How Does a Tens Unit Work on Muscle Spasm- Pain comes from electroechemical impulses relaying the pain message. A TENS unit interrupts this pathway. T.E.N.S stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It is often used to treat low back pain and neck pain. Tens units use a low voltage electrical current to induce pain relief. Continue Reading Article
Neck Exercises- Learn effective neck stretches and strengthening exercises for the cervical spine
End Neck Pain by Improving Posture- How Proper Posture Improves Your Spine Relieving Nerve Pressure- How does posture have anything to do with neck pain?--Neck pain comes from pressure on the nerves. How does this happen?--Usually pressure from a misaligned neck spine. When your spine is misaligned (some call that subluxated) it does not move like it should and in turn creates inflammation in that area. Either out-of-alignment spinal vertebrae (spinal bones) put direst pressure on nerves or the inflammation, or built up degeneration causes the pressure. Continue Reading Article
How to Reduce the Chances of Getting A Stiff Neck- A Stiff Neck.... Horrible especially when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is going to be one painful day. You are stiff, your neck hurts, you cannot turn your head, even brushing your teeth hurts. We get questions about how to treat a stiff neck all the time. Continue Reading Article
How To Avoid Neck Pain While Doing Abs- If you do your Abdominal crunches correctly with proper form, there is no reason to suffer from neck pain or sore neck. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that involve there neck muscles while doing these exercises- that is a NO-NO. Bringing your head and neck forward puts unnecessary pressure on the neck and it is not healthy. So when you do your abdominal crunch look at the ceiling.Continue Reading Article
Finding the right pillow to sleep on is not always easy to do, especially when you are experiencing pain. Here is a review of the arc4life traction pillow. This pillow has been around for a long time (since early 2003), and there is a reason for that.... Always on my list of highly recommended pillows for the neck.
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This fiber filled support pillow can help with radiculopathy symptoms such as numbness and tingling, hand and finger weakness, neck pain, and shooting pains. It can help you sleep at night by allowing for correct neck posture. Check out the arc4life traction pillow for a different kind of pillow.
Its OCTOBER 31st and pumpkin day ! Happy Halloween 2020 ! đ Even though we have had such a crazy year with covid, its nice to still celebrate the holidays. Watching the kids dress up, carve pumpkins is still a treat. We hope the trick of covid 19 will be solved soon and get us back to normalcy soon. đŻď¸ As I always say, this too shall pass.
I love Halloween, and I love that feeling: the cold air, the spooky dangers lurking around the corner. - Evan Peters
I love sharing ideas and products for pain relief that can help patients for everyday life. The arc4life cervical linear traction pillow is one such product. Check out this recent testimonial from a customer who has literally tried everything:
I have spinal stenosis c1-c7. More moderate through 5-7.
I havenât had a good nights sleep in a very long while. I got desperate enough I wanted to have the surgery. Insurance of course offered hoops needing to be jumped through before this could happen.
So I started with PT. Which only made the headaches much more unpleasant, I couldnât continue the exercises. Next is a shot or infusion to offer relief. I couldnât use any pillows any longer because I couldnât ever get comfortable. I opted for a very small throw pillow and a heating pad turned on the whole night just to try to offer rest. In the mornings I would wake and no matter how early my neck causes me to give up on bed. I could not find a comfortable way to sleep. Itâs taking a toll for sure. Triggered my fibromyalgia and with out restorative rest my arthritis was unhappy also.
I bought this pillow in a desperate state to try anything. Along with a traction neck thingy inflatable and a hard curved one to find any relief. Itâs like my shoulders no longer want the responsibilities of holding up my neck and head..
I tried this pillow last night for the first time, and I slept. I didnât have pain in my neck like normal. I did not ease into it, I was going to but I felt no discomfort. Having the ability to sleep on my side was also offering no discomfort.
For me, this gave me a nights rest I havenât experienced in many many months. I hope tonight is just as pleasant. I woke up with a body that felt rested.
I hope others can find relief with this pillow also. Itâ is well worth it in my opinion.
Iâll update if it changes to a negative instead of the positive outcome I am desperately seeking. - LeesandFam, September 2020
Happy New Year readers !!! I cannot believe we are starting a new decade.
Well its that time of the year here in Florida. December to Spring: There are times that are cold. Coming from the northeast I am very very familiar with snow, blizzards, black ice, and low temperatures. In fact I still have my boots, hats, jackets, and gloves....and in fact we use them in Florida from time to time. The vast changes in temperature can also bring on colds and sickness. You can also catch a cold from people that you near, things that you touch etc.
This was our View from the BackYard When we lived in New England.... I sure Don't MISS THIS.....
