If you are looking for the best ways to eliminate neck pain then here are some simple and effective tips to help you ease the ache. The most common cause of neck pain is due to bad posture and therefore the best thing you can do is stand up straight. Yes I know all of us have heard our mothers saying this over and over again but they were right. If you hunch your back, you put unnecessary strain on your neck as your muscles aren’t aligned and therefore this causes tension.
Another cause of neck pain is due to the fact that many of us work in front of computers and this leads to us craning our necks forward. TV watching and driving are also culprits in this regard and this craning of the neck again can cause unnecessary strain. Research has shown that even craning your neck forward by a couple of centimetres can result our spines not being aligned and this can be the cause of not only neck aches but tension headaches and back pain.
Unfortunately not all of us can be ballerinas and have perfect posture so if you thinking that all hope is lost then do not fear as this article contains some of the best ways to eliminate neck pain.
Stretching:
There are several stretching exercises that you can do in order to alleviate the pain. A great stretch involves titling your head so that you are looking at your armpit. Once in that position, all you have to do is rest your other hand on your head and you will instantly feel you muscles being stretched. This exercise alleviates tension and if done every day it can even prevent tension.
Ice treatment:
Place a cloth full of ice on your neck or an ice pack for twenty minutes. The cooling ice will slow the blood flow to the area. Then take a heating pack and place this on the affected area and this will increase the blood flow to the area which will cause the muscles to relax and will get rid of any toxins in the muscles.
Gels:
If stretching and ice treatments do not seem to be working on their own, then there are a number of healing gels that you can place on the area such as Deep Heat and Reparil which have been specially developed to help relax the muscles. These gels are extremely effective, especially if they are used in conjunction with the above.
Mattresses and pillows:
Often we wake up with neck pain due to us sleeping on mattresses that do not give us enough support and pillows that aren’t comfortable. Although buying a good quality bed can be expensive think about all of the money that you could potentially spend on doctors bills with problems such as arthritis and disk displacement. Tempur are the makers of some of the best quality beds out there and they have been especially designed to provide you with all of the support you could need.
Chiropractors:
If you are in desperate need of pain relief and you cannot yet afford to purchase a new bed and pillows, then in the meantime you should visit a Chiropractor. These doctors specialise in aligning all of the bones and disks in the spine. Although this may cause pain for a day or two after your appointment, it is important that you go again for a repeat visit and then take the precautionary measures as mentioned above.
If you struggle with neck pain and none of the above is helping, then I suggest that you visit a specialist who can help you find the cause of the problem so that you can lead a life without pain.