Limit How Long You Look At A Smartphone
Constantly looking down at your phone pulls on your neck muscles and puts a constant strain on them. If you have to use your smartphone often, try some of these tips to reduce your neck strain:
- Hold your phone at eye level.
- Dont hold your phone between your shoulder and your ear.
- Use earbuds or headphones.
- Take a break from your phone hourly.
- After using your phone, stretch to relax your muscles.
Drink Plenty Of Fluids
You have probably seen this tip everywhere, and it could not be said enough. Most people admit they need to drink more water throughout the day, and poor fluid intake equals poor muscle quality. You need those fluids for your muscles to do their job all day long, and not enough can cause even more muscle tension.
How The Stress Response Works
The stress response is a blend of physical and emotional components that prime your body to run or fight when faced with danger. When the brain is triggered, the body releases cortisol, adrenaline and other hormones that prepare your body for action. Physical changes include a higher heart rate, increased blood pressure, rapid breathing and tensed muscles. When this happens repeatedly, it can cause , pains and irritated nerves.
This reaction to stress happens to us in small spurts all day, every day and it works well to protect us from harm. Problems start happening when you experience chronic stress. This could be chronic physical stress from standing or doing repetitive motions at your job. Or it could be chronic emotional stress like dealing with a difficult personal relationship or financial troubles. So how does this normal response to lifes daily challenges make its way to your neck and shoulders?
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Stretching Can Keep Pain At Bay
Putting your monitor at eye level, sitting up straight and avoiding tilting and twisting your head down or to the side while youre on the computer can help you avoid neck pain. When youre driving or looking at your smart phone, be sure to take frequent breaks and avoid having your neck bent forward for long periods of time, Dr. Bang says.
The key to relief for a stiff neck is proper stretching and manipulation, Dr. Bang says. Here are some stretches you can try at your desk or in the car that may help you to avoid a stiff neck:
- Roll your shoulders backwards and down 10 times.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together 10 times.
- Push your head backwards into your car head rest or hands and hold for 30 seconds.
- Bring your ear to your shoulder 10 times on each side.
How To Relieve Shoulder And Neck Pain Without Medication
Home / Blog / Health & Wellness Tips / How to Relieve Shoulder and Neck Pain Without Medication
Are you feeling pain in your shoulders and neck? Sitting at a desk, driving all day, and even stress contribute to muscle pain in these areas. Wondering how to relieve shoulder and neck pain but dont want to take medicine? Weve made a list of ways on how to relieve shoulder and neck pain:
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Preventing Pain And Injury
Posture. Using correct posture and keeping your spine in alignment are the most important things you can do for your neck and back . The lower back bears most of your weight, so proper alignment of this section can prevent injury to your vertebrae, discs, and other portions of the spine. If you have back or neck pain, you may need to make adjustments to your daily standing, sitting, and sleeping habits and learn proper ways to lift and bend. Your workspace may need to be rearranged to keep your spine from slouching. Because extra pounds can make back pain worse, you should maintain a weight that is appropriate for your height and body frame.
Exercise. Regular exercise is important to prevent back pain and injury. A program of strengthening, stretching and aerobic exercises will improve your overall fitness level. Research has shown that people who are physically fit are more resistant to back injuries and pain, and recover quicker when they do have injuries, than those who are less physically fit .
Create An Ergonomic Workplace
Many people work at a computer desk for eight hours each day. This can contribute to a stiff neck, as well as other ailments. Here are some ways to prevent a stiff neck at work:
- Adjust your chair into a comfortable position with your feet flat on the floor and your knees a bit lower than your hips.
- Use ergonomic posture while sitting, with your back straight and your arms level to the desk.
- Adjust your computer so that its at eye level.
- Use an ergonomic keyboard and mouse.
- Stand up to stretch and move every hour.
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Can Stress Cause Physical Pain In The Body And How To Identify The Stress
Posted by Shani Liyanage | Feb 13, 2020 | Mental Health, Pain | 0 |
The high-stress levels affect every person, and it can cause physical pain in the body.
Most of us may notice symptoms associated with stress in different situations. As a parent, you can be experienced while you try to discipline your children. The busy schedules at work may even lead to a stressful situation for many employees. Household financial management or coping with a challenging relationship can even lead to a stressful scenario for many people.
In short, stress is everywhere.
The little amount of stress is not a problem as it can also have a beneficial impact on many people. However, a high amount of stress can make wear down any person and can harm health. The person may even experience a physical impact on the body because of high-stress levels.
It is necessary to identify the symptoms of stress in the first step. It can help any individual in controlling stress. Though, sometimes the identification of stress symptoms can be hard for the people.
