebound. The bamboo charcoal memory foam inner ensures your sleep remains germ-free. It moulds to the unique shape of your head and neck.

• Thermogenic protective inner

  Designed to regulate your sleep temperature ensuring your head stays cool at night. Ensures memory foam longevity and prevents dust from eroding the foam.

• Scuba Pillow Protector

  Soft and elegant. The outer-layer scuba pillow protector not only protects your pillow from stains. Its soft to the cheek whilst retaining minimalist contemporary design.

• Recommended Reading: Is My Wrist Sprained Or Broken

  Tips To Prevent Neck Pain

  Its probably safe to say that most of us at some point in time have woken up with neck pain or can recall an event or injury that resulted in neck pain. In fact, at any given time, 13% of American adults suffer from neck pain.

  Following these 10 tips can help to prevent neck pain. Watch:10 Best Tips to Prevent Neck Pain Video

  Muscle strain and resulting muscle spasm is often caused by an underlying neck problem, such as spinal stenosis, arthritis, or disc degeneration and can be triggered from trauma but frequently occurs insidiously, or for no obvious or identifiable reason.

  Selecting the right pillow height for your sleeping position can help to keep your cervical spine in neutral alignment and prevent pain. Watch3 Evening Tips for Sleeping with Neck Pain Video

  First Steps To Relieve Neck Pain

  The causes of routine strain-and-sprain neck pain vary. If you wake up with a “crick” in your neck, it’s probably the sharp muscle contractions known as spasms, caused by a muscle strain. A sprain, in contrast, happens in ligamentsthe tough tissues that connect bones together. Alternatively, a tendonthe tissue that attaches muscles to bonesmay become inflamed, causing tendinitis. Basic self-help takes care of most routine neck pain flare-ups:

  • Use cold to numb the early acute pain and reduce inflammation.
  • Take over-the-counter pain relievers to control mild to moderate pain. These include acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen , naproxen , or aspirin.
  • Use a neck collar for short periods to rest the painful muscles and tissues and ease your discomfort. “Collars have a bad reputation from people overusing them and getting weak muscles, but used a few hours here and there they can be very useful,” Dr. Shmerling says.
  • Apply heateither with a heating pad or by using a warm whirlpool bath if one is availableafter a day or two, once the acute pain calms down.

  Should you go to a chiropractor to get your neck “cracked”? Dr. Shmerling counsels against sudden, strenuous manipulation of the neck. “It may be fine for low back pain, but avoid it for neck pain,” he says.

  Don’t Miss: Is Stomach Pain A Sign Of Pregnancy

  How Can You Prevent Neck Pain

  Fix your posture to fix your neck pain. Sit or stand with your shoulders directly over your hips and your head straight. Adjust your chair or desktop so your computer monitor is at eye level. Take frequent breaks.

  Donât tuck your phone between your ear and shoulder. Use a speakerphone or headset instead.

  Try not to carry heavy bags with shoulder straps.

  Try a different pillow if youâre waking up with a stiff neck. Some people find that a relatively flat one, or one with built-in neck support, works best. Sleeping on your back or side, not your belly, also allows your neck muscles and ligaments to get the rest they need.

  Know When It’s Time To See A Doctor

  

  Technically speaking, there are no established guidelines for when to see a doctor about mild back or neck pain.

  But according to Thomas if the pain persists for a week or longer – and especially if it interrupts your daily functioning, it is time to get it checked.

  Sometimes the pain you think may be due to a simple “crick in the neck” or to low back strain can actually be pointing to something more serious, such as an infection or tumor.

  A medical doctor has the diagnostic skills to determine if your pain indicates a serious problem not directly related to the pain. Thomas also says that sometimes conditions such as disc herniation or spinal stenosis can mimic the symptoms of a “crick in the neck” another reason to get it checked.

