Neck Pain Support Blog

My Neck Muscles are So Tight...I Cannot Turn My Head very Far without Pain

When your neck feels tight and stiff, you may have a hard time looking at your blind spot while driving. This decrease in range of motion can be quite the pain in the neck ! When there are misalignments of the spine it won't be moving like its should. One tell tale sign something is wrong in the spine is immobility. There are seven cervical vertebrae, or in other words bones of the neck spine. All of these bones are joined to te next by a disc between the bodies of the vertebrae and areas called your facet joints. The first two bones ae slightly different in their connection but either way all of them have a cerain degree of motion.

Whens spinal segments are misaligned the do not move like they should. In fact one way a chiropractor detecs misalignments when he/she feels the spine is lack of motion of that area or segment. Aligning your spine and correcting your motion is important if you have neck pain. Using a good cervical support neck pillow is also important to make sure your neck moves the way that it should. Another great solution for tight muscles is to use a deep penetrating gel suc as biofreeze pain relief gel and massage the trigger points in the cervical spine. Read more here: How To Treat Tight Muscles with Biofreeze. Finally, doing gentle neck stretches will prevent tightness in the neck muscles, ensuring that you have good cervical range of motion.

Stop Arthritis Neck Pain Dead In its Tracks

Degeneration of joints in our spine can affect our neck, lower back, hips, knees, and many other parts. Arthritis in the cervical spinal joints can cause neck pain, stiff neck, decreased range of motion, inflammation of the joints and not being able to do certain activities. Degeneration in the neck joints can create changes in the bone, pressure on the cervical nerves and the overproduction of bone where it is not needed. What can people do at home to treat arthritis pain in the neck and not let it affect their activities of daily living? Recently the American Arthritis Society provided some effective pain relief tips on how to deal with arthritis neck pain at home:

1. Have proper posture at work and at home
   There is a right way to be bending forward to lift something- if done incorrectly it can put a lot of stress of the spine. Also, watch that you don’t assume a forward head posture which can put tremendous amount of pressure on the cervical nerves and make your neck arthritis symptoms worse.
   
2. Make sure your Computer workstation is set up ergonomically
   For many people their job consists of sitting at a compute or laptop all day- maybe making phone calls and sitting at a desk. This can put a tremendous amount of pressure on the cervical spine joints especially if done over a prolonged period of time. Look at your workstation carefully: The distance of your computer screen, the height of your desk chair, and height of your computer desk can make a big difference . Sitting at a computer with proper neck posture can make a big difference in how you feel at the end of the day. Using a lumbar cushion as to help support your lower back while sitting will ensure that your spine is properly aligned while sitting. Simply using a headrest or a keyboard supportcan help to alleviate neck pain and wrist pain.
   
3. Is your vision 20/20?
   It is a good idea to have your eyesight checked to make sure you are not straining to see far. When you have to strain your eyes in order to see clearly, the strain affects your eyes and your neck spine.
   
4. Avoid drafts
   Slightly opened windows at work or in your car may result in unnoticed, but substantial cooling of the neck and shoulder area. This can lead to muscle spasms in the neck and upper back area.
   
5. Do you have cold hands?
   Many people are accustomed to having cold hands and accept this as normal. However, if you are in the early or advanced stages of cervical arthritis, your neck pain may increase when your hands and arms are chilled. Therefore, if you are prone to pain in the neck area, you should use every opportunity to raise your skin temperature.
   
6. Moist Heat Helps to Increase Range of Motion
   Using heat on your neck spine and upper back can help to reduce pain and muscle spasms of people suffering from arthritis. Using a 6x20 hot pack will effectively target your neck and upper back and shoulders. A hot shower can be effective as well.
   
7. Wear Extra Layers of Clothes
   Wear thermal undergarments that will keep your body warm.
   
8. Muscle work and Modalities
   Massage therapy at home or by a massage therapist can provide tremendous pain relief and mobility to people with arthritis in the neck. You can use home massage units like the Jeannie Rub Massager . Massage aids in increasing blood supply and nutrition to muscles and improves circulation. The application of a heat pack followed by a massage relaxes the muscles immediately.
   
9. Chiropractic treatment
   Chiropractic manipulative treatment can be very effective in reducing neck pain, and increasing range of motion in the neck. Your chiropractor will look at your cervical x-rays to determine your level of arthritis and what technique to use in your case. Treatment may include chiropractic manipulative therapy, moist heat, gentle neck mobilization , neck exercises and gentle neck traction.
   