Most of the people are so much used to stressful situations. They are often not aware that they are stressed out until they experience a breaking point. It can be a dangerous situation, and maximum efforts are needed to control the overall stressful situation of any person.
Tip: If you have not read already, here are the links to the symptoms of stress in men, women and children. The symptoms depend on your sex and age.
How To Stop Anxiety From Causing Further Back Pain
Under the assumption that your back pain is caused by anxiety, treating that back pain does require a focus on the pain itself. Unfortunately, while treating anxiety can reduce your back pain in the long term , breaking the cycle of back pain depends in large part on your ability to also fight the back pain itself. Consider the following tips:
These are all traditional ways to deal with back pain unrelated to anxiety, but theyre still effective because once back pain starts, it needs to be stopped using traditional methods.
But of course, controlling your back pain is only step one. You will still need to learn ways to cope with anxiety so that you can stop your anxiety back pain from occurring again.
SUMMARY:
Anxiety causes muscle tension, inactivity, changes in posture, and other changes that can all lead to back pain. The pain is real, so over the counter painkillers, stretching, and similar treatments might be needed to eliminate the pain. In the long term, it becomes important to stop the anxiety.
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Is Stress Causing Your Pain
Lifes demands create stress and although some stress may be good, too much can cause health problems. Most people equate stress with high blood pressure, a heart attack or a stroke. But did you know headaches, dizziness, neck and shoulder pain can be stress-related too?
Chronic headaches, usually accompanied by extreme fatigue are almost always a sign of stress. People literally live on Tylenol and Ibuprofen for years because they constantly have a nagging headache, induced by muscle spasms from the high amount of stress in their life.
The Cause of Stress Related Headaches
Headaches can range from minor nagging pains, to full-blown migraines that knock you off your feet for a day or two. Any headache, whether tremendous pain or not, should be a warning sign you are under a lot of stress. Prolonged stress can result in muscle tension changes, making you feel stiff, achy and painful in the neck or shoulders.
Hormone production also changes with stress. Hormones also make muscles tense up, which can cause a loss of motion, pain and irritate nerves. One may feel pain in the shoulders, neck, upper back and even radiating out to the upper arms.
Most people who are under a great deal of stress complain about having neck and shoulder pain. The most intense pain usually lies directly in the back and upper sides of the neck. The pain then radiates into the shoulder area.
Real Relief
Limit Your Screen Time
This includes both the usage of your laptop or desktop and your smartphone. Constantly looking downwards can strain your neck and shoulder muscles causing pain in the region. If you are at work and cannot limit the screens use, it is best to take small breaks every hour and stretch your neck and shoulder muscles while sitting. Stretching can ease the muscles and help you get rid of pain due to constantly looking in a certain direction.
Moreover, limit the use of your smartphone at home. When using a smartphone in a non-professional setting such as your home, make sure you dont hunch your back. Some of the tips that can help you manage neck and shoulder pain without straining your muscles while using a smartphone are
- Hold the phone at eye level,
- Hold your phone using your hands and avoid telephonic conversations with your phone between your ears and shoulders,
- Take short breaks while using your phone to stretch your neck and shoulder muscles.
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Other Options For Neck And Shoulder Tension
Yoga is an excellent activity to help release stress-related tension in your neck and shoulders. In fact, one study found that 9 weeks of yoga resulted in pain relief and functional improvements in people with neck pain.
There are also some other strategies you can use to help relieve or prevent tension in your neck. For instance you can:
- Apply a warm compress to the tight area.
- Spend a few minutes doing a self-massage.
- Soak in a warm tub, and add a few drops of aromatherapy oil for extra relaxation.
- Adjust your workstation, so your computer is at eye level to avoid neck strain.
- Check your posture while youre at your work desk keep your hips, shoulders, and ears in a straight line.
- Get up and move away from your workstation for a few minutes every hour.
- At night, use a pillow that offers good support for your neck, and is designed to keep your head and neck aligned.
Massage For Neck Pain Treatment
Dont we all love some massage from time to time?
Massaging your neck and the surrounding muscles can help scatter the fascia that has accumulated in your neck.
Massages also work to ease tensions in your neck and body.
You can also decide to perform cranial massages. It can also have a beneficial effect on your neck.
This is simply because your neck and head are intertwined.
You should consider performing a regular massage.
It can help to prevent the occurrence of neck pain in the first place.
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Don’t Skimp On Mobility Work
Moving throughout your body’s full range of motion decreases the chance of having soft tissue and joint tightness that can lead to pain. It also helps strengthen postural muscles that build up your resilience to symptoms when spending prolonged time sitting at a desk, says Joyce.
