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Neck Issues
Your neck is the last thing you think about in your daily life. Yet, if you have suffered a stiff neck, you understand how important that part of your body serves you. A stiff neck makes you unable to turn your head; you have to use your whole body. The pain does not only affect the neck area and cause numbness and soreness, but it also affects the head. Your daily activities slow down, and at times, you have to take a complete rest before resuming your duties. Neck pains have different causes, and understanding the purpose helps you to secure the best treatment. If you suffer from neck pain in Ramsey, an expert resides close to you, give us a visit and get relief from your pain.
Symptoms
Neck pain manifests in various ways, including feeling pain after a prolonged stay in one position and posture, such as long sitting hours at a desk while using a computer. You could also feel muscle tightness around your neck area coupled with painful spasms. When the pain advances, you feel numbness, and there is difficulty in moving your head around. Neck pains become incapacitating when they progress to the head, causing headaches that signal your need to consult a doctor. Home remedies may try to soothe the pain, but if the symptoms persist, consult a doctor. However, neck pains caused by severe accidents such as falling or any accidents should never be home treated. Visit a doctor immediately; you have an accident that causes neck pains.
Causes
The neck helps to support the head and channels the spinal cord towards the head. If you overuse the muscles on the neck due to long hours of an awkward posture such as sitting for long hours, the neck muscles strain. The neck contains vertebrae bones that help with motion. When those bones wear out either due to age or the nature of your activities, the cartilage that separates the bones wears out, causing friction with every movement you make. It causes excruciating pain that may disable you. The worn-out joints become complicated as they can compress nerves that join to the spinal cord. This situation makes the pain unbearable for the patient. Automobile accidents can cause neck injuries from the jerking of the head as well as diseases that affect the bones and tissues on the neck, such as Meningitis and cancer.
Prevention
Neck pains, especially from injuries, may be unavoidable, but with a healthful lifestyle, you can avoid them. However, most neck pains have to do with the posture you maintain while conducting your activities. Adopt a good posture over your life that includes placing your neck squarely on the spine and having an upright position that balances your shoulders to your hips. Avoid a single pose for long hours to reduce strain on neck muscles. You can combine avoiding long hours of a single posture with frequent stretches to exercise the most used muscles. Avoid applying weights on your neck area that strain muscles and apply pressure on disc cartilages that wear out faster and result in neck complications. Smoking also causes neck pain due to exposure to various diseases it causes. Adopt the proper sleeping patterns to keep your spine healthy. Align your neck and head with the rest of your body with a pillow under your neck. Ensure that your back and spine muscles remain entirely at rest.