Here is a great video going over natural tips to help you in the cold season:
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Dr. Mike suggests doing everything you can to boost your immune system. That is what is really comes down to:
Eating a spoonful of honey
Taking less supplements
Decrease stress
Increase exercise
Drink less alcohol
Disinfect your spaces and digital devices
Drink a lot of water and stay hydrated
Increase your sleep and improve the quality of your sleep. Sleep on a contoured neck pillow.
The best pillow on the market to relieve neck pain is the arc4life traction pillow. This pillow does two things - it stretches your neck and and it support your cervical spine curve. This guy does a good job of walking you through what the pillow feels like:
This is a great pillow for sleeping on your side and on your back. It is a specialty pillow, so it is not for everyone. There is also an adjustment period for some people who use it.
This pillow has been on the market since 2003 - and it has definitely helped a lot of people:
"I had 3 weeks of neck pain from traveling and using my computer with horrible posture while doing so. I went to a massage therapist and the guy said, "you did some serious damage to your neck." It hurt so much that when I awoke in bed, even without moving, I was in pain.
My fiance gave me her pillow and told me to try it because it "helps bring the spine into alignment." She knows a lot about this stuff, so I trusted her. After 1 night, 70% of the pain was gone. It was insane. I looked at the label and turns out it was the arc4life pillow (she bought it 2014).
I immediately ordered this pillow and have been using it since. It took about a night to break-in, but after that it's been amazing. I told my mom about this pillow as she was in a car accident and sleeps with just a towel roll. I spoke to an arc4life rep on the phone and she told me they had other customers with similar issues.
My mom said the pillow was much more comfortable than the towel and that she had a good night's sleep and liked the pillow as well. She said this is the first time she's been able to use a pillow in years." - RP Singh
"I was in such pain my neck my shoulder an arm an lower right back. I could hardly walk an the pain made me so sick i could not move, sit or anything. The first night i used it I thought this is weird humm not sure , anyway well i will just use it for an hour or so but, i fell asleep on it an woke up pain free. All my pain was nearly gone. just a bit of neck an shoulder pain. The other thing i had was a numb thigh on the left leg , never expecting that to dissapear I was shocked. I could finally feel my leg before an now I have feeling back, I had that for nearly 12 years. A burning numb pain that would come an go. Well needless to say it was gone. I slept better too. I used to be all over the place when I slept an now I sleep in one spot all through the night. I got rid of the tem-perpeic pillow I spent a small fortune on an it did nothing. I love this pillow. Maybe it doesn't work for everyone , but I have to say I don't want to go anywhere without this pillow. It works an I could not be happier. My daughter bought one an it helped her an she told me about it. I bought it right away hoping it would help an it did more then I expected it would. I love it ! Hope when I need a new one they are still selling them. Or maybe I should just stock up now. Buy two you won't be sorry!" - AC
"I have had severe, unbearable and usually once a week debilitating cervical neck pain for 4 months now precipitating migraines. Just referred to PT and got muscle relaxers (yet to take- probably wonât have to now). Have read all the books. Nothing was working. Tylenol and Advil didnât touch the pain. Usually I just had to do nothing for the whole weekend, put heatpak a on my neck every day, and hope for the best. I bought those stick on heat packs in bulk. This worked, overnight. I barely believe it. I thought Iâd need surgery. Iâve been sleeping on it a week now and I am not sure about LT performance but this is the first pain free week I have had in months. I wake up with full range of motion (even if I lose it throughout the day). Itâs amazing. Itâs bizarre, like how could a pillow fix such a serious issue? I felt stupid paying so much for a pillow. But now Iâd definitely buy it again. I was on a tempedic pillow before, so medium feels soft to me but works. I mean, give it a try. It has basically changed my life it is crazy."- Pat
Using a towel roll is actually a great idea for a pillow. Especially when you experiencing neck pain and your current pillow is not working.
Making a towel roll at home is very easy:
You can change the thickness of the towel by just using a thin towel or a thick towel. Also, you want to make sure the towel fits YOUR neck. Alternate and change the thickness so that your head is not being pushed forward. You want to keep a neutral neck position.
This towel roll can be used two ways:
For sleeping
for neck traction and stretching
A towel roll can help you with many neck issues that one is dealing with such as:
This blog post comes from a recent QUORA question I came across recently:
I'm a six-footer and taller than the majority of people in my country. I'm 18, and when I was 16 I developed a habit of forcefully popping my neck sidewise. It grew worse, and now I have to pop my neck to relieve my pain every few minutes. I have a bad posture, too, with my neck a little crooked. What should I do?
Neck Pain Sucks. As a teenager, you probably have other things you are dealing with, and you donât need neck pain to bringing you down. This habit of forcefully popping your neck and self cracking needs to stop. You are creating a situation of hypermobility (too much movement) in the cervical spine and it is not healthy for your neck.
