Neck Pain: 10 Ways to Keep It Away

It seems as if everyone at one time or another suffers from neck pain. This may be due to sleeping wrong or a trauma resulting in neck pain. At any given time, as many as 13 percent of those living in the USA are suffering from neck pain, with women suffering more often than men. Neck pain usually arises from the soft tissues — muscles, ligaments, and tendons — in and around the cervical spine.

Muscle strain and resulting muscle spasms may be due to underlying issues in the neck, such as:

• Spinal stenosis
• Disc degeneration
• Arthritis

This is usually triggered by some type of trauma as it does not occur for no reason. Whether your neck pain comes from one of the above conditions, a trauma, or waking up with a stiff neck, the following tips should help you deal with the pain.

Tips for Avoiding Neck Pain

1. Sleep on your back: Sleeping while lying on your back is the best position to be in for the health of your spine. If you are dealing with neck issues, you may want to try sleeping on your back with a pillow under each arm. In this way, supporting your arms takes stress off of the neck area.

If you are dealing with spinal stenosis (arthritis), sleeping at a slight incline, such as on a wedge pillow, can ease your discomfort. Another option is getting an adjustable bed.

If you just cannot get used to sleeping on your back and you must sleep on your side, be sure that your pillow is not too high. A good height is around 4 to 6 inches of thickness depending on the material. Your head should not be able to turn abnormally to one side or the other.

1. Try a different pillow: This can take some trial and error to find exactly what works. There are many types of pillows and a number of different styles. Be sure the pillow you choose keeps your upper cervical spine in a natural position aligned with the curve of the spine. Your personal neck problem may determine what works best for you. For example:
   • Some have less neck pain when lying on their back with their head supported by a flat pillow or an orthopedic pillow with a depression for the head.
   • Others find that lying on their side with a support pillow is most comfortable.
   • Some find that sitting up in a recliner or using an adjustable bed can be helpful. In this instance, you can use a small or mostly flat pillow.
2. Keep your computer monitor at eye level: To test this out, sit in front of your computer, relax, and close your eyes. When you open your eyes, your computer screen should be directly ahead of you. If you have to look down, you need to raise up your monitor. Laptops require you to look down at the screen. If you can, connect your laptop to a separate monitor so you can keep your screen at eye level.
3. Don’t strain your neck when texting: Looking down at your cell phone or another mobile device for a long period of time repeatedly can put stress on your neck muscles. Over time, this can lead to age-related changes and degeneration. To avoid this, raise the phone to eye level when texting, reduce the time you spend texting, and take frequent breaks.
4. Keep your neck limber: By exercising and stretching your neck muscles, doing short sets of strengthening and stretching exercises, you will keep your neck muscles strong. You can discover just how to do that here.
5. Never cradle the phone between the ear and your neck: Using a headset will help you avoid putting a strain on your neck.
6. Drink lots of water: Staying hydrated is a good way to nourish and hydrate the discs of the neck. These discs are spongy structures that are located between each vertebra in the neck. They are made up of mostly water. Therefore, staying hydrated will help them flexible and strong. Try for 8 large glasses of water each day. To do this you can:
   • Keep a water bottle nearby and sip it all day long.
   • Drink 2 to 3 large glasses of water at each meal.
   • Set a reminder on your mobile device that reminds you to drink a full glass of water every 2 hours.
7. Keep things even. It is common for people to carry their purse, heavy bookbag, or a briefcase on one side of the body. However, this can put a strain on your neck muscles. To combat this problem, take with you only what you absolutely need. Keep your shoulders level, not letting one drag lower than the other. Consider using a backpack to evenly distribute the weight across the body.
8. Maintain good posture. Improper posture cause neck pain because it stresses the muscles and ligaments supporting the neck. The most common form of improper posture is the head-and-shoulders-forward posture. This happens when the neck slants forward, placing the head in front of the shoulders. The head should always remain in line with the shoulders. For every inch the head moves forward, 10 pounds of stress are added to the muscles of the neck and upper back. This stresses the entire spine.
9. Visit us here at Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego in San Diego, California: We can examine your neck to make sure there are no misalignments that are causing your neck pain. Correcting these misalignments through a gentle method can help you feel happier and healthier overall and avoid the distress of neck pain.

To schedule a consultation with Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego, call 858-434-5926 or just click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.