10. Choose the Right Neck Pillow for Pain Free Sleep
    If you have neck spine degeneration and arthritis, then you want to ensure that you are sleeping with your head and neck properly aligned while sleeping. It is not recommended to sleep with no pillow or on your stomach, as this can put a lot of pressure on your cervical spine. It is important to the get the right size of neck pillow so that your neck can adapt quickly. A cervical support neck pillow will ensure that your cervical curve in properly maintained while sleeping. Check out the cervical traction neck pillow or the linear gravity neck pillow for good cervical support neck pillows.
    
11. Handle your Stress Appropriately
    Stress can affect someone who has arthritis in the neck negatively and can make the symptoms worse. Stress can increase tension in the muscles and create muscle spasms. Breathing exercises and neck stretching exercises can make a big difference.
    
12. Physical activity is Important
    With cervical osteoarthritis, sports that put increased strain on the spine (e.g. tennis, golf and basketball) should be avoided. Recommended sports may include swimming (backstroke), relaxed walking, Nordic walking, cross-country skiing, bicycle riding and stationary bicycle riding. Doing neck stretches is also important everyday.
    

Arthritis in the cervical spine can prevent you from doing the things that you love to do. Not doing anything is not an option. Simply taking medication and hoping that your symptoms will not affect your activities of daily living is not a good idea.Long term use of certain medications can create side effects. Remember movement is life and changing your life style can do a lot of for you.

Visit Arc4life.com for neck pain information, articles and pain relief products.

6 Ways To Get A Better Night’s Sleep Naturally

In our last Neck Pain Support Blog Post I introduced the importance of Vitamin D- Not only for healthy organs and for decreasing your risk of cancer, but for better sleep. Two important factors from the last blog post that I want to highlight:

• It is important to get enough sleep. This is the total number of hours.
  
• You need to stay in tune with your internal sleep/awake clock… or… circadian rhythm. Not getting enough sleep during the week and “catching up” on the weekends is not going to do you much good. The real solution is to go to bed and wake up at the same time each and every day.

Here are 6 Ways To Get A Better Night’s Sleep. They may sound simple- but can actually take some work!

1. Set your alarm clock for earlier - Early to bed, early to rise. Set your alarm clock for 5:30 am and force yourself to get out of bed everyday. It is important to do this every single morning so that you can train your body. Before you know it, you won't even need the alarm clock.
   
2. Read the Right Material - One hour before going to bed, get yourself ready for bed. Try to relax, maybe read a book. Nothing that is mind bending and going to require a lot of thought.
3. Make your bedroom a Dark Area - Get rid of all light sources. Even small amounts of light can affect your quality of sleep. Pitch black is the ideal situation.
   
4. Sweep Your Mind for Stray Thoughts – Keep a journal bedside where you can write down all the things you are thinking about going to bed that night. Sweeping your mind of all active thoughts can help you sleep better.
   
5. Don’t use the Computer or watch TV just before going to Bed - While the picture on your computer screen might look like a bunch of windows and images standing still or moving the way things in real life move, the reality is that the screen is being redrawn so fast that the illusion of motion, or even solidity, is present. While you might not see a bombardment of repetitive flashing, your eyes and senses get hit with the strain of it, causing further stimulation to the eyes and brain. Best to have down time without the computer or the tv if you want to have effective sleep
6. Be as Comfortable As Possible: Use Good Ergonomics while sleeping- If you sleep on the couch with your head pushed forward, it is highly likely that you may wake up with a stiff neck. Sleeping with a comfortable neck pillow is very important to get a good night’s sleep. The Cervical Traction Neck Pillow aligns your head and neck in the proper position for sleeping and allows for restful sleep. Also, for your under your knees use a knee elevator to take pressure off of the lower back spine. This works great if you are a back sleeper. If you are a side sleeper, you can place a pillow between your knees. You can also get a Spinal Relief Pillow to get relief from Lower Back pain.

Additional Reading Resources:

• The Cervical Traction Neck Pillow can Reduce Snoring
• Your Daily Neck Pain Free Regime
• Counting Sleep to Fall Asleep, Does it Work?
• I cannot Fall Asleep at night
• How Much Sleep is Enough for Me
• Choosing the Right Neck Pillow for the Best Sleep PossibleM
• Simple Tips to Sleep
• Better Sleep equals Better Control of Blood Pressure and CardoVascular Health

Source of Picture: LeslieBradshaw.com

Visit Arc4life.com for products related to better sleep and improved posture. This is our speciality. Neck Pillow, Cervical Neck Traction Units, lumbar supports, lumbar belts- We are here to get back to life.

