Reasons for Neck Pain and its Treatment

Have you ever experienced a sprain in your neck while binge-watching Netflix or scrolling the social media timelines or while looking down on your smartphone?

Well, every one of us goes through this kind of neck pain almost every day, all thanks to our habit of sticking to our phones every time. We call it neck pain due to ‘screen time’. In today’s era of call – centers & IT culture, people spent many hours with computers, which is again a common reason for neck sprain or “Text neck syndrome”.

 

Reasons for Neck Pain

Neck pain is a very common problem that may be caused by several factors, which include daily activities that involve repetitive forward movement patterns, poor posture. It doesn’t take a lot to develop pain in this area of your body, and it’s easy for that pain to extend to your shoulders and back.

Research has also shown that we usually carry the weight of a 8-year child on our neck when we use our phone while lying on the bed especially, which also leads to drying up of our eyes. This means that neck pain is the result of holding your neck in the same position for too long.

Muscle spasms:

Muscle spasms are caused due to sudden jerks while performing any physical activity, moving heavy objects, sleeping in the wrong position, using two or more pillows. In all of these cases, the muscles become stiff and you end up feeling very uncomfortable. Though it usually only lasts a few hours or days, it may continue for several weeks.

 

One could try to ease the neck pain at home by following these DIY tips:

Cold and Warm compress:

Apply ice wrapped in a soft towel on your neck for 20 minutes for at least 2 times in a day also follow up the same procedure this time with a warm compress, using a heating pad. Treating the neck pain with both cold and warm compressing therapy alternatively will help soothe your stiffed muscles.

 

Pain relievers:

One could find a variety of different over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers at the nearby medical store. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a popular option.  There is n number of pain killer medicines available. One must not use any of these medicines without doctor’s advice. As a general principle, pain killer medicines are to be taken only for a very short period of time.

If pain is not going away in a few days or coming back repeatedly, then you must consult a specialist, instead of continuing the pain killer medicines.

 

Neck stretches and Head turns:

Keeping the rest of the body straight, push you chin forward so your throat is stretched, hold for 5 seconds. Return your head to the centre and push it backwards, keeping your chin up. Repeat the same process 3-4 times in a day.

 

Neck tilt:

 

Bend your head down, then gently tense your neck muscles and hold for 5 seconds. Return your head to center and repeat on the opposite side. Repeat the same process 3-4 times on both sides.

 

Keep moving:

 

Prolonged sitting may cause neck pain. One should aim to get up or move after every 30 minutes from sitting position.

 

 

The right body posture:

 

When sitting : Avoid sitting crossed legs, instead, try putting your feet on the floor or on the footrest. Try keeping your knees below your hips. Make sure that you have a chair that has an adjustable backrest, to support the neck and lower back.

When lying down:

Sleeping with a broad neck pillow (not thick)helps support your cervical curve.

 

Sudden jerks, heavy physical activities, prolonged sitting are not only the main causes of neck pain but lack of movement could cause your neck muscles to become weak and stiff. They will then tire more easily and will be more likely to hurt when you move them.

 

Practicing Yoga:

Performing certain poses of yoga on a regular basis will keep the neck pain at bay. Yoga provides the necessary movement to the body thereby making the muscles strong and flexible.

It also aids in recovering from any kind of physical pain in the body. Click the link to check out some simple yoga poses to fight neck pain. https://www.healthline.com/health/yoga-for-neck-pain

 

When to visit your doctor?

In case all the above-suggested home treatments (Pain medicines, physiotherapy, etc.) don’t offer any relief to your neck pain, you must book an appointment and visit your doctor. While consulting your physician, you should explain your exact pain points and whether you experience numbness, lose strength in your hands or arms, or feel a shooting pain going down your arm from your shoulder, to your doctor.

Do you still have questions and doubts, about your chronic neck pain? Then just book your appointment with our very experienced specialist doctor, Dr. G N Goyal, at the Interventional Pain and Spine Centre near you, for all kinds of chronic pain. Interventional Pain and Spine Centre, Delhi, India with many branches, is the most advanced spine clinic near you to treat neck pain without any surgery and with the help of minimally – invasive, keyhole treatments.

Visit the Best Doctor for Spine Problems in Delhi, Dr. G N Goyal, at the Pain and Spine Clinic near you, for all kinds of chronic pain, and book your appointment now!

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NOTE: Broadly we can divide neck pain into 2 categories age-wise vis – a – vis reasons for neck pain. What we have discussed in this article; are important reasons for the young population. Whereas, in the middle age group and in the old age group reasons may be slightly different. In these age groups, slipped disc in neck spine, nerve compression in neck spine, age-related wear & tear in neck spine joints and whiplash injury are important reasons. We will discuss these reasons and their treatments in detail in the next article.