Are you feeling the discomforts on the neck and a sense of pain in the area of vertebrae? That calls for cervical pain also known as neck pain. Now that has become a general complaint among the people. It’s time to check up on the neck posture. The muscles of the neck often experience strain when the posture is hunching on the worktable or even leaning inappropriately. Posture needs to be maintained to unnecessarily avoid the stress of the muscles so it can be beautifully handled.

Sometimes the reason for it can also be Osteoarthritis. It is a condition that appears when the protective layer of cartilage cushions the joints is worn and torn, then the damage to the joints is an osteoarthritis disease.  Often accompanied by pain, spasm and muscle tightness, headaches, and the inability of the head to move.

This condition can be treated at home but if the severity increases with headache, weakness, prolonging pain for weeks, or the pain due to a vehicle accident then that needs to be treated by a doctor or a physical therapist offering the physical therapy treatment. 

Neck pain relief is achievable as long as you understand the cause of it in the first place. As the neck has the strength to withstand the weight of the head, it is in a vulnerable condition to the pains.

The first reason for the inevitable pain is the strain on the muscle. It is the simplest of the things such as hunching over one position for long hours or even reading a book while being on the bed.

Diseases like arthritis and cancer can cause pain in the neck. A whiplash injury happens when the neck is stretched forward and backward. The nerves branching out of the cord can be pressed by the vertebrae of the neck leading to compression of the nerve.

The development of the bone spurs due to the impact of osteoarthritis caused by the deterioration of the cartilage between the bones causes them pain and induces difficulty in joint motion. This condition is observed in old age when the joints wear down like other joints.

Neck pain relief is achieved by physical therapy and the condition is treated by firstly, evaluating the neck and the range of motion. On a diagnosis of the condition, a treatment plan is determined that may include the active participation of the patient to achieve the expectation of the plan as the foremost goal is to relieve pain and recover the condition.

In the treatment plan a dedicated exercise to improve the strength and aid in building the tissues and muscles. The hands-on therapy is designed to remove the stiffness and in improving the motion. The focus will also be on developing good postures and advice on preventing re-injury. The treatment session will include the use of electrical stimulations, ultrasound, and the application of heat and ice for reaching the neck pain relief.

Few Insights In The End

Neck pain is a condition that rarely can be severe but if it is so, it may not need surgery if it can be treated by physical therapy treatments that include exercises, electrical stimulations, and massage therapies to meet the goals of the individual treatments of the plan considering the medical history of the patient by contacting your doctor is also taken care by the physical therapist. The need for opioids is not the only resolution as it has side effects to come which may affect in the long run and may even grow big to another problem to its immediate relief in the present. Although the point is also not about treating the condition it is to prevent the condition from appearing again as there is a saying, “Prevention is the cure”. 

The preventive measures that one may consider is to adopt good posture at any instant of the moment to avoid strain on the muscles. And if you are a person working long in front of the computer, one can often take a break and move or even stretch to relax the engaging muscles. Consider keeping the arms on the rest position of a chair while the knee is slightly below the hip and the monitor is at the level of your eye. Do you carry a habit of keeping the phones between the ear and the shoulder? Then remove them right away and use an earphone. Are you sleeping properly? Make sure the head and neck areas are in alignment. Well,  don’t carry over strappy bags with heavy loads on the shoulder which can strain the muscles of the neck. Well, a simple measure can prevent the pain from appearing now and later. 

If you are looking for a physical therapist then you may even like our services at harbor physical therapy and sports medicine as we are specialized in physical therapy to treat painful conditions.