Neck pain affects 20% to 70% of adults during their lifetime, in a way that affects their ability to perform daily activities.
If you have neck pain, it can seriously affect your quality of life. It may be hard to do mundane tasks like eating, sleeping, or talking on the phone. And let’s not forget that painful neck injuries will make you miss work.
Fortunately, there are some easy things you can do to help reduce and treat your neck pain. Here are some common causes and effective solutions for treating neck pain.
Poor Posture
One of the most common causes of neck pain is poor posture. Sitting hunched over your computer or constantly looking down at your phone can put a ton of stress on your back and shoulders, which will eventually make its way to your neck. This tension in muscles leads to aches and pains that are often referred to as “text neck.”
So what’s an easy solution?
You guessed it! A little bit of regular exercise goes a long way when treating this condition. Try exercises like yoga, tai chi, swimming, running, weight lifting, etc. They’ll help stretch out tight muscles around the spine area.
Another great tip is you want to sit up straight with proper support from chair arms or pillows whenever you’re sitting for long durations.
Finally, it’s important to be mindful of your posture when walking or standing up. Slouching causes your muscles to overwork and tense up.
Repetitive Movements
Another cause of neck pain is repetitive movements. Think about it, do you ever find yourself doing the same actions repeatedly throughout the day?
If so, this can lead to neck injuries more easily than if your body wasn’t put through these motions repeatedly. A few examples include: working at a computer station all day long or spending hours on end reading books/newspapers in bed every night.
So what’s an easy solution for treating neck injury due to repetitive movement?
There are some great ways that will help prevent any harmful tension on muscles, like yoga poses and pilates exercises. But there are also other non-strenuous methods you can use, like:
- Applying moist heat packs on the affected area
- Using ice packs for treating inflammation and swelling
- Taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication
Another great tip is to stretch out your muscles before doing any activity that requires repetitive motion. This will help prevent tension in the first place.
It’s important to be mindful about how much time you spend bending down. Instead, try stretching out your arms instead of hunching over with your back. It may sound too simple, but even little things like these make a big difference.
Sleeping Habits
While your sleeping habits may seem like a trivial cause of neck pain, you’d be surprised by how many sleepless nights it can lead to.
If you sleep with the wrong pillow or on an uncomfortable mattress that doesn’t offer proper back support, then your quality of rest is going to take a hit. Plus, if you find yourself constantly waking up from discomfort in bed because your spine isn’t aligning properly, then there’s another problem at hand.
So what’s an easy solution for treating this type of neck injury?
There are some great ways you can start improving your sleeping environment and turn things around when treating these kinds of injuries:
- Using pillows designed specifically for cervical spine alignment
- Using memory foam mattresses or pillows for treating pressure points
- Filling in any gaps underneath your mattress with a pillow to keep the spine straight while asleep.
A great tip is also to switch up your sleeping position from time to time. Doing this each night before going to bed will help relax tense muscles and make it easier to fall asleep.
You can try different positions like on your back, right side, and left side. Just never sleep on your stomach because that’s not good for treating neck pain due to poor posture.
Driving Habits
While it’s easy to blame the car for your neck pain, other factors are at play here.
Drivinith poor posture or an improper seat belt fit can lead to increased stress on muscles. Over time, this will build up and cause strain in areas like the cervical spine area.
So what’s an easy solution?
There are some great ways you can start treating these kinds of injuries:
- Adjusting proper headrest height
- Using memory foam pillows for treating pressure points
- Tightening car seat belts properly (you want them secure but not too tight)
- Placing a towel under your lower back if seated improperly
A great tip is also to try different seating positions for short periods. This will help relax tense muscles and make it easier to drive without experiencing much discomfort.
Exercise and Workout Habits
If you’re engaging in repetitive motions or lifting weights that are too heavy for your neck, then it’s easy to hurt yourself. Plus, if you don’t stretch out the muscles before getting started with any exercise routine, this can also lead to muscle strain and injury.
So what’s an easy solution? There are some great ways you can start treating these kinds of injuries:
- Using proper exercise equipment
- Stretching out the muscles before beginning any workout routine
- Use good posture when exercising
Keep your head up straight, your back not hunching over or slouching, and avoid bending down too much. Doing this repeatedly during each exercise session makes a big difference as well.
Dealing With Chronic Neck Pain
While all of these tips have been great for treating neck pain, there are times where it’s a bit more complex. That’s why you should always seek the help of a professional if your chronic neck pain is persisting or just won’t go away after trying to treat it on your own.
In some cases, an underlying cause could be the issue, and this requires medical treatment from professionals like neurosurgeons who can do surgery for neck pain. In other cases, muscle spasms may need physical therapy or even chiropractic care.
One of the most common surgeries for neck pain is the anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). This is when the surgeon will remove a small portion of hurt discs in your neck to help relieve pressure on one or more affected nerves.
Treating Neck Pain Made Possible
The key to treating neck pain is by treating it right away and not putting off getting the proper treatment needed. Whether you need surgery or physical therapy, don’t wait, do it today.
If you need help treating severe neck pain, contact a professional for more information on how you can get your life back to normal again.
We hope you found our blog post helpful. For more informative tips and guides, keep reading our blog posts.
