Pain in the Neck?

A lot of people who are suffering from chronic neck pain struggle to get relief, and it can have a terrible impact on their whole lives, making it harder for them to live, love and work. If you’re in that position, don’t despair! It might be that you simply haven’t found the right pain management technique to soothe your pain. Check out these treatments and tips that other sufferers of chronic neck pain have found useful and see if they work for you:

See a Chiropractor

If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend that you book an appointment with a qualified chiropractor like the ones at Liberty Wellness & Chiro. So many people have found pain relief from adjustments they make, that is certainly an avenue worth pursuing.

Staying Hydrated

Some chronic neck pain sufferers have found that staying on top of their hydration levels has helped immensely. In many ways, this is not so surprising because the dislocated between your spine’s vertebrae need water to maintain alignment, which means drinking plenty of water could take the pressure off your neck and diminish your pain.

Swim

A lot of neck pain sufferers have also noticed that their pain symptoms are fewer after they have taken a dip in the pool. So, visit the local pool more often and make sure that you swim in water that is warm, and gets up to chin level. Be careful to swim gently though, as too vigorous a stroke could hurt your neck even more, which is defeating the objective.

Try Acupuncture

Many people dismiss acupuncture as unscientific and a waste of money and, although it’s true that scientific evidence is not as good as it perhaps should be in a lot of cases, anecdotally a lot of people suffering from chronic pain, including neck pain, have found relief with the ancient Chinese practice, which makes it worth a try. Just ensure that you see a professional like the ones at Kyung Hee Acupuncture and Herbs. It takes a skilled hand to make a difference.

Support Your Neck

Making simple changes like investing in neck supporting chairs and pillows, and not craning your neck to talk on the phone, will all help your neck and spine to get stronger and avoid stresses and strains which could put more pressure on the area, causing even more pain.

Try Ice Therapy (Not on the Neck)

If you’ve tried ice therapy to no avail, try placing that ice pack on your head, behind the ears or between your brows instead. Sometimes neck pain stems from a different part of the body completely than what you would expect and doing this could bring you some relief. Again, it might be worth a try.

Supplement with Magnesium

If your neck pain was caused by a muscle sprain, supplementing your diet with magnesium could help because this mineral is known to help muscles to contract and relax, taking the pressure off. Before trying any of these ideas, please check with your doctor or physical therapist first.

 

Top photo credit: Photo by Aldan Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr.