Neck Pain Support Blog

Let's Not Be Zombies...

That's like the kids just uh-huh-ing when you are talking to them and they are busy texting on their phones.  We often talk about the head down posture - looking at our little phones, texting, looking up something on the internet, and more.  Oh yeah, let's not forget about our laptops or tablets.  Web surfing, typing, actual real work, and everythhing else you can imagine.  I admit I have to-do lists, alarms, websites I have saved, ... That being said, today we are straining our necks more than ever.

Gone is the day where I would see a lot of real physical workers being the regulars in my practice.  You know, the roofers, tree guys, contractors... Now, The vast majority are individuals are ones with a desk job.  They are constantly on that computer; or maybe they travel for work too.  Lugging a laptop, texting and messaging...

So let's go over a few rules of thumb when it comes to keeping good posture in this tech driven society we live in.

1. Do periodic stretching to keep muscles loose.  Neck stretches can be great but literally just getting of the computer or phone for a couple minutes to move around id huge.  
2. Look at your posture in the mirror.  If your head tilts slightly to the right from 5 straight years of holding the phoe there, then switch to the left once in awhile.  Better yet, get bluetooth!
3. Do exercises to negate the mis-aligned posture.  If the head tilts to the right then do ten left head tilts everyday until we see some correction.
4. When you go home do you tend to sleep on your left side with too much or too many pillows?  This will crank the head and neck into right lateral flexion as well.

So let's not be zombies when it comes to our phones and the internet.  And if the kids are becoming zombies you need to correct those habits before it's too late.

Additional Reading:

• Correcting and Understanding the hunchback posture 
• Getting the right pillow for sleep
• An Easy Way to Stretch the Neck
• Things you can do for neck pain
• Arthritis in the neck
• Check out the Neck Pain Support Blog on Google+

 

 

 

 

I Have Arthritis in My Back, Does That Mean it's in My Neck Too?

If you have arthritis in part of the spine then there is a good chance it's in other parts too. We break the spine up into the neck, middle back, and low back. In other words: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.

Arthritis is basically a break down or degeneration type effect. Not unlike an old car, our body's start to break down to. Lots of miles, wear and tear, that sort of thing. Or maybe a few fender benders occurred also; maybe some old soccer injuries.

The injured joints may breakdown a little faster than the unaffected ones. Or what about wear and tear from repetitive strain. Maybe one road you drive on daily always has construction on it to fix massive pot holes that keep coming back. In this example your body, as well as the car may get some shock.

Mostly in my office it's the daily grind of being on the computer every day. Perfect ergonomics and posture falter when you are working without taking periodic breaks.

Next, let's say that your car is notorious for having bad suspension. Well, this is analogous to our DNA. If everyone in the family has bad arthritis, it may be in your genes.

Ok, back to the question... Now we know how the spine is divided and some things that may be contributing or have contributed to faster breakdown. We divide the spine into these sections but the spine is all connected.

If we injured our low back it probably effected the neck too. Not only that, but if the lower back is injured for instance, you neck may have to pick up the slack. For example, since you can't bend or turn the lower spine, then the upper will do more of that.

Next, if our job is lifting bags of concrete daily, then your low back may get more breakdown then the neck. All that being said, motion is good because if we lead a too sedentary life, that may cause some arthritis build up to.

The key is motion and exercise, but to be careful with major strains or repetitive motion that may cause strain. In the office we end up seeing just as many real physical workers as one just typing on a keyboard all day.

Lastly, it sometimes can have to do with what kind of arthritis you have. I am thinking of one that really happens at the extremity joints versus the spine. It may be there also, eventually, or just not as bad or not causing as severe a symptom.

All that being said, if you start to correct alignment in one part of the spine it will help another part.

Picture Source: Health.com

Additional Reading Resources:

• 6 Things that Can Cause Neck Pain, that you May not always think of
• The Importance of a Neck Roll In a Pillow
• What to do if you have a stiff neck
• Neck exercises that work
• Choose the Best Neck Pillow for Sleep and Better Posture

 

Related articles

Most Important Function of C-Spine

"Can My Pillow Help Me Prevent Neck Pain?"

Every arthritis patient is unique!

Handling Arthritis, Effective Approaches That Will Help You Feel Better

Heat or Ice? Which one should I use?

Heat and Ice are all natural and you can really use either most times. With something all natural, the great thing is that there's no real negative side effects. Whereas taking a simple over-the-conter drug can have a slew of negatives.

That being said, if not used properly or using one when the other is a much better choice can worsen symptoms. Here's what I mean: If using the heat or ice pack directly on the skin can cause a skin burn. Also, using heat when there's inflammation can cause more inflammation to the surface, thus worsening symptoms.

Now, when is heat recommended and when is ice called for? Ice, we want to use when there is inflammation. This is typically when an injury first happened or is in what we call "acute". Use heat to loosen and relax an area. First thing in the morning when muscle and joints are tighter from being in one or two positions primarily, through the night.

So this is what I would do: let that morning hot shower soak on the area for an extra few minutes. In addition, break out that heat pack and put on the area for another 10 minutes.

At the end of the day is typically when inflammation has accumulated in a region. During the day you do a certain amount of tasks and to-do's that may irritate things and cause that inflammation to rise.

What works best for heat and ice therapy. I love these gel packs we have now which can be either hot or cold therapy. Put in the microwave for a few minutes for a hot pack and put it in the freezer for a cold pack.

Additional Reading Resources:

• Neck Pain Relief and Hot/Cold Packs
• Choose the Best Pillow for Sleep
• What Can you do for a stiff neck?
• Hot and Cold Packs that are Available
• What you can do for neck pain

Related articles

The Neck Pain Relief Total Package

"What Can I Do About My Neck Pain?"

"I Think My Low Back Pain Caused My Neck Pain?"

There can be a lot of truth in this statement. For example, it's possible that your back pain is throwing off your gait (the way you walk), and that pain has worked all the way to the neck. Or maybe it's causing you to be in a more flexed posture; now you extend your head back so that you neck is straight.

Remember that your whole spine is connected and if one part is shifted out of alignment then something else will shift to compensate.

Also, if you body is diverting all of your attention to the low back, for healing, it may leave your neck susceptible. Same goes for you compensating for one part of the body.

Lastly, your neck may start hurting, but you don't even notice because your low back hurts so much!

Additional Reading Resources

• What to do for a Stiff Neck
• I have been experiencing neck pain for 10 years. What can i do?
• What to do for a hunch back posture
• What does the cervical spine do?
• This is a terrible headache that i have...