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Everyone can relate to neck pain at some point in life. You may fall at your workplace and get acute pain in the neck. Whiplash can also cause pain in the neck. Even a wrong sleep posture can strain the neck muscles, causing pain in the morning.
The pain is a symptom of an injury or a condition that’s affecting your neck muscles. It is possible to relieve the pain without surgeries or pain meds. Let’s understand what it is exactly before discussing its painless treatment.
All systems of our body are connected to each other. The pain might not be present in the neck all the time. You may have neck problems yet experience head pain or numbness in your arms. Let’s check out the most common reasons why you may have pain in the neck:
It is needless to say that injuries play a great role in causing chronic pain. Whether it is sports injuries, falls or car accidents, your neck is most likely to get affected. In car accidents, the neck is often forced to move beyond its normal range of motion. This stretches the associated soft tissues, muscles and ligaments. All injuries that attack the neck may lead to pain, limited motion and swelling in the area.
The neck consists of vertebrae extending from the skull to the upper torso. The cervical discs between the vertebrae absorb shock between the bones. Degeneration of joints and discs is normal as you age. The spine goes through changes which can create swelling or stiffness in the neck.
You need an aligned posture to prevent or reduce pain. Working on laptops or staring at the computer for too long ends up stretching your neck muscles. You may move your head forward or lean over desktops repeatedly which also causes excruciating pain. A poor posture also causes muscle fatigue and musculoskeletal problems.
Stress tends to contract or rather stiffen your neck or shoulder muscles. It also makes existing neck injuries worse.
Yes, you feel pain in the area but that’s not all. Here are the other symptoms that arise due to neck problems:
Physiotherapy is the study of human movement. This branch of science deals with any condition that affects your movement. Neck pain, for instance, limits your normal movement. So, physiotherapists can prescribe certain exercises to reduce the pain and help you restore your movement.
Common physiotherapy treatments:
The physiotherapists assess your condition to detect the exact source of the pain. They then prepare a treatment regime to control the swelling and pain in that area. They also use hot and cold compression techniques to reduce swelling and muscle spasms.
A poor posture affects your health in more ways than you can imagine. Thus, physical therapists help you maintain a proper postural alignment throughout the day. This reduces the strain on your neck.
Stretching exercises can help your neck muscles relax and get rid of the pain. Consistent exercises can help you restore your normal range of motion as well.
It is not easy to maintain a good posture, especially if you have had a poor posture for a long period of time. This is where the strengthening exercises come into play. These exercises strengthen the shoulder, neck and trunk muscles.
All in all, the condition is treatable. And you may not need surgeries for it. Physiotherapy adopts a holistic approach to treating pain. Specific exercises, posture training and movement exercises can help you manage the pain and get back to normal life.
