How To Heal Back Neck Pain

Do These Simple Home Exercises

You dont need a full gym to exercise your back and neck muscles. You can do many great exercises at home. These are some of my favorite exercises and tips that I give to my patients, says Dr. Härtl.

• When youre sitting, put a little pillow behind your back so youre sitting straight.
• To work on posture control, stand with your back against a wall, tuck your feet against the wall, and then touch the wall with the back of your head. This will give you relief and ease up the muscles in your back. Do this four or five times a day.
• Support your neck at night. Put something under your neck that supports it, but doesnt bend forward. Try to have it slightly raised with a pillow.

Health Hazards Of Sitting

Are you sitting for more than 4 hours a day? Please STAND UP right now 🙂

Else you’re likely to develop a chronic disease, such as diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, heart or kidney disease.

You feel the effect of sitting on your bones & muscles pain in your neck or lower back, poor posture.

But did you know that inactivity itself the near-zero energy you expend is hazardous to your health?

Sitting is not just at a desk. It’s also commuting, watching TV… the hours you sit add up!

This infographic gives you a stark visual of how much you are harming yourself.

A quick way to get moving:

* Take a 2-minute walking break every hour. Try running upstairs!

Ways To Relieve Back Pain Naturally

There are a wide variety of natural remedies to soothe your back, which can help reduce the intake of medications or provide an added benefit to your existing medical treatment.

Take a look at these natural pain-relieving strategies and find out what works best for you:

Read on to learn more about effective pain-relieving strategies for chronic back pain from natural methods.

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Signs And Symptoms Of Neck Pain

Neck pain may be characterized by the following symptoms:

• Persistent aching
• Tenderness or sensitivity to mild pressure
• Pain that gets worse when you hold your head in one place for a while
• Muscle tightness or spasms

Neck pain can be axial or radicular . It may be accompanied by a headache, or by numbness or tingling in one or both arms.

Is It Possible To Prevent Neck Pain

Neck pain can really only be prevented by avoiding injury to the neck. This would include minimizing the risks of injury during sports activities. Athletes who participate in collision sports can prevent neck injury with appropriate equipment, neck strengthening exercises, and occasional neck bracing.

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How Are Back And Neck Pain Managed

Acute back pain usually gets better without special treatment. Using acetaminophen or ibuprofen will decrease pain and help you rest. Surgery and special exercises are generally not used with acute pain.

For severe, disabling, or chronic back and neck pain, rehabilitation programs can be designed to meet your needs. The type of program will depend on the type and severity of your pain, injury, or disease. Active involvement of the patient and family is vital to the success of rehabilitation programs.

The goal of back and neck rehabilitation is to help you manage disabling pain, return to your highest level of functioning and independence possible, while improving your overall quality of life. The focus of rehabilitation is on relieving pain and improving mobility .

To help reach these goals, back and neck rehabilitation programs may include the following:

• Exercise programs to improve range of motion, increase muscle strength, improve flexibility and mobility, and increase endurance

• Help with obtaining assistive devices that promote independence

• Patient and family education and counseling

• Pain management techniques

• Gait and movement retraining

• Stress management

• Ergonomic assessments and work-related injury prevention programs

• Vocational counseling

Bonus Tip: Consider Taking A Vitamin D3 Supplement

If your doctor agrees, consider taking a vitamin D3 supplement. Vitamin D is essential for bone, neuromuscular, and immune system function. Taking a vitamin D3 supplement can help reduce back pain by increasing the absorption of calcium in your body and improving bone strength.15

See Calcium and Vitamin D Requirements

Finding the perfect pain relief technique is usually a process of trial and error, making it worth exploring various approaches. Try these natural pain-relieving strategies for your back pain and see what works best for you. Severe pain that is not relieved by self-care must be evaluated by a health professional for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

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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
• Keep your feet flat with your ankles in front of your knees
• Make sure your feet touch the floor or use a footrest
• Relax your shoulders so theyre not too rounded or pulled backwards
• Keep your elbows close to your sides and bent at about 90 degrees
• Unlike standing posture, make sure your whole back touches the chair. Use a back pillow if you need to
• Make sure your thighs and hips are supported with a well-padded seat
• Keep your thighs and hips parallel to the floor

Make sure to take breaks from sitting by adjusting your position, taking brief walks, and stretching your muscles.