Try some dynamic movements such as bodyweight squats, arm circles, hip circles, neck rolls, and shoulder rolls.
Strengthening Exercises For Shoulder Pain
These are two examples of strengthening exercises that help prevent shoulder pain using little to no equipment.
- Fill a water bottle about ¾ full
- Keeping your arm straight, hold the bottle in front of you at shoulder height for 30 to 60 seconds
- Switch arms, doing this 3 times on each side
- Lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides. Put a pillow under your forehead if you need to
- Gently bring your shoulder blades together and toward your feet
- Relax your shoulders about halfway down and hold for 10 seconds
- Release your shoulders and repeat the exercise 10 times
You can also prevent neck and shoulder pain by working on your posture.
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How To Get Rid Of Stiff Neck In Less Than 90 Seconds
Living with Neck Pain in Santa Maria is terrible! We know, because we see hundreds of patients here on the central coast every month with just this issue!
Working on computers and staring down at our smartphones for hours each day has left over 20% of us experiencing neck pain over the past few months. A stiff neck is usually the result of postural issues that have tired the neck muscles over time. Weakened, or unbalanced, muscle strength can place additional stress on your spinal joints and lead to changes in how you move, extra pressure on your discs, and pain.
Why it Matters:
If you are looking down at your digital devices all day every day, the stress can add up and result in your neck not moving correctly. At this point, it’s only a matter of time before you wake up with a stiff neck or turn your head during the day and are greeted by an intense muscle discomfort or pain.
Here are our 3 smart tips for getting rid of that stiff neck:
- Perform exercises each day to stretch and strengthen the muscles that support your neck.
- Sleep on a supportive pillow to keep your head in a neutral position throughout the night.
- Visit your chiropractor regularly for gentle adjustments to restore the proper motion of your neck
- and spine.
- Next Steps:
- Science Source:
- Do You Have a Stiff Neck? Try These Simple Remedies. Cleveland Clinic. 2015.
Exercises For A Trapped Nerve In The Neck
A physical therapist can demonstrate the best pinched nerve stretches for your symptoms.
Mild pain, however, may be relieved with gentle exercises. These moves focus on stretching neck muscles and alleviating pressure on the nerve.
To prevent further nerve damage, do these exercises slowly. You can perform them while sitting down or standing up.
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Easy Tips To Relieve Stress
Stress affects the body in a variety of ways,from mood swings and headaches to weight fluctuations. However, an often overlookedside effect of stress is neck and back pain. Over time, repetitive bouts ofstress can cause musculoskeletal issues in these regions of the body.
When we get stressed out, the body naturally releases certainhormones. Adrenaline is associated with the ancient fight or flight phenomenonthat heightens our blood pressure, increases our blood supply, and causes themuscles around our spine to tense and spasm in case we need to flee the sourceof the stress. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone it interferes with avariety of functions. Elevations in cortisol can lead to loss of muscle massand increases in fat accumulation.
“Stress affects the body in a variety of ways, from mood swings and headaches to weight fluctuations. However, an often-overlooked side effect of stress is neck and back pain. Over time, repetitive bouts of stress can cause musculoskeletal issues in these regions of the body.”
Kavita Trivedi, D.O.
Data suggest that adults know stress affects their spines. Online survey participants ranked the No. 1 perceived cause of their neck and back pain as follows:
- Stress: 29 percent
- Spinal disc herniation: 21 percent
- Sitting at a desk at work: 20 percent
Take Care When You Sleep
Dr. Bang says if your neck is bothering you, you also should pay attention to your sleep positions. Sleep only on your side or on your back never on your stomach, he says.
When you sleep on your stomach, often you will end up twisting your head one way or the other for hours at a time, Dr. Bang says. Sleeping on your stomach also can affect your low back because your belly sinks in to the bed if you dont have enough support.
For minor, common causes of neck pain, try these simple remedies:
- Apply heat or ice to the painful area. Use ice for the first 48 to 72 hours, then use heat after that. Heat may be applied with warm showers, hot compresses or a heating pad. Be sure not to fall asleep with a heating pad or ice bag in place to avoid skin injuries.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
- Keep moving, but avoid jerking or painful activities. This helps calm your symptoms and reduce inflammation.
- Do slow range-of-motion exercises, up and down, side to side, and from ear to ear. This helps to gently stretch the neck muscles.
- Have a partner gently massage the sore or painful areas.
- Try sleeping on a firm mattress without a pillow or with a special neck pillow.
- Ask your health care provider about using a soft neck collar to relieve discomfort. Dont use the collar for a long time. Doing so can make your neck muscles weaker.
If the pain gets in the way of your daily activities, Dr. Bang says to call your doctor.
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