What can cause a Stiff Neck to begin with?
Lets Discuss some factors & situations that contribute to having stiff neck
What is the worst thing that can happen when you wake up in the morning: a stiff neck; Not only can be painful and annoying, it can limit your activities and ruin your whole day. Well, it happens to all of us, so there must be a way to prevent it in the first place. This post is dedicated to how to treat a stiff neck. What steps do you have to take to ease the pain of a stiff neck ?
- A stiff neck can be caused by waking up one morning because the pillow you used under your head was too high or too firm.
- Maybe you left the window open and a draft came in.
- Maybe you fell asleep while sitting watching the television with your head bopping to the right side.
- Or maybe...you just sat a little too long at your computer at home- in one position.
- Maybe you were using your i pad or tablet computer for too long?
- A Stiff neck can also occur from a car accident (whiplash) or a fall.
- Spending too much time on your wireless phone talking or texting
Lots of things can cause a stiff neck. It hurts, its painful, you cannot move your neck- it is not a fun condition to have at all.
Activities of Daily Living can be Impacted by a Stiff Neck
Brushing your teeth, taking a shower, making the bed, making breakfast- all of these tasks are excruciating...and then driving to work. This happens to me once in a while so i decided to write a lens on how to treat a stiff neck without popping pain medications. This post shows you how and gives you some great at-home things you can yourself. We'll talk about what causes a stiff neck and what you can do to prevent it and treat it.
How do People get stiff necks? A Stiff Neck Can Be More Common Than You Think....
The last time you had a stiff Neck, how did you get it?
- I slept wrong - in an awkward position
- I used for the computer for too long
- I was exposed to cold air / a draft
- I woke up in the morning with it
- I turned/ twisted my neck...
- I talked on the phone for too long
- I was in a car accident...
- I used my ipad, or tablet computer for too long
The Muscles in the Neck Associated with a Stiff Neck
Here are some of the muscles that Can Contribute to you having a stiff neck:
Knowing the muscles of your neck can help you have better neck posture and avoid neck pain. Here is a great diagram of the muscles that make up the neck:
How did you Get Rid of Your Stiff Neck?
What treatments did you use to treat your stiff neck?
- chiropractic
- hot pack / heating pad
- massage therapy
- hot pack
- muscle massage or trigger point therapy
- pain medication
Exercises For the Neck: Stretch Your muscles and make them strong through exercise
Neck Stretches and Strengthening Exercises are important for many reasons.
There is a great benefit to doing neck stretches. These will help to increase neck range of motion, muscle spasm and pain. In the beginning, work slowly, you may only be able to turn your 1 cm to the right. That's Okay ! Do only what you can and only to the point of feeling a gentle stretch, never to the point of pain.
Using Moist Heat On the Neck and Upper Back
Increase Blood Flow to the area and Decrease muscle spasm & stiffness.
Using moist heat on the neck and upper back can provide soothing relief to muscles and stiff and undergoing spasm. What does heat Specifically do? Heat increases blood flow to the area. It brings down pain, stiffness and muscle spasm. It also reduces muscle inflammation and build up of fluid or edema in the area. Heat also make connective tissue more flexible. If you are concentrating on just the neck, use a hot/cold pack that you can stick directly in the microwave for 30-60 seconds that is dimensions of 6"x20". Alternately, to cover the neck and upper back area, use a hot/cold pack that is 11"x 15". Keep in mind that a 11" x 15" hot/cold pack is going to be heavier (about 4 lbs). But it is also going to cover your neck and upper back area. When treating a stiff neck, the upper back muscles especially the trapezius muscles are often involved. *** always take extra precautions with hot packs; Wrap your hot pack in a towel before placing it against your skin.
Alternately, you can also use a moist heating pad that you plug in. For example, The thermophore moist heat pads (as seen at the Neck Pain Relief Shop) have a special tightly woven fleece blend cover that retains moisture from the air. There is no need to do a temperature adjustment with these moist heating packs. Simply plug in, and your hot pack is ready to go for instant pain relief
- Keep Your Ice Pack Close By, Ready in the Freezer for When You have a Stiff Neck.
- Keep Another Therapy Pack for Use as a Heating Pack that you can Put in the Microwave
This Post will be continued in July at the Pain Relief 4 Life Blog...
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