What You Can Do About Neck Pain

For many living with chronic neck pain, conventional treatments such as medications or chiropractic care won’t always provide relief.

See Treatment for Neck Pain

Some of our Spine-health Forum members have offered us a wealth of simple yet unique techniques for neck pain management, from their own experience. Keep in mind that not all of these are proven as evidence-based treatments for chronic neck pain, and you should speak with your doctor before beginning a new therapy.

Take a look at some of the best of forum members' neck pain treatments:

1. Stay hydrated

The discs between the vertebrae in your spine require water to maintain disc height and spinal alignment and to take pressure off the spine. Each individual spinal disc is roughly 80 percent water at when we're born, with this ratio decreasing as we age and the disc degenerates.

Over time, maintaining strong daily hydration habits may prevent further degeneration of cervical discs, which may reduce neck pain.

See Nutrition and Diet Tips

Here are tips for drinking more water:

• Some of our forum members have reported that carrying a 1 liter water bottle with them all day serves as a reminder to stay hydrated.
• Pair your water intake with your daily habits, such as drinking a full glass of water after each time you brush your teeth.

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2. Be careful how you use your phone

One way you may not even realize that you’re aggravating your neck is by cradling your phone in your neck while you're talking. This puts unneeded strain on your cervical spine.

In addition, many people are starting to experience text neck by craning their neck down to look at their phone while they text or browse the internet.

See How to Avoid Neck Pain from Texting

Avoid neck pain from phone use with these tips:

• Use a Bluetooth or hands-free headset to make calls.
• When you're browsing or texting, hold the phone up high to decrease the angle at which you're holding your neck.
• Take frequent breaks to stretch your neck.

3. Get in the pool

Exercise Importance for Neck Pain Video

Many Forum members note the therapeutic effects that swimming has on their neck pain, specifically in reducing inflammation, providing quick pain relief, and easing neck stiffness. Interesting tips have included:

• Getting the water level up to the neck and simply moving around.
• Squatting until the water reaches the chin, then moving back and forth and to the right and to the left.
• Using a swimming pool that is quite warm.
• Finding a stroke that is gentle on your neck for swimming laps, or consult with a physical therapist or other health professional for recommendations. Depending on your swimming skill, you may be able to do “Texas 25s”—either crawl or breaststroke—which is swimming a length of the pool without taking a breath. If you can do this, then you can get a lot of aerobic exercise without twisting your neck at all.

For some, swimming is too strenuous on the neck. In that case, water therapy, which is gentle exercise done in a warm swimming pool, is often a great alternative to land-based exercises.

See Swimming and Back Pain

4. See a physical therapist

It’s common to think of physical therapy as a treatment aimed at reducing symptoms from a given injury. While this is correct, physical therapy for the neck can also have other benefits, such as:

• Identifying secondary causes of pain.
• Teaching you how to reduce the risk of reinjury.
• Strengthening the weak areas of the neck through targeted exercises.

See Neck Exercises for Neck Pain

See What is the McKenzie Method for Back Pain and Neck Pain?

5. Consider acupuncture

Acupuncture provides varying degrees of neck pain relief for forum members. Some people swear by its effectiveness, while others note success about half of the time. Others get no relief from acupuncture.

One forum member raised the interesting point that the efficacy of acupuncture and deep tissue massage often depends on the skills of the practitioner, making it important for patients to research these treatment methods and to really understand how to identify a skilled professional.

See Acupuncture: An Ancient Treatment for a Current Problem

6. Choose a neck-supporting chair

Maintaining good posture is a good way to keep neck pain under control. A headrest can help to keep your cervical spine in a neutral position, so consider getting an office chair with one...and using it. Also make it a point to use the headrest on your recliner and in your car, when you can.

See Office Chair: Choosing the Right Ergonomic Office Chair

You can make your own gel ice packs with household items.
Watch: Video: How to Make a Gel Ice Pack

7. Use ice therapy in unusual places

Neck pain may also be joined by nagging headaches and numbness or tingling in the back of the head, neck, shoulders, and hands.

Some forum members suggest putting ice on different areas of the body (such as between the thumb and index finger, on the bone behind the ear, on the indent between the middle of the eyebrow) to help achieve relief from such symptoms.

Learn more in the Heat and Cold Therapy Health Center

Watch: Video: How to Make an Ice Massage Applicator

One creative forum member noted using a headband to secure the ice in these different spots and on the temple.

8. Increase magnesium intake

Neck pain is most frequently the result of a muscle strain or sprain. Increasing your intake of magnesium, a mineral that aids in the contraction and relaxation of muscles, may help avoid these pain causing problems.