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The Powers of Vitamin D: Better Sleep and a Better Mind

Today’s article comes from Glastonbury, Connecticut. Dr. Bellinger of CT Spine and Disc Center shares a story from Decembers monthly patient newsletter.

New research is showing that Vitamin D may improve your mind and health in many wonderful ways.

First, let’s talk about SLEEP…

Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Maybe you’ve heard of that little kite flying incident. 

He is also famous for saying, “WASTE not life” and “There will be sleeping enough in the grave.”

More than 200 years later, the attitude towards sleep in America has not changed.
Many people are up at the crack of dawn or answering emails at 3 a.m. on their “crack-berry!” Franklin’s quote has even been modernized to read…

“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead!”

“There is a cultural bias against sleep that sees it as akin to shutting down, or even to death,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen, a Neurologist at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Sleep Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Most people, Dr. Ellenbogen says, think of the sleeping brain as similar to a computer that has “gone to sleep” — it does nothing productive. Wrong. Sleep enhances performance, learning and memory. Most of all, sleep improves creative ability to generate aha! moments and to uncover novel connections among seemingly unrelated ideas.

Dr. Ellenbogen’s research at Harvard indicates that after sleep, people are 33 percent more likely to infer connections among distantly related ideas, and yet, as he puts it, these performance enhancements exist “completely beneath the radar screen.”

In other words, people are more creative after sleep, but they don’t know it.

Changing Attitudes

Business attitudes toward sleep may be starting to shift. Claire Stapleton, a spokeswoman for Google, says “grassroots” interest in sleep led to an on-campus talk by Sara C. Mednick, a napping expert. Google also installed EnergyPods, leather recliners with egg-like hoods that block noise and light, for employees to take naps at work.

But there is something much more important than just a nap and the total number of hours slept. Even more important is the…

Circadian Rhythm

The circadian rhythm is an internal clock that guides our daily cycle from sleep to wakefulness – and back to sleep again. But now researchers at Stanford think it may be doing much more.

Working with Siberian hamsters, biologist Norman Ruby has shown that having a functioning circadian system is critical to the hamsters' ability to remember what they have learned. “Without it,” he said, "They can't remember anything."

Like all other animals, Siberian hamsters normally develop what amounts to street smarts about their environment.

But when Ruby interrupted their circadian system, the hamsters failed to demonstrate the same evidence of remembering their environment as hamsters with normally functioning circadian systems.

Until now, it has never been shown that the circadian system is crucial to learning and memory. This finding has implications for diseases that include problems with learning or memory deficits, such as Down Syndrome or Alzheimer's disease. The work is described in a paper published Oct. 1 online in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Ruby is lead author on the paper.


“Losing Their Rhythm Cost Them A Lot”

And here’s something very interesting: According to one of the researchers, “We thought it might be possible to wipe out circadian rhythms and eliminate the rhythm in learning, but that the animals could still learn something. But they don't. That is what was so surprising. They actually can't remember anything. Losing their rhythms costs them a lot.”

And it is not about the overall number of hours slept. It is about WHEN: "What our data are showing is that these animals still performed terribly on a simple learning task, even though they're getting loads of sleep. What this says is that the circadian system really is necessary for something that is deeply important: learning."

More and more research is showing how important not only the amount of sleep you get – but also when you get it.

But first… onward to…

The Health Benefits Of Vitamin D!

Once linked to only bone diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis, Vitamin D is now recognized as a major player in contributing to overall human health, emphasizes UC Riverside's Anthony Norman, an international expert on Vitamin D.

In a paper published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Norman identifies Vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity. In addition, access to adequate amounts of Vitamin D is believed to be beneficial towards reducing the risk of cancer.

Norman also lists 36 organ tissues in the body whose cells respond biologically to Vitamin D. The list includes bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and the uterus.

According to Norman, deficiency of Vitamin D can impact all 36 organs. Already, Vitamin D deficiency is associated with muscle strength decrease, high risk for falls, and increased risk for colorectal, prostate, breast and other major cancers.

"It is becoming increasingly clear to researchers in the field that Vitamin D is strongly linked to several diseases," said Norman, a distinguished professor emeritus of biochemistry and of biomedical sciences who has worked on Vitamin D for more than 45 years. "Its biological sphere of influence is much broader than we originally thought. The nutritional guidelines for Vitamin D intake must be carefully reevaluated to determine the adequate intake, balancing sunlight exposure with dietary intake, to achieve good health by involving all 36 target organs."

