Relaxation For Neck Pain Relief

What To Do For Neck Pain Relief

Stress can cause neck pain. To get neck pain relief, there are some steps you can take to release the tension and create a calmer, more relaxed state of mind which in turn will cause your all parts of your body muscles to ease up.

Identify Emotional Stress For Neck Pain Relief
Emotional stress can trigger muscle tension. Pay attention to what stresses you. It could be your drive to work, your rush to get dinner on the table each night, meetings with your boss, and so on. There is much in modern life that are direct or indirect causes of neck pain.

After you've identified your common stress-inducing factors, think creatively about ways to reduce your stress. One way to manage stress is through relaxation techniques, such as progressive relaxation or abdominal breathing.

Relaxation For Neck Pain Relief
To perform progressive relaxation, find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Sit or lie down and close your eyes. Then, starting with your head and neck and working down the entire body, consciously tighten, or tense, and then completely release the muscles in the area.

Neck Pain Relief With Abdominal Breathing
To perform abdominal breathing, sit quietly and take a slow, deep breath all the way into your abdomen; place a hand on your abdomen to feel it expand and confirm you are breathing deeply enough. Then exhale completely, gently sucking in your stomach. Breathe slowly and deeply like this for several minutes. If you do this too quickly, you may begin to hyperventilate.

Other relaxation techniques include meditation, yoga, and exercise. In addition, you may want to develop some of your own methods of relaxation, such as engaging in a hobby or listening to peaceful music.

After trying all these various methods and techniques of body relaxation, you will find that your neck and shoulder muscles will loosen up giving you neck pain relief.

When Neck Pain Relief Does Not Work

When To See The Doctor For Neck Pain Relief

If you have neck pains, when should you think about going to see the doctor? Neck pains and neck strains are seldom thought of something that you would go to see a doctor for as most people would think the pains are of a temporary nature.

While most cases of simple muscle strain can be handled with home remedies such as using neck pain relief pillows, some types of neck pains should be checked by a doctor. Call the doctor if:

1. Your pain is or may be the result of an injury. Falls, collisions, and car accidents can cause neck pain and injury that is not immediately apparent.
2. Your neck pain is accompanied by fever, headache and muscle aches.
3. You have tingling or numbness in your arms or hands.
4. You have blur vision or some kind of visual disturbances.
5. Your neck pain increases or persists for several days despite home treatments.

It is important to remember that you should not further subject your neck to further strain by twisting and turning it in an attempt to get neck pain relief as many people do when they have neck pains.

Let the neck rest as much as possible and check if neck pain relief sets in after some time. To get a better idea, read this introduction to neck pain relief.

Causes Of Neck Pain Or Strains

Why The Neck Is Vulnerable To Pain

Why do neck pains occur and how can you get neck pain relief? The neck is especially vulnerable to stress and strain as it has a complex and delicate structure that allows it to move in many directions. It also has the job of supporting the head, a 10 to 20 pound element that is supported on a column of bones (vertebrae) held in place by 32 complex muscles.

Attached to and between the vertebrae are pads of fibrous cartilage called discs that act as cushions, or shock absorbers. Eight nerves, which relay sensations (including pain), and four major arteries, which carry blood, run through the neck and connect the head with the shoulders, chest, and arms.

The delicate spinal cord runs through the center of the stack of vertebrae and is protected by it. Add to this complex structure the fact that the neck moves more than any other part of the body, and you've got a formula for trouble.

Neck Muscle Strain Leads To Neck Pain
It's a vicious cycle. When our muscles tense, either because of physical or emotional stress, the blood supply to the muscles decreases, causing pain. And that pain causes the muscles to tense further. That's why the best way to relieve neck pain is to try to eliminate or ease the physical or emotional stress in addition to treating the muscles.

A neck muscle strain often results from an exaggerated curve in the lower back. There’s natural slight "S" curve in the spine columns, but if people get weak abdominal muscles and let their pelvises drop forward, the lower back also goes forward and exaggerates this curve. To compensate, the upper back drops back ward and the neck goes way forward resulting in pain.

Neck Pain Caused By Compressed Disc
Sometimes neck problems are the root of pain in another area of the body. Compressed cervical discs that are soft tissue that provides padding between the vertebrae in the neck area can cause neck pain. When healthy and full sized, they space out those bones properly, cushioning the nerves, blood vessels and muscles tissue that serve the needs of the body’s vital spinal area.

When there is too much spinal stress or pressure, one or more discs can become compressed. That puts pressure on the nerves extends from the spinal cord to various other parts of the body. Pain can result in the area to which these pinched nerves extend.

A compressed disc in the neck can be caused by many different kinds of injuries or blows to the head or neck. This can be caused by motor accidents, sports injuries, sleeping on a pillow that is too high or sleeping on your stomach. This is why neck pain relief and fitness are closely linked.

As you can see, the neck is vulnerable to careless treatment and you should take care not to strain your neck because sometimes even neck pain relief treatment may not be able to solve the problem.