• Magnesium is commonly found in fruits, vegetables, beans, soy products, and whole grains. Read the nutrition labels on products to see how much of your daily recommended amount of magnesium they provide.
• Magnesium can be absorbed through the skin by taking a bath with Epsom salt, or a similar supplement.
• Some forum members have reported success with the use of magnesium oil, which is applied directly to the skin after a warm shower or bath.

To prevent adverse reactions, you may want to consult with your physician before beginning use of any supplement or oil.

See Food for Thought: Diet and Nutrition for a Healthy Back

9. Use a water pillow

Pillows to Ease Neck Pain Video

Some patients note the rejuvenating effects of water pillows that allow patients to dictate the firmness of their pillow. Specifically, more water equals a firmer pillow; less water provides a softer pillow.

See Pillows for Neck Pain

Various water pillow products are available and may be worth considering if you've tried more traditional neck pillows and braces to no avail.

See Different Types of Pillows

These little-known tips have worked well to relieve others neck pain, and may work for you, as well. Do you have a preferred method from this list, or one not listed here? Let us know by leaving a comment on our Spine-health Forum.

This article originally appeared on http://www.spine-health.com/blog/9-lesser-known-tips-easing-neck-pain

Prevent Back Pain While Driving

When you suffer from back pain, sitting in a car for hours can make it much worse. Even people who don’t normally endure lower back discomfort, can begin to experience it on a long car trip. However, by planning ahead and taking a few precautions, much of this back pain can be reduced or sometimes even prevented. Here are a few tips and ideas to help prevent back pain while driving or riding in a car.

Get Comfortable Immediately. When you first get into your car, make sure that you are sitting comfortably. Especially if you already have some back discomfort, sitting in an uncomfortable position will worsen the feeling.

Change Your Seat Position. Most of today’s cars have seats that place the driver’s pelvis lower than the driver’s knees. For most people, this makes a more comfortable chair. However, sitting in this position adds extra pressure on the tailbone. This pressure can be relieved by raising your seat so that your pelvis is parallel to your knees, or even slightly higher. If your seat is unable to move this way, you a wedge shaped cushion can help provide the same lower back pain relief.

Lumbar Support. If you have a long drive or lower back discomfort, you can take a small towel, roll it up and use it as a lumbar support. This can help relieve some pressure during a long trip.

Take Frequent Breaks and Stretch. You can go from rest stop to rest stop if you need to. At each stop, get out and stretch or exercise a bit. Walking helps to get your blood flowing again and will also help keep you awake. It is also very important to stretch your hamstrings. While sitting for extended periods of time, your hamstrings get shortened and tighter. Stretch them gently to relieve some tightness and help your lower back.

Trade off Driving When Possible. If you are driving with a partner, you can trade off driving so the other can relax and stretch. If you need to, go into the back seat and either lie down to rest, or you can stretch your legs out.

The most important thing to keep in mind, is to be aware that you have an issue and think through some things before you leave on a longer trip. It mostly comes down to common sense, but try to pack whatever back support items you may need and leave extra time so you can get out and walk around or stretch if needed.

Find another great resource for ways to prevent and relieve back pain while driving here.

This article originally appeared on relaxobak.com

Alignment is More than Just Good Posture

Remember when you were growing up and your mom (or your annoying aunt) would always correct you about your posture? “Stand up straight.” “Don’t slouch.” “Shoulders back.” Well, it was right… sort of. Body alignment is important. It affects many aspects of your health. But proper body alignment is more than just good posture.

Proper body alignment can help with body mechanics. That means it helps your body moves in a way that’s smart, efficient and with less risk of injury. In other words, body alignment will keep your body moving, sitting, standing, working, exercising, and being active for a long time. Proper alignment is very important, not only for your back, but for your overall health as well.

Proper body alignment helps the major systems in your body work better: digestive system, respiratory system, nervous system, immune system and more. In other words, everything runs better when the body is aligned.

Body alignment is important when exercising. Body alignment prevents injuries and balances how your muscle groups work. Also, when you are in alignment, you use less energy for any movement and put less stress on the joints. When movements are done from poor alignment position, there is greater wear and tear on joints and  greater is the risk of injury.

How to help body alignment.

Work on posture. Train yourself to recognize Neutral Spine Position—it’s when the pelvis, rib cage and skull are aligned on top of each other.  Instead of thinking of “standing up straight with your shoulders back” imagine being suspended from a string from the top of your head and all the other parts of the spine are suspended from the same string. When in neutral spine position, all 3 curves of the spine (cervical, thoracic and lumbar) are aligned and in natural balance. When you’re in this position, every movement activates from the core muscles.

