Welcome to our new blog series, The Road to Recovery. This week’s road to recovery is focused on neck pain treatment, and how to overcome the causes of neck pain. Unfortunately, neck pain is just about as common as back pain, which are mainly caused by sedentary lifestyles. But, the good news is that there are several options for neck pain treatment.
Human beings are meant