What To Do With Pain

Go Easy

When you feel that you have injured your back, ease the pressure on your back. In fact, many people have little choicetheir back pain will force them to fall down to their knees or “freeze” in a bent-down position.

Cold and Heat

Remember this rule:’ Ice for the first 48 hours, then heat compress.’ Heat and ice will reduce the pain of muscle and ligament. Remember this rule. Ice reduces swelling and inflammation, acting as a local anesthetic, but it loses its effect after 48 hours. Temperature consequently increases blood flow to the profound tissues and relaxes muscle spasms.

Medications

The body’s defensive mechanism against discomfort or injury is inflammation marked by redness, heat, swelling, and pain. To help relieve and alleviate pain, it is often recommended to use over-the-counter medicines, such as ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, aspirin or ketoprofen.

Massage

A gentle massage can be a relief if you have a supportive partner by relaxing the tight muscles and ligaments.

Walk Straight

Walking with a healthy posture might also help. A good way to visualize a healthy posture is by imagining a suspension line that connects your middle chest to the ceiling.

Sleep

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Shoulder Tendinitis Or Bursitis

Tendons are strong fibers that attach muscles to your bone. Bursa are fluid-filled sacs that prevent friction at joints.

Inflammation of the tendons and the bursa are common causes of shoulder pain, but pain can occur anywhere that inflammation occurs.

The tendons and bursa around your rotator cuff are especially prone to inflammation that causes pain and stiffness around your shoulder.

How Long Does Neck Pain Last

How long neck pain lasts depends on a variety of factors. This includes what kind of injury caused the acute neck painfor example, a car accident, a sports injury or a muscle pull from working outsideand how you respond to the injury.

Many times, symptoms can resolve over a period of months if you stop doing the offending behavior, says Dr. Bang. Neck pain from car accidents can last a long time. But if you dont get in another car wreck, your pain will typically go away over a few months. However, if you dont change a habit that causes neck pain, like using a computer monitor poorly, its going to last.

If pain persists and gets in the way of your daily activities, or any treatment you try doesnt seem to be working, further discussion might be necessary. If you tried some things on your own and after two months its not gone away, then its probably time to see your doctor to figure out if theres an underlying issue or if theres some behavior you need to change.

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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.

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What Are The Structures Of The Neck

There are seven vertebrae that are the bony building blocks of the spine in the neck that surround the spinal cord and canal. Between these vertebrae are discs, and nearby pass the nerves of the neck. Within the neck, structures include the skin, neck muscles, arteries, veins, lymph nodes, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, esophagus, larynx, and trachea. Diseases or conditions that affect any of these tissues of the neck can lead to neck pain.

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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.

How Can You Get A Neck Pain Diagnosis

Neck pain is most often diagnosed by a primary care provider. The most important aspect of treatment is to try to identify the underlying cause of the pain, as this will direct the treatment, explains Dr. Bonte.

For example, if the cause is due to a muscle imbalance or poor ergonomics , it is important to address these underlying issues when thinking through the overall treatment plan.

To assess your neck pain, your healthcare provider will:

• Ask for your medical history
• Ask questions to determine the source of your pain, including:
• When did the pain start?
• What activities preceded the pain?
• What have you tried to relieve the neck pain?
• Does the pain radiate or travel into other body parts?
• What makes the pain less or greater?

Your doctor visit may include a neurological examination that tests your reflexes, muscle strength, sensory and/or motor challenges, and pain distribution in order to help them make the correct diagnosis.

