How to Treat Neck Pain during Pregnancy

Today's Post comes from a Yahoo Answers- Q: I am 22 weeks pregnant with severe neck pain- Last Saturday night I slept very uncomfortably trying to get all my pillows just right. Ever since then I have had incredible neck pain. It hurts everytime I move my neck around. It is even worse at night while I try and sleep my neck stiffens up and when I go to turn my neck kills and it makes me want to cry. I am not sure if this is pregnancy related or if I just have torn a ligament in my neck and need to wait it out. Anyone have this problem?

A: When you are pregnant your body is completely different with added hormones, weight and an overall feeling that you are not able to get comfortable, especially at night. Plus you have to be extra careful with what medications you take. It appears that you have strained your neck muscles. So here are a few suggestions for you on how to get some neck pain relief while pregnant:

1) Don't sleep with so many pillows- you want to have one good cervical support neck pillow. One that will make sure that your head and neck are properly aligned while sleeping. Sleeping with too many pillow can create forward head posture which puts a ton of pressure on the neck muslces and nerves- which means neck pain, stiff neck and overall decrease in neck range of motion. Check out the Tri Core Support Neck Pillow or the Linear Gravity Cervical Support Neck Pillow

2) Because you are pregnant you want to make sure you are as comfortable as possible- take two pillows and place them under your knees- this will take pressure off the lower back when you are sleeping on your back. There is a great product called the Knee Elevator which is to be placed directly under your knees. If you are a side sleeper, then you can put pillows under in between your knees.

3) Ice your neck during the day- this will help to decrease inflammation, swelling and pain in the neck and best of all, it will provide an analgesic effect. Use a 6x20 ice pack for maximum pain relief in the neck and upper back.

4) In the morning, do neck stretching exercises- The most important thing is not to do these to the point of pain, only to the point of feeling a stretch in your neck. You will notice that as you do these everyday, your range of motion will increase and the muscles in your neck will loosen up. You can also do them in the hot shower- this can be very relaxing and it will give you tremendous pain relief.

4) Visit your chiropractor for neck pain- they have many effective techniques such as cervical adjustments, gentle mobilization and neck exercises that they can do to ease your neck pain. All without the use of medications or side effects. Use google to find a chiropractic office close to you or ask around for a referral - You can also search for a chiropractor on the internet- If for example if you live in Hartford, CT- Google Chiropractor Hartford and see what pops up.

5) Finally, there is an analgesic cream called Biofreeze that you can use that will give you pain relief from muscle spasms and soreness. Biofreeze has an ingredient called Ilex (a South American holly scrub that was used by the Paraguay Indians) to help decrease pain. Biofreeze is a type of cryotherapy that has been shown to help decrease the achiness and tightness in the muscles. <br><br>

Additional Resources:

• 6 Ways to Improve your neck posture
• Fast and Easy Neck Stretches for Pain Relief
• How to Use the Traction Side of the Cervical Linear Traction Neck Pillow for Maximum Pain Relief and Better Sleep
• Dr.Bellingers Down Loadable E-Book: The Neck Pain Relief Kit
• Neck Pain resulting from a C5, C6, C7 or C8 Radiculopathy

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Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief.

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