Neck Pain Relief

 

Why Do I Have Neck Pain?

 

Neck pain can be caused by a number of things, but an increasingly common cause is people spending a lot of time staring down – whether that’s at a computer screen at work, driving, reading or looking at their mobile phones.

All these activities have the same effect, and day after day, certain muscles in your neck become weak, the neck become misaligned and it can feel stiff because it no longer moves freely. This stiffness also usually coincides with neck pain.

Add  to this potentially sleeping with your neck in a poor position, and you are creating lots of stress on the neck muscles which results in neck pain that won’t go away, and neck pain that keeps getting worse.

Finally, there are specific trauma-related incidents such as car incidents, falls or sporting injuries that can cause neck pain which can trigger long term neck pain that lasts for months, even or years.

 

How To Relieve Neck Pain Without Painkillers

If you want to know how to relieve neck pain fast, the first thing to consider is the severity and nature of the neck pain.

If you are experiencing neck pain which is extremely painful, you suffer from other symptoms such as loss of consciousness, pins and needles, numbness, weakness, or a cold arm, you should seek medical advice immediately rather than trying to self-treat or wait for any upcoming appointments that you may have.

If you aren’t suffering with the above, then there are some simple, but effective home remedies to relieve neck pain fast without painkillers.

       

How To Relieve Neck Pain Using Stretches

Another way to relieve neck pain fast is to use certain stretches such as shoulder rolls, shoulder blade squeezes, and head rotations.

However, the best stretches to do will depend on your specific neck inury so we would recommend speaking to us as we can create a tailored stretching plan for you, which helps to relieve your neck pain and avoid it coming back in future.

As general advice, the stretches should be very gentle and slow, avoid sudden movements and over-stretching which may cause more damage to the affected area which slows recovery and increases pain.

 

How To Relieve Neck Pain By Avoiding Activities That Created The Pain

In the short term, avoiding the specific activities that caused, or contribute to the problem can be a fast way to relieve neck pain. This gives the affected area time to recover.

How long to avoid specific activities, like heavy lifting, sports, and driving long distance will vary depending on the severity of your neck pain, but we can help you recover much faster through a variety of solutions which may include acupuncture, massage, cupping, stretching and exercises.

With our approach to Pain relief at Poke Acupuncture, our goal is to help you recover from neck injuries and re-introduce the activities – we don’t tell you to stop doing the things you love if they are the cause of the pain.

Instead, we can work with you so that you can do the things you love, without having to suffer with the current consequences (neck pain in this scenario).

 

How To Relieve Neck Pain With Better Sleeping Habits

Neck pain can be triggered, and certainly made worse by how we sleep. If you find that your neck pain is worse on a morning after you’ve slept, or struggle to get comfortable in bed because of neck stiffness and pain, addressing your sleeping habits can be a really important thing to cure neck pain fast (especially since we all spend about a third of every day asleep).

Firstly, ensuring that you have a firm mattress means that your body, from your hips, shoulders and into your neck and head is in natural alignment. If you have a particularly soft mattress, this can contribute to neck pain because your body is resting in an unnatural position for a long time.

The second factor is ensuring that you use a flat, firm pillow. Similar to the mattress, a good pillow can support your neck and head meaning that your muscles and joints are resting in the correct position. If you sleep with too many pillows, or pillows that are too high, your neck and head are essentially pushed forward and this places extra stress on your neck muscles at a time they should be recovering.

Finally, it is generally better to sleep on your back, or your side, compared to sleeping on your stomach. If you sleep on your stomach, it is likely that your neck will be twisted to one side, and being in this position for hours at a time over night can create a lot of stiffness and discomfort in the morning.

 

How To Relieve Neck Pain With Good Posture

This is more of a preventative tip, but if poor posture is the reason for your neck pain, then improving how you walk, sit and move can help relieve neck pain fast. When you are sitting at your desk, driving, or on the lounge  watching TV try to avoid slouching and periodically think about how your positioned.

• Is your head pushed forward?

• Are your shoulders slouched over?

• Are you hips, shoulder and head in alignment or are they uneven? (for example, is your right hip raised up, your left shoulder dropped and your neck leaning forward?)

By correcting your posture, you can relieve pressure on overworked neck muscles which can contribute to neck pain that won’t go away.

Another often overlooked cause of neck pain is carrying heavy items such as bags or grandchildren on one side. Over time, this places much greater stress on one side of the body and to protect itself, your posture will change to help with the load. Unfortunately, this can be a cause of neck pain so try to switch the shoulder you carry your bag on, and which side you carry or nurse your grandchildren.

 

How To Relieve Neck Pain Using Acupuncture

 

The final tip we have to help relieve neck pain is to get  Acupuncture which can help loosen and release tight and overworked neck muscles that are contributing to the regular neck pain you are suffering with.

Acupuncture also helps by increasing blood flow to the area, and is a great way to help speed up the recovery time from a neck strain.

 

When To Get Help With Neck Pain?

With neck pain, you may find that without any help, pain gradually reduces within a few days and it may heal itself within a a week or two.

However, if it doesn’t go away, the pain or stiffness gets worse, or the problem keeps returning, then it’s likely that you will need some expert help to cure neck pain.

If you are in the “suffered with neck pain for weeks, and it’s not getting any better” group, then we are here to help.

At Poke Acupuncture, we have helped of hundreds of patients overcome neck pain without resorting to strong painkillers or injections.

To find out more, we offer a complimenary 15 minute neck pain assessment, where you can speak to us directly, ask any questions that you have, and find out what’s stopping you from getting the life you want.

Altternatively, if you would like to make a booking please give us a call (02) 5590 0232.

 

Ryan Samuels, Dr. TCM, Reg Acupuncturist

 

 

References:

Legge, David, Close To The Bone: The treatment of painful musculoskeletal disorders with acupuncture and other forms of Chinese medicine (Sydney college press, 3rd ed, 2011)

Dutton, Mark, Dutton’s Orthopaedic Examination, Evaluation and Intervention (McGraw-Hill Companies, 3rd ed, 2012)