  Don’t Miss: Is Mobic Good For Sciatica Pain

  Give Gua Sha A Chance

  Gua sha typically involves having a trained practitioner use a spoon to apply short strokes down the skin of the painful area. Gua sha is from Chinese Traditional Medicine, and its applied to areas of the body where blood circulation is believed to be stagnant and blocking energy . While there is no scientific evidence for qi, some people have reported neck pain relief from gua sha. One small study found gua sha to relieve neck pain more than heat therapy,3 but not all studies agree and more research is needed.4

  See Gua Sha for Chronic Neck Pain

  When performed by a trained professional who uses sterile equipment, gua sha is generally considered safe. This treatment should not be applied to damaged or thinning skin. Also, as part of normal gua sha strokes across the skin, tiny capillaries break and cause petechiae to form, which might be misinterpreted by others as a rash or bruising from abuse. The petechiae typically clear up within a few days.

  Swimming is a great low-impact exercise for many people who have neck or back pain. Being in the water adds buoyancy, which means less stress on the spine. Depending on the cause of your neck pain, consult with your doctor or physical therapist regarding which swim strokes may need to be avoided or modified.

  See Water Therapy Exercises

  In Aid Of Back Care Awareness Week Feel Good Contacts Has Collaborated With Personal Trainer Badrul Islam To Offer Advice On How To Alleviate Back Neck And Shoulder Pain Caused By Working From Home

  Sitting at our desk, dining table, bed or sofa for eight hours a day is the most passive thing you can do and can lead to back pain one of the most common complaints made by office workers. Besides this problem, research shows that long periods of sitting can have a detrimental impact on our health and wellbeing and cut years off our lives. The World Health Organisation listed inactivity as the fourth biggest risk factor in global adult mortality.

  But luckily there are some exercises and other initiatives you can take to alleviate neck, shoulder and back pain when working from home during the lockdown:

  Recommended Reading: Does Ginger Ale Help Stomach Pain

  Facts About Neck And Back Pain

  Unfortunately, back and neck pain arent strangers to most people. UT Health Austin estimates that 80% of people will experience back or neck pain at some point during their lives. Worse yet, globally, back pain is the single leading cause of disability, according to the American Chiropractic Association.

  Some facts about neck and back pain:

  • X-rays dont share much – Arthritis is one of the conditions that can be shown on an x-ray. While that can certainly cause pain issues, youll likely find back pain is caused by a strain or sprain of the muscles and ligaments.
  • Back pain recovery is possible – Most people find theyll recover with low back pain issues with some physical therapy and regular, appropriate exercise. Others may have recurring pain that can cause disability.
  • Back pain causes absences – Unfortunately, back pain is a common reason for missed work. Half of working Americans claim back pain symptoms annually.
  • Symptoms vary for neck pain – Neck pain may cause headaches, an inability to move the head, and muscle spasms.
  • Stay centered – By keeping the head centered over the spine, individuals can prevent neck strain and back pain by maintaining a good posture.

  When in pain, consider ice, heat, stretching, and exercise as a way to alleviate the symptoms. Small adjustments to your working conditions can also help ease neck and back pain. Speak to your doctor when in doubt on how to move forward with self-treatment or pain remedies.

  Am I Getting The Right Neck Pain Treatment

  How to Relieve Neck Pain, Easy Stretch for Upper Back & Pecs | Pain Relief with Robert

  If your goal is to find the best neck pain doctors near you, then look for a specialized neck pain treatment doctor. Too often, chronic neck pain sufferers rely on a primary care physician or a chiropractor to treat their neck pain. In fact, a board-certified pain physician is by far the best option for a successful neck pain treatment. Our neck pain treatment locations.

  Don’t Miss: How Do You Tell If Your Wrist Is Broken

  
  https://www.knowmypain.com/wp-content/uploads/9-exercises-to-relieve-neck-and-shoulder-pain.jpeg
  https://www.knowmypain.com/how-to-alleviate-neck-and-back-pain/

https://www.knowmypain.com/wp-content/uploads/9-exercises-to-relieve-neck-and-shoulder-pain.jpeg
https://knowmypain.weebly.com/know-my-pain/how-to-alleviate-neck-and-back-pain