The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) found that close to 65 percent of Americans ages 18 to 34 claim to have suffered from chronic pain during the past year. In that survey, neck pain was found to be the third most-common area of the body that suffered pain.
Similarly, a Gallup-Healthways survey found that 31 percent of U.S. adults claimed to have some neck or back condition that results in pain. Some 47 percent of the surveyed had at least one form of chronic pain. The Gallup-Healthways poll collected data from 353,000 people aged 18 and older, making it a significant study.
But no matter how high the count on who is afflicted, pain is personal. And if you have it, you’ll likely be living with reduced enjoyment until you can get rid of it.
Neck pain arrives without warning and can be attributed to any number of causes. Some come from seemingly minor accidents – for example, sleeping in an awkward position or sitting with bad posture. But many injuries can come from tasks both volunteered and accidental – including car crashes, lifting something too heavy and sporting injuries. Most people are reluctant to visit a doctor, feeling the pain will go away shortly. Some are correct, but others suffer for weeks, months and even years with pain.
Although a lot of pain seems to come with the wear and tear that aging creates, a good deal of neck pain comes from poor posture. Doctors advise that simple changes, including keeping your head aligned with your spine, will help prevent a good deal of suffering.
Office Workers and Neck Pain
In our modern age, many information workers can spend hours in one position, staring at computer screens. Thus, it’s important to remember to take breaks to stretch and stay limber. When seated, keep the shoulders aligned with the hips and ears in line with the shoulders.
Be careful to make sure that your computer’s monitor is at eye level and that you are not constantly slumped or reaching for the keyboard. Most chairs and desks can be adjusted to accommodate differences in height so that you can stay relatively aligned.
It’s also important to avoid having the telephone constantly tucked against your shoulder while typing and talking and to avoid overloading any bags that you must carry over your shoulder. Today’s modern worker is not as hardy as his or her predecessors, and it’s easy to throw nerves or joints out of alignment.
Home Remedies for Neck Pain
If you find that you have neck pain that won’t go away in an hour or so, you can try several home remedies to obtain relief. These can be used separately or in combination to achieve results.
Of course, over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen sodium (sold under the trade names Tylenol, Advil, Motrin IB and Aleve) are your first line of recourse. Just be careful to read the directions and not take too many. It’s wise to avoid alcohol consumption while taking them, particularly acetaminophen, because there could be adverse reactions in combination with the drugs.
Another home method is to swap hot and cold compresses. The cold remedy, including ice in a towel or ice packs, can help decrease inflammation. You can then follow up with a heating pad or hot shower, concentrating on the afflicted area.
If the pain is mild, you can try some stretching exercises, including shoulder and neck rolls, to try to work out the kinks. You should do these exercises after the cold/hot treatments for maximum impact, and by all means, stop if the pain seems to increase.
Finally, a massage is a great way to loosen up areas and possibly move nerves back into alignment in the troubled area. Just be careful to have your massage therapist not overdo the rubbing to the point where further damage occurs.
Alternative Therapies
When your attempts at neck pain relief don’t work with the suggested home remedies, it may be time to seek alternative care. Your medical professional can discuss what may be right for you and perhaps make a recommendation on effective care near your home.
Some care solutions that you might explore include:
Acupuncture – Having been practiced for many centuries in China, acupuncture began to gain traction and acceptance in the West in the 1970s. Today, many insurance plans will at least partially compensate it. The process involves inserting needles into various body points that represent areas of your system, then stimulating the needles with heat, rubbing or even electricity. The idea is to “unblock” the Qi energy that’s bottlenecked in a particular location, restoring the yin and yang balance. The procedures are relatively painless and usually last about 30 minutes. You may take one session or come back for multiple sessions.
Chiropractic manipulation – This is done by board-certified practitioners who align your spine with force and tools. This practice can achieve good results in patients who are willing to give up control to the skilled hands of the chiropractor, who can align the joints back into proper shape.
Licensed Massage – Whether Swedish (the most popular form in the U.S.), Shiatsu or even hot rock massages, the idea is to let a trained massage therapist rub the muscles in your neck and get you back into alignment. Therapeutic massage has been found to help many chronic pain sufferers recover from debilitating injuries. At the least, it’s a relaxing technique that helps a patient unwind in our fast-paced society.
Aging necks with degenerative vertebrae are susceptible to increasing neck pain and potentially arthritis. But the good news is that you can fight back with strength exercising, good posture and stretching. Talk to your doctor about physical therapy that will concentrate on the afflicted area. Studies have shown good results with continued strength exercises.