4 tips to relieve neck pain

Have shoulder or neck pain? Here's what you need to do to get instant relief

By: Shraddha Rupavate | | Updated: March 30, 2015 6:35 pm

Neck pain can develop due a lot of reasons including stress, incorrect posture, poor ergonomics at work and poor sleeping posture. If the pain is chronic and severe, restricting your range of motion completely, then the only option is to take sufficient rest. However, you can do a lot of things to relieve mild to moderate neck pain, occurred due to sprain and injury. Here are some helpful ways.

Avoid strenuous neck movements: Avoid quick movements of the neck and avoid holding the neck in a position that hurts. When you lie down, always rest your neck in a neutral position. Avoid jerky movement and avoid twisting it.

Apply ice pack: Ice packs used in cold therapy numbs pain and reduces swelling by constricting blood vessels and slowing down the body’s inflammatory action. Wrap an ice pack in a cloth and apply it to the affected area for 15-20 minutes every hour. Don’t apply ice directly to the skin for more than a minute to prevent frostbite.

Use heat therapy: Heat therapy works a bit differently. It reduces stiffness and also relieves muscle spasms. You can either apply a heat pack directly to the stiff areas of the neck or heat a damp-folded towel for 10-60 seconds and then apply to the affected area. Physiotherapists often recommend warm water shower for joint and muscle relaxation.

If your neck pain has occurred due to a sudden injury, use cold therapy for 15-20 minutes every hour for the first 24-48 hours. Later, you can alternate between heat and cold therapy. Ice may increase stiffness, so you may first use heat therapy to relax the muscles and then use ice to reduce swelling.

Exercise: There is significant evidence that specific neck exercises can help reduce pain and further strengthen the neck and the shoulder, trunk region. Here are some exercises that can reduce pain.

Rotation range-of-motion: Hold your neck straight in a neutral position. Now turn you head slowly to the right. Hold it for 2-3 seconds and then return to the original position. Now slowly shift it to the left and hold again. Repeat 10 times at least.
Side bending: Starting from the neutral position, bend your neck sideways to the right and then to the left, holding each side for 2-3 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
Front neck muscles: Lie down on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Now gently your palm on your forehead and press it behind gently as you try to bring your chin to the chest. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times. Similar exercise can be done to strengthen rear neck muscles by placing the palm behind the head and pressing gently as you move your head behind.

Image source: Getty images

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Reference:

Neck and shoulder pain by Harvard Health Publications

Published: September 1, 2014 5:29 pm | Updated:March 30, 2015 6:35 pm

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