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.
.
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
A pinched nerve in the neck can be very painful. Also known as a cervical radiculopathy, the nerve root coming out of the spine can cause neck pain, weakness, shooting pain, and numbness. It can difficult to complete simple daily activities that most of us take for granted. It can be difficult to enjoy activities as well. Here are some simple neck exercises you can do at home if you suffer with a pinched nerve in the neck.
Here is an effective cervical traction unit called the posture pump that I have recommended to many patients. Its called the arc4life posture pump:
The posture pump cervical traction device works to alleviate neck and shoulder pain. If you have been diagnosed with a disc issue such as disc bulge, stenosis or herniation and are looking for an alternative to neck surgery, you may want to explore this device.It can help to alleviate symptoms such as neck pain, muscle spasms, numbness, radiation into the fingers/hands, tingling sensation. One caveat - you may have soreness after you use this type of neck stretcher. Start very slowly - maybe you only traction your neck for 1-2 minutes the first day, and work up from there. You can avoid extra soreness by making sure you warm up your neck and shoulder muscles before starting. You will think its uncomfortable right in the beginning, but that will all change as your symptoms slowly start to dissipate. Dr. Bellinger mentions this in the video above.
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.
A gentle neck stretch can do wonders for neck pain,numbness and tingling and weakness in the upper extremity. Its called neck traction. If you are cleared for neck traction by your Dr then this is something you should consider.If my husband has a headache, he will do some gentle traction for about 5 minutes - 15 minutes. Here are 5 very gentle neck traction products That I recommend. They are simple to use, and not cumbersome.
The Soothe-A Ciser Cushion- very comfortable. This is very similar to hanging your head off of the bed to get passive neck traction.
The Posture Right Neck Orthotic - Soft Version. It utilizes a fulcrum to direct force (stretch) into the cervical spine to allow for muscle and ligament remolding. The neck orthotic has a non-changing, constant, specific 1 inch contact point that delivers a significant amount of traction without the use of additional weights, pulleys, straps, water or inflation.
The Arc4life Traction Neck Pillow - Yes, you can use this just for laying on 10-15 minutes. Simply lay on the V Side of the neck pillow on your back. That's it. Be careful, you may even fall asleep.
The Posture Pump 1000 - the mack daddy of neck traction. This one I am going to add to the list. It is simple to use but there is more involved. It is still better than over the door neck traction or any other complicated device. You can control the amount of the neck stretch.
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.
The short answer is YES, and studies have been done on this that show that using a cervical neck collar for a cervical radiculopathy is better than doing nothing.
For beginners, What is a Cervical radiculopathy? This occurs when nerves roots in the neck that exit out of the vertebrae (bones) are compressed. This negatively affects nerve function. Damage to nerve roots in the cervical area, can cause symptoms such as neck pain, weakness, numbness and tingling into the arms and the hands, and shooting pains.
Often times your orthopedic doctor may recommend a course of physical therapy. This usually involves neck traction, moist heat packs, stretching and e-stim for the muscle pain. They will also recommend medications for pain and inflammation.
But what can you do at home? For starters, some type of neck traction can help. Also,wearing a cervical collar has shown to be beneficial for patients with a cervical radiculopathy.
Back in 2009, A Dutch study concluded that using a semi-hard cervical collar and doing rest for 3-6 weeks or physical therapy along with home exercises for 6 weeks decreased neck and arm pain substantially compared with a âwait and seeâ policy in the early phase of a cervical radiculopathy condition. In this study, a randomized controlled trial of 205 patients with symptoms and signs of cervical radiculopathy of less than 1 month's duration were evaluated.
They found that the subjectâs neck pain did not decrease significantly in the first 6 weeks, whereas the cervical collar and rest resulted in a 17-mm reduction on the visual analogue scale and physical therapy resulted in a decrease of 14 mm. The neck disability index showed a significant change with the use of the collar and rest and a nonsignificant effect with physiotherapy and home exercises, compared with a wait-and-see policy.
For night time, using a traction pillow will help ease the pain, and put you into a comfortable position for sleeping. Using a pillow such as this with contours and a neck roll can help relieve pain from a bulging disc or pain that results from a radiculopathy.
At Arc4life we get a lot of calls from customers who need a recommendation for their neck pain. Over the years, we have composed a list of the top 5 selling items on our website that just make sense when it comes to alleviating neck pain. We call it the Neck Pain Relief package. Here is what it includes:
a traction unit - something to stretch the neck
a support pillow for the neck that aligns the cervical spine while sleeping ( on your side or on your back)
a hot and cold pack (great for moist heat or a cold pack on your neck, depending on your pain)
a natural pain relief gel (great for muscle of the neck and upper shoulders)
a homeopathic muscle relaxer
Check out the Neck pain Relief Package at Arc4life. These products all work very well together to combat neck pain and quick and painlessly as possible.
Our neck if looking at it from the side and through an x-ray, should be a C Shaped curve. This C Shape curve is very important for proper neck posture. If someone has been diagnosed with a military spine it means that they have lost the proper c curve in their cervical spine. One way to treat this at home is through neck traction, or stretching. Read our article below on how to treat a military neck.