Your bad posture is probably contributing to your neck pain and you need to find relief in a different way. This unhealthy habit is setting you up for neck pain for your entire life.
Here are a few things to try:
See a chiropractor about your neck pain. They can make sure your neck is in alignment. They will probably adjust your neck in a controlled environment. They will also do different therapies for you such as: muscle work, electric stim, and neck traction. Plus see #2 #3 and #4- your chiropractor will help you with numerous things.
Do neck stretches and neck strengthening exercises. Your Chiropractor will help to prescribe this for you. You need to strengthen in the cervical spine muscles.
Fix your posture. You sound like you are taller than many people in your country. Hold your head up high. Donât be cranking your neck and putting yourself in an awkward position. Bad posture puts a lot of stress on your cervical spine and you carrying around extra weight and pressure that is causing more pressure on your neck. This equals more neck pain. I am sure you have heard of text (or tech) neck â you have something similar going on.
Use a supportive neck pillow at night. Again ask your chiropractor to recommend a pillow that would be ideal for you. Try to get a neck pillow that has neck contours on it. One example is the arc4life linear gravity neck pillow. This neck pillow has 2 neck rolls on it that will naturally align your head and neck in the most comfortable way possible. Also you can sleep on your back and on your side easily. If you get a good nightâs sleep that is the first step in helping get rid of the neck pain you are experiencing.
First Your Computer Set Up is Important to Look at: Whether at home or at the office
Here are few items of note to make sure your computer station is set up correctly.
Location of your computer screen from your eyes: It should be 18"-24" away from your eyes. Also you eyes should be looking at the top 1/3 of the screen Seated position: your head, ear, shoulder, and hips should be aligned Chair: Look at the height. Its very nice if you chair can be adjusted up and down. Also make sure you have a lumbar cushion to support your back. Height of Chair: Your hips should be slightly above 90 degrees and your feet should rest flat on the floor. Your phone; if you are on on the phone all day, get a headset. This simple act can really save your neck. Then you don't have to cradle the phone between your head and shoulders. Also, with two hands free, you can move around better and have more flexibility. That is a bonus. Your keyboard: Should be the same height as the elbow, and your wrists should be slightly bent Your Mouse: Should be next to your keyboard and at the same level. You should not be reaching for your mouse. Keep in mind, that all of these things will help to reduce neck and shoulder pain. Because your muscles at their most ergonomic position, you are less likely to experience pain at the end of the day. One Golden Rule to Remember: Don't forget to take breaks and move around. Do some simple neck stretches, and breathe. Also drink lots of water throughout the day.
All these things sound simple, but they are very important and can be easily overlooked.
Products That Can Help you while sitting at a desk with a computer 1) Sitback Rest - Slightly larger than the slimback rest, the sitback rest offers more support for chairs such as couches which don't have any kind of lumbar support already built in. 2) Sitting Wedge - Helps put the normal curvature in the spine while seated. text delete up float right edit Products That Can Help you at Night
1) The Knee Elevator - Use this under your knees when on your back to relax muscles.
2) The SitBack Rest - You can use this under the knees as well but is even better to sit up in bed and read.
3) A Neck Pillow - The whole spine works together, aligning the neck sets up the rest of the spine for good positioning. One example is the arc4life traction neck pillow. Another example is the tri core neck pillow which is firmer but still has great contours for your cervical spine.
Lots of great exercises for neck pain.You donât want to overdo it as you can easily increase neck pain [ ultimately, that just defeats the purpose ]. My suggestion is to stick with simple forward flexion exercise, extension back, right lateral flexion (right ear to the right shoulder), left lateral flexion, right rotation and left rotation. For each movement, you donât want to over do it , and only go to the point of pain. There are certain movements that you may not be able to do at all, and that's okay.
One more exercise I want to add is a great exercise for forward head posture. This type of head posture is prevalent in people who use the computer a lot and don't have good posture while doing it. You have probably heard of text neck or tech neck- well that FHP. It can be cause of neck pain, stiff neck, bad posture and headaches. Head Retraction exercises help with this immensely. Basically imagine that your head is a ball and it is your job to translate your head back. Hold it there for 5-10 seconds and do it again. Repeat 10 items. Basically you are bringing the head back in this exercise. Keep your chin tucked and look straight ahead while doing this exercise.
A few other things that can help is using a hot and cold pack. Heat will actually help to ease muscle spasms and relax the neck muscles. Another great idea, use a special contoured neck pillow so that you have the right posture for sleep at night. Finally, you can use a natural pain relief gel like sombra to help you ease trigger points in the neck. Incidentally, Sombra works even better with moist heat therapy.
