Neck Pain Prevention Recommendations

Neck pain prevention can go a long way if you take proper care of your body, exercise, and practice healthy habits. Here are a few tips to help prevent neck pain before it begins. Neck mobility is a marvelous thing. The neck can move the head in various directions:

• 90° of flexion forward motion
• 90° of extension backward motion
• 180° of rotation side to side
• Almost 120° of tilt to each shoulder

A lot of us are very familiar with a stiff neck or a crick in the neck. This stiffness prevents us from moving comfortably. A crick in the neck can cause the neck part of the spine to feel stiff, rigid, and immobile. Fortunately, prevention and various treatments can help.

Prevention:

• Standing and sitting properly maintains proper posture and keeps muscles working/healthy. If you begin to hunch over, correct it immediately, as it can quickly lead to pain in the neck. Pay attention to how you stand and sit; the more you do, it will become a healthy habit.
• Do neck and body exercises regularly and try for a 30-minute cardio workout 3-5 times weekly.
• Staying within a healthy weight range will keep your spine in top form as it carries the weight of your body and does not overstrain it, which can lead to all kinds of pain.
• A healthy meal plan comes with a healthy weight, not just for proper weight but to strengthen muscles and bones, enrich the blood, and get optimal health.
• Smoking can affect the bones and muscles in your cervical/neck area of the spine, as well as all the other areas of the body. Therefore it is time to quit.
• Sleep with correct head and neck posture. Sleeping with your head in an awkward position is an easy setup for strain and pain.
• Stress and tension reduction. Tense muscles in the neck and shoulder often lead to pain in the neck. A few effective ways to reduce stress can be writing, talking to friends, exercising, walking, listening/playing music, doing art/crafts, cooking, and reading,  and turning to these when the stress begins to build.
• Driving safely and wearing seat belts can help prevent whiplash.
• Using the proper equipment to protect your neck while participating in sports that can lead to neck injuries, like football, skateboarding, wrestling, and soccer, is a must.

Taking care of your body is a complex process. Lifestyle changes pave the way to wellness; making these changes will benefit more than just the neck.

Don’t worry about the list, and try to check everything off. Look at the things that apply to you and try to implement a few of these tips one at a time. Keep the bigger changes like quitting smoking/losing weight in the foreseeable future. It takes time, patience, and commitment. A little hard work will pay off, and you should have a healthier life with fewer neck pain episodes; remember, prevention is key.

Massage

This is a popular therapy that relieves:

• Aches
• Fluid retention
• Inflammation
• Muscle tension
• Pain
• Spasms
• Stiffness

Other benefits include improved blood and lymph circulation, flexibility, range of motion, and increased tissue elasticity. While increasing circulation, the muscles are warmed along with other soft tissues like tendons and ligaments.

Swedish

It is one of the most popular massage types in the US. Usually, therapeutic muscle lotion or oil is used to reduce friction and relax the area/muscles as the therapist performs light stroking in one direction with deep pressure in another to relax and loosen the muscles and surrounding ligaments/tissues.

This takes the blood flow and flushes the muscles’ lactic acid, uric acid, and other waste products. The ligaments and tendons get stretched, which increases their soft but firm/strong feel. The nerves are stimulated and relaxed, with any muscle stress taken away. Relaxing the muscles is the overall goal.

Deep Tissue

This technique aims at chronic muscle tension. The strokes are slower, using more intense direct pressure to release the built-up stress, knots, and tightness. Depending on how deep the muscle and tissue stress may be, the therapist will adjust their hand positions, strokes, and intensity periodically to work the tissues releasing tension.

Relaxing the Muscles

The therapist uses their hands or tools to knead, rub rhythmically, and stroke muscles; circulation begins with muscle stimulation. This blood flow brings needed oxygen and nutrients and helps the muscles eliminate waste products, like lactic acid, that can collect in the muscles brought on by spasms, which cause pain.

Chiropractic Neck Pain Treatment

NCBI Resources

Individuals with chronic neck pain that doesn’t seem to have a cause could be trigger points. A doctor will refer you to a physical therapist, chiropractor, or another spine specialist to examine trigger points.