Neck Pain Support Blog: February 2014

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February 2014

February 27, 2014

Help choosing the right over-the-counter medication...

I am not one to take pain medications regularly. In fact I have taken OTC (over the counter) pain medications maybe 1-2x per year or not at all. Recently I had to get a tooth removed, and I was in a lot of pain. Like 10/10 pain level, we are talking high intensity.

When something is hurting, maybe it's in the middle night, we just want to take something to go back to sleep and get out of pain. You might be looking in your medicine cabinet and have a glazed look on your face...which medication to take and get rid of the pain?

Here's the usual OTC - Over The Counter list:

Acetominophen (Tylenol) - this basically tricks the brain and tells you there's less pain; used as a pain reliever and fever reducer.

Ibuprofen (motin or advil) - helps reduce pain and inflammation, often easier on the stomach than aspirin.

Aspirin (bayer)- also helps bring down the inflammation, relieve aches and pain, and is also used as a blood thinner.

All of these can be used for those minor pain episodes like a headache, neck pain, toothache, fever, etc.

That being said you need to read the directions and follow your doctor's advice. Make sure there's no side effects or complications with other medications you may be taking. Also before you go out and drive, make sure its okay to be taking one of these pills. All of these over-the-counter medications can be easily found at the drugstore and often at your grocery store which has a pharmacy as well.

A few other points....It's also recommended and probably states on the bottle to take with a full glass of water. Follow the directions and don't exceed the amount that is recommended. Also only take on an as needed basis.If pain persists or changes for more than a couple days really need to see your doctor.

Finally, check the expiration date on your over the counter medications in your medicine cabinet. If you dont' use these a lot its easy to lose track of these dates.

Additional Reading Resources:

Posted by Nav on February 27, 2014 at 11:36 AM in Causes of Neck Pain, Neck Pain Relief PRODUCTS, Treatments for Neck Pain | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: aspirin, ibuprofen, motrin, otc medication, over the counter medication, pain medication, pain medications, pain pillows, tooth ache

February 14, 2014

I've gotten in the bad habit of stomach sleeping?...

You are correct, it can be a bad habit. The issue is bad habits are hard to break. What's the typical issue with sleeping on your tummy?

Here's the problem. When you sleep on your belly, you have to crank the head about 90 degrees to either side. You might typically sleep 7-10 hours, so will this lead to a few more neck strains than average? You Bet!

Also, if we are doing this we are basically training the spine to shift. Do you want your spinal bones in your neck to be turned a few degrees to the right because you sleep that way most often? Probably not because we know that a spine that's out of alignment will cause pain. If we are out of alignment, we have nerve pressure, and this typically means pain or another unpleasant symptom.

What can I do? My recommendation would be to get the traction pillow. The "V" acts to hold you in place. You get a little gentle traction but the neck roll helps maintain and restore the normal neck curve.

Remember, looking at someone from the front or back ( or A-P, Anterior- Posterior) the spine should be straight up and down. When looking from the side (lateral), we have nice, smooth flowing curves. A "c" curve of the neck to be exact.

If you have a continuous stomach sleeper, not only will it lead to a more permanent rotation of the neck but a loss of the neck curve too.

Additional Reading:

Posted by Nav on February 14, 2014 at 09:21 AM in Causes of Neck Pain, Sleep | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: belly sleeping, belly sleeping, best posture for sleeping, neck posture at night, sleeping on your stomach is not good, stomach sleeping, tummy sleeping, why sleeping on your stomach is bad

February 05, 2014

It Feels like a lot of Pillows Push me Forward...?

If a pillow is too large, instead of putting a curve in the neck it will flex your head forward. This is a problem because you lose that vital curve when you flex forward.

You see, we need about a 40 degree curve back there. If we are constantly flexed forwarded it starts to straighten the spine.

"I thought our spine was supposed to be straight?"

No, that is when looking from the front or back, or A-P view. When we look at the spine from the side we want smooth flowing curves. A "C" curve of the neck with the opening facing toward your back or posterior. (A-P = Anterior-Posterior).

That is why, not only is a neck pillow a good idea to use, but the right size is very important too. You wouldn't wear shoes that were two sizes to big would you? No, your pillow is much the same. Using the wrong size may have its repercussions.