Recently I was surfing on hub pages. I came across this question that was posed by Pisethz a few years back....
"Neck pain for 10 years. Follow all the practice from doctors' advice but still cannot get rid of it. What is the problem? Just try yoga for one week now......"
Pain is a real thing. For myself, when I have a simple paper cut - it really bothers me. In fact I can tell you that the last three times i hurt myself un- intentionally, I remember it. Lets see:
- I burned myself on the left arm as I was taking a casserole out of the oven
- I cut my left thumb as I was slicing tomatoes
- I threw my back and neck out after a violent sneeze
For me personally, pain is a real thing and my threshold is very low. So when I read about a person with neck pain for 10 years, I really sympathized with them.
using your computer, tablet or cell phone regularly with your head down
Chronic Neck Pain is no Fun and sometimes it appears there is no end in sight. Here are some solutions for neck pain to try.
Hi Pisethz, I realize its been a few years since you posted this onto on hubpages. Hopefully you have had some resolution to your neck pain.
I have one pillow recommendation for you. Its called the arc4life cervical linear traction pillow- and it's not like the regular pillows you might be used to. In fact, it might even cause you some soreness, tightness & muscle spasms in the beginning.
What I find effective about this pillow is that not only gives your neck support, but it also gently stretches your neck as well. The contours on the pillow allow for proper alignment in the cervical spine.
Anyway, just a suggestion from someone who helps patients with neck pain. If you need further suggestion or advice,send me an email right here on the Pain Relief Blog- I could suggest some other things based on what you have going on.
Also keep in mind that this is just a pillow- this is one thing that may "help" your condition- often times you need to be doing a combination of things.But sometimes, if you have find just one thing that gives you some resolution, it can be starting point- and then you move on from there.
Another thing to try for 4-5 weeks is neck traction at home. Stretching your neck, and steadily increasing your weight per session is key. Doing this under the guidance of a professional such as a physical therapist or chiropractic is suggested.Often times, your Dr. may recommend a course of traction in the office. This is a good idea because then you can make sure that you are doing the traction correctly. In that way, you are less likely to have soreness in the muscles and see improvement in your condition.
In addition to doing neck traction and using a special support pillow, I would recommend therapy such as heat to help relax the muscles. You can also use a tens unit in conjunction with that.
Finally, doing neck stretches is important for increasing your range of motion in the c spine. Normal motions in the c spine include: flexion, extension, rotation, and lateral flexion. Doing neck stretches will increase your flexibility and decrease overall tightness.
Chiropractor Showcases some simple neck exercises
The Importance of Seeing a Professional
Having a chronic condition like neck pain can cause someone a lot of strife in their daily life. It can not only impact your activities of daily living, but it can cause emotional, and social stress as well.
Seeing a professional is important. Whether its your family doctor, an osteopath, or a chiropractor. Especially if this is do to a car accident or a fall, its even more imperative that you see someone. They will do a proper consultation: ask you the OPQRST about your problem. The how, why, where, when's about your pain. They will be able to gather a timeline to see how this started, and what are the symptoms.
Keep in mind that seeing a professional also notates that you are having pain- you are creating a timeline. You can assess later: how long has this pain been going on? What treatments provided relief? How has the pain changed over the years? Is the pain different now?
Second,they will do an exam. They will check your vitals, your range of motion and do appropriate orthopedic testing. This can also involve a neurological exam where they check the sensory, motor and reflex aspect of your pain.
Third, they will refer you out for x-ray, an MRI or some other type of diagnostic testing to further "see" what is happening.
Chronic Pain can be very difficult to deal with not only for the patient but for family and friends around you. I believe you have to be pro active everyday and seek ways to make the pain more bearable. Some things are going to work, others are not. Having a great attitude towards thinking that you will be better is important too. Please email us if we can help in anyway. I realize that not everything is going to work for everyone - but if our blog and information can make a difference in at least bringing the pain level down, and making it more tolerable its worth it.
Do you have a tooth that is suddenly causing you pain? Maybe its been low on the pain scale and slowly getting worse. Yep, it happens... A toothache may be giving you a headache too.
What are some natural remedies you can do? You can also use clove oil or oil of oregano. Put a drop or two on your finger and put it on the tooth! The last time I had pain from this I used a whole clove like in the video. We just happened to have that in the kitchen and poof, my pain was gone! I used to live near a "Whole Foods" and they had all the tinctures one would need. But you can get either of these in the health food store or get whole cloves at the market.
Keep in mind, you should still make a trip to the dentist. Pain like this can be an underlining problem that something else is going on. You might need an x-ray and examination to get to the bottom on this pain.