You can find neutral spine position by practicing a basic relaxation exercise from the floor. You will eventually be able to recognize it while standing, sitting, reclining or moving.

Maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight puts additional stress on the joints and muscles.

Avoid certain body positions and movements. Having a slumped forward head posture, twisting from the spine to a point of strain, reaching for anything too far out from the body, bending from the waist to lift things or reach for things.

Exercise regularly with a program that promotes and builds core stabilization.

• Squats, planks, push-ups, lunges can help strengthen your core. These should be done slowly and with attention to proper alignment. You may want to work with an exercise coach if you are not familiar with proper alignment and are new to an exercise program. Be sure to get approval from your doctor before starting any new exercise or stretching program.
• Practice yoga which helps stretch the muscles, but also strengthens the core (and all major muscle groups). Most yoga classes are available for a wide range of fitness levels. Choose one that is appropriate for you.
• Consider taking up Tai Chi, which emphasizes breathing and slow, balanced movements.
• Try a class in Pilates, which also helps with body alignment and core strengthening. It was developed by Joseph Pilates, who overcame a sickly childhood and later did physical training with WWI soldiers who were recovering from injury.

Remember, all of these exercises can help with body alignment and strengthening your core. But not all exercises are good for everyone. People who have had spinal fusion or a slipped disk should be especially careful with any exercises and confer with their doctor.

This article originally appeared on relaxobak.com

Foot and Ankle Pain: Osteopathy Sets Pace for Restored Function

Pain can occur in the foot and ankles for a number of reasons.

The foot and ankle is made up of a number of small bones interconnected by ligaments, muscles and fascia all working together to give the strength, stability and flexibility the foot and ankle needs to function properly.
Common conditions of the foot, ankle and areas which can give rise to pain include:

Acquired flat foot – when the inner side of the foot or inner arch flattens. The foot may roll over to the inner side (known as over-pronation). It is often apparent if the heels of shoes wear out quickly and unevenly. Over-pronation can damage your ankle joint and achilles tendon (the tendon at the back of your ankle) and can also cause shin pain. Symptoms can include, pain, swelling, change in foot shape and knee pain or swelling.

Plantar fasciitis –is pain and inflammation in the plantar fascia – the tough fibrous band of tissue that supports the arches of the foot and runs under the small bones from the underside of the heel and sole towards the toes, Often, people who have plantar fasciitis describe it as a sharp pain, most often under the heel or instep of the foot. It tends to be made worse by standing for long periods of time in poor footwear. Sufferers commonly mention that it is worse when standing after being off their feet for a long time, and it can hurt more putting the foot on the floor first thing in the morning. The sole of the foot can occasionally feel a little numb, tingly or swell slightly. In some cases of plantar fasciitis, a small spur of bone can grow where the plantar fascia attaches and pulls on the heel which can cause a sharp pain.

Achilles pain –The Achilles tendon is formed by the tendon of the two calf muscles, the gastrocnemius and soleus coming together and attaching onto the bone at the back of the heel called the calcaneus) Pain, inflammation or tendonitis in the Achilles can cause pain and tightness in this area.

Sprained ankle. Typically the result of a sudden twisting or “going over” on the ankle joint and more commonly it is the ligaments on the outside of the ankle that are strained. Typical symptoms are swelling, bruising, pain and instability of the ankle. Sometimes an x-ray is required to rule out any fracture. Rest, ice, elevation and compression are often advisable in the first 24 to 48 hours.

How can an osteopath help with foot and ankle pain?

• Depending on the diagnosis and your age and fitness we can use a variety of gentle massage and manipulative techniques to increase the mobility of the joints and the flexibility of the muscles in the foot.
• We will often look at muscles and joints in the lower limb, the knee, hip and lower back and may treat any joint restrictions and muscle tightness we find there. Often improving the movement in the joints of the lower will help the foot and ankle function better.
• We may offer specific balancing, strengthening or loosening exercises
• We may offer advice on strapping and brace supports, footwear and any lifestyle factors that might be hindering healing. We may refer you to a podiatrist for their opinion and specialist foot supports
• X-rays, scans or other tests may be required to make a diagnosis  and we may refer you to your  GP for any additional  investigations and treatment  such as advice on pain killers and anti-inflammatory medications.
  
  This article originally appeared on http://www.osteopathy.org

When you feel discomfort in your feet and ankles you are feeling the imbalance of your body's weight distributed unevenly. Help your body reset and restore itself by moving your feet outside their normal range, keeping your hips flexible, and always moving your arms behind your torso for short and frequent periods of time. #Moveintobetterhealth

Manual Osteopathy moves your joints toward their naturally balanced and proportioned state of force distribution and absorption, helping your body fit together again!