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When To Call The Doctor

• Symptoms do not go away in 1 week with self-care
• You have numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arm or hand
• Your neck pain was caused by a fall, blow, or injury, if you cannot move your arm or hand, have someone call 911
• The pain gets worse when you lie down or wakes you up at night
• Your pain is so severe that you cannot get comfortable
• You lose control over urination or bowel movements
• You have trouble walking and balancing

Working With Neck Pain

Overall, getting back to work sooner rather than later is helpful for most people. In the past, people were advised to rest up in bed, but we now realise that it does more harm than good. Its much better to keep moving, even if you need to take some painkillers to allow you to do so.

Most people are able to return to work within 23 days, although this varies from person to person and depends on the type of job you do.

You dont need to wait until your neck problem has gone. In many cases, the longer youre off work the more likely you are to develop longer-term problems and the less likely you are to return to work.

Its important to keep in contact with your employer and discuss what can be done to help you return to work. If your work involves physically demanding tasks, you might find it useful to work shorter hours or move to more desk-based duties for a couple of weeks.

If you have an occupational health adviser at your workplace, they can help advise what work you are fit to do and arrange any simple adjustments to help you to cope. If you are having difficulties travelling to or from work or need an item of equipment, the Governments Access to Work Scheme might be able to help.

If you are unable to get back to work after two weeks of absence because of your neck pain, you should talk to your doctor and employer about getting physiotherapy or other treatments that can get you moving again.

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Treatment And Medication Options For Neck Pain

Recommended treatments for neck pain vary with the cause of your pain. In general, the goals of treatment are to relieve pain and improve function.

Self-care options that may help resolve neck pain include:

• Taking over-the-counter pain relievers
• Using heat or ice packs, or alternating between both
• Gentle stretches and neck exercises
• Rest

Activities That Cause Eye Neck And Back Discomfort

Many of the activities that cause eye strain and discomfort also lead to neck and back problems. Eye strain is extremely common and occurs when your eyes become tired from intense use. You may also feel eye discomfort in the form of dry eyes or intermittent slight blurring of vision. These same activities often promote poor posture in your neck and back, which in turn can cause muscle tension and pain in these areas.

Research has shown that many of these activities involve visually demanding near work. Near work is defined as any activity performed at a short working distance. If undertaken for long periods of time, evidence shows this can result in eye strain owing to the need for intense visual attention, and poor posture due to the need or urge for closer proximity .

Examples of near work include reading, writing, playing video games, and needlework. But there is little doubt that in the 21st Century, the most significant example is digital display use. Digital eye strain, also called computer vision syndrome, is a common cause of both eye discomfort and neck and back pain.

One study analysing the use of electronic readers found significantly higher rates of eye strain and irritation. Exposure to the screen’s intense light and smaller font size are two of many factors which are making digital display use a “major public health concern“, believed to affect 50% or more of computer users.

What is the connection between back, neck, and eye pain?

• 5min

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How Are Back And Neck Pain Diagnosed

If you experience neck or back pain, you should see your health care provider for a medical and physical exam. He or she may also do X-rays of the affected areas, as well as magnetic resonance imaging . This allows a more complete view. The MRI produces pictures of soft tissues as well, such as ligaments, tendons, and blood vessels. The MRI could lead to a diagnosis of infection, tumor, inflammation, or pressure on your nerve. Sometimes a blood test may help diagnose arthritis, a condition that can cause back and neck pain.

Using Heat And Ice Packs

Applying a heat pack to your neck can help to ease pain. You can use a microwavable wheat bag, a hot-water bottle or a reusable heat pad which you can buy from chemists and sports shops. An ice pack, or even a bag of frozen peas, can also be helpful.

Make sure you wrap heat or ice packs in a towel and dont put them directly onto your neck to avoid burning or irritating your skin. You might want to consider applying a heat pack to your neck before and after exercise to help soothe the muscles.

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