How Much Vitamin D?

"To optimize good health, you must have enough Vitamin D," Norman said. "Vitamin D deficiency is also especially of concern in third world countries that have poor nutritional practices and religious customs that require the body to be covered from head to toe. Ideally, to achieve the widest frequency of good health by population, we need to have 90 percent of the people with adequate amounts of Vitamin D."

The recommended daily intake of Vitamin D is 200 international units (IU) for people up to 50 years old. The recommended daily intake of Vitamin D is 400 IU for people 51 to 70 years old and 600 IU for people over 70 years old. Norman's recommendation for all adults is to have an average daily intake of at least 2,000 IU.

While deficiency of Vitamin D impacts health negatively, ingestion of extremely high doses of Vitamin D can cause hypercalcemia, a condition in which the blood's calcium level is above normal. The highest daily “safe” dose of Vitamin D is 10,000 IU.

Source of Photo: Flick.com: oceano Mare

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



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What is the Best Pillow for a Pinched Nerve in the Neck?

My husband's best friend is a dentist. On Friday we all went out for Sushi and he was sitting across from us and looking very strained. " I have a pinched nerve in my neck" he said with pain in his face, rubbing the right side of his neck and shoulders. Clearly he was not comfortable. So what to do?


Many occupations are very physically demanding although we may not always think so at first. As a dentist, you may be doing a root canal, or changing someone's bite and smile. All these procedures take time and requiresdentists to sit in awkward positions for extended periods of time. Many times they may have their shoulders raised up, their arms and hands extended out. At the end of day, they are physically tired and sometimes in pain. It is not common to have muscle spasms in the upper shoulders and neck. What feels like a "pinched nerve" may be a cervical sprain/strain.


So what else can he do? Similar to working on a computer all day, a dentist has to very careful about their position while working and make sure they take breaks during the day. Also it is important to be relaxed while working- albeit this may not be easy when you have a difficult case or a demanding patient.


Ice therapy can be an effective pain reliever- Applying an ice pack to the upper shoulder and neck can help to decrease the muscle spasm and provide an analgesic effect. Another great help is traction for the neck. One way to accomplish this is with a special support cushion called the Soothe-A-Ciser. Basically, you lie back on this cushion with your head hanging, looking up to the ceiling. The Soothe-A-Ciser works to alleviate neck pain by working to restore the natural curve of the neck as you lay over the pillow. The Soothe-A-Ciser Neck traction cushion uses the weight of the head to gently stretch the upper chest and anterior neck muscles, restoring the natural curve in the neck. Another idea is to use a home traction unit such as the Pronex Pneumatic traction unit, another great neck stretches that gives gentle neck traction to the cervical spine. Sleeping on a good cervical support neck pillow is also important to make sure that the head and neck are aligned properly while sleeping. The Cervical traction neck pillow accomplishes traction and support in one neck pillow.


I would also reccomend neck exercises to our friend. If done correctly they can increase your range of motion, mobility and strengthen the cervical spine. As you increase the mobility in your neck, you will notice greater range of motion and movement with less stiffness. These neck exercises are very simple actually: they involve flexing your head forward (bringing the chin to the chest), extending the head (looking up to the ceiling), laterally flexing (bringing the right ear to the right shoulder, and the left ear to the left shoulder), and finally rotation (turning the head from side to side). The best time of day to do these exercises is first thing in the morning. It is important to hold each stretch for at least 15-20 seconds. They can even done in the shower with hot water hitting the neck and upper back area.


Finally, it is important to address the muscle spasms that creating a very tight upper back and shoulder area. There are few good solutions for this. A massage can be very beneficial- especially deep tissue massage that works the upper trapezius and cerivcal paraspinal muscles. You can work on muscle spasms also by using a home tens unit. Tens units are often battery-operated devices that sends electrical impulses to certain parts of the body to block pain signals. The electrical currents produced are mild, but can prevent pain messages from being transmitted to the brain and may raise the level of endorphins (natural pain killers produced by the brain). Using a tens unit followed by ice can be very benefical. Also, using a natural pain relief gel like Biofreeze can help to break up trigger points and provide soothing relief.

Well did he listen? Not sure exactly. I think the Hot Sake helped him a great deal- it definitely relaxed him and he forgot about his "pinched nerve" for at least a few hours.

Additional Reading and Resources:
Neck Exercises- Diagrams and how-to for proper stretching of the neck
Best Neck Pillow for Sleep- Cervical traction neck pillow faq’s
Neck Posture- Setting up a proper workstation with a neck pain free zone
Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units



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Can Forward Head Posture Cause Pain?

Forward head posture is a common posture that is seen quite a bit, but often overlooked in terms of a cause for neck pain. To analyze your own head and neck, look at your side profile in the mirror or have someone else look at it. Do you ears align with your shoulders? Normal head posture is when the ears should be directly above the shoulders. Believe it not, your head weighs approximately 8 lbs. If your ears and shoulders align this 8 lb weight is balanced and causes minimal stress on the neck spine. If you have forward head posture, it can put a lot of stress on the cervical spine joints, and cervical nerves such as C6, and C7. Over time, this can lead to arthritis and degenerative changes to the cervical spine. The lower neck is where the nerves exit that innervates your neck muscles, upper back and shoulders, arms and hands. These degenerative changes in the lower neck can cause numbness and tingling in the arms and hands. Forward head posture can be one reason for neck pain, stiff neck or tight neck muscles.

One way to reduce forward head posture is to perform cervical retraction exercises. Take your right index finger and middle finger together and push on your chin in the backward direction. Pretend for a moment that your head is like a bowling ball- that slides back and forth. Now slide your fingers back and hold for 15 seconds. Release and then do this again 2-3 times. Do these cervical repetitions every day until you can work up to 10-12 a day.

There are also special cervical pillow supports that you can use to reduce forward head posture: The Cervical traction neck pillow is an effective support that can be used at night to keep the proper c curve in the neck. During the day, you can do cervical neck traction using a home traction unit such as the cervical traction posture pump 1000 or the Pronex pneumatic traction unit. It is important to do this neck traction lying face up, following the proper traction guidelines.

Visit Arc4life.com for Relief of your Neck Pain through cervical supports, cervical traction and other natural therapies



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What to do after a Motor Vehicle Whiplash Accident

When you get into a car accident, there are so many aspects you have to deal with: You might be having neck pain or other symptoms, your car is wrecked, you cannot work, you have to deal with the insurance company- just a bad situation all around.

If you do not seek treatment right away for whiplash type symptoms it can get worse and last longer than you want it too. Whiplash occurs when there is a sudden flexion and extension of the neck in a rapid motion, in a small amount of time. It can cause many symptoms such as:

• neck pain,
• headaches
• muscle spasm
• decrease range of motion in the neck
• soreness and stiffness in the neck
• sensitivity to cold or heat

The most common way of getting whiplash is a rear end car collision.

It is important to get checked by a health professional. Your Doctor may prescribe muscle relaxers or other pain medications. This is only going to be a temporary fix- so you need to do more about this. A proper history, consultation, examination and x-rays if necessary. It is most important to document what happened in this car accident and to also have a comprehensive treatment plan that will get you better.

You can also see a chiropractor, as most of them specialize in this. They will do a thorough consultation, examination and prescribe x-rays if necessary. You may need to be referred out for cervical x-rays .

Treatment for whiplash may include ice therapy, electric stimulation, exercises, mobilization, adjustments, neck traction- all depending on what you have going on. All these things will work to get you pain relief in the neck and upper back.

Sometimes, when the insurance companies are not co-operating you may need to get a special type of attorney involved. It is at this time, that the details of your accident become so important, including how and by whom you got treated. Most importantly, the mechanics of the actual motor vehicle accident are also very important. For Example:

• What did you feel at the time of the accident?
• Were you wearing your seatbelt?
• Where was your head facing when the accident took place?
• Did you lose consciousness?
• Were you prescribed any medications at the hospital?
• How does this pain affect your activities of daily living?
• Are you able to work during the day?

A Simple bop of the head during a seemingly little car accident can cause more than just neck pain. The small details in the car accident and the treatment that you seek matter a great deal for your future.

Additional Reading Resources

• Remedy for a Stiff Neck
  
• Part I-IV: Whiplash Series
  
• Part I-III: Severe Neck Pain Resulting from a Herniated Disc- What is a cervical Radiculopathy, What are the symptoms associated with a cervical radiculopathy, What are treatment options for patients who suffer from a severe neck pain.
  
• Cervical Neck Collars Are Not the Best Treatment for Whiplash, according to Study

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of the Natural Pain Relief Prodcuts for the Neck and Lower Back.



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