For many people living with chronic neck pain is a routine. Neck pain is frustrating and can decrease the quality of your life significantly. Pain that constantly bothers you can decrease your productivity and interfere with routine tasks. Common treatment methods like medications or heating pads aren’t always helpful enough.
Below are 6 uncommon recommendations that can help you relieve and prevent neck pain.
Swimming is a low-impact type of sport ideal for people with back and neck pain. By being in the water, you reduce stress on the spine while strengthening back muscles. For some people, swimming can be too strenuous on the neck. If you are one of them, try water therapy. Water therapy includes gentle exercise done in a warm swimming pool. This can help you reduce stress on the back and prevent it from recurring.
Depending on the root cause of the neck pain, consult with your doctor or physical therapist to choose the right swimming exercises.
When you hunch your head forward, you place extra stress on your spine and neck. To relieve neck pain it is essential to maintain a good posture throughout the day. This helps keep the head naturally balanced on the cervical spine. A neck supporting chair can help keep your spine in a neutral position, so you don’t stress your neck. You can use a neck supporting chair in the office and opt for a headrest for your car.
Meditation might be an effective treatment for reducing pain including chronic neck pain. Meditation can destress your neck and relieve pain related to high levels of stress. Some examples of meditation that relieve neck pain include controlled breathing exercises or guided imagery. You can visit professional meditation classes or just find a few lessons on Youtube and meditate at home.
Poor night’s sleep is one of the major complications of neck pain. Pain can worsen when you wake up in the morning. If you experience the same issue, you may find water pillows to be particularly helpful. With a water pillow, you can change its firmness by adding or reducing the water inside. The more water inside the pillow, the firmer it will be and vice versa. There are more different water pillows available in the market, so you can easily find one suitable for you.
One of the ways you can aggravate your neck pain is an improper use of your phone or tablet device. By cradling your phone while talking, you put extra stress on your cervical spine. When reading something on your phone or tablet, you can bend the head forward for hours. This strains your neck and can contribute to the text neck.
To decrease the risk of neck pain, try to use a hands-free headset to make calls. When browsing or texting, take your phone higher so you don’t bend your head forward. Taking frequent breaks to relax neck muscles may also be helpful.
Most people think that physical therapy is designed for rehabilitation from serious sports injuries and severe health conditions. While this is true, there are also other purposes for physical therapy. It can help you improve poor posture, strengthen weak areas of the neck, and teach you how to prevent re-injury.
By improving neck strength and flexibility you can support the cervical spine and reduce pain. Consult your doctor on whether physical therapy may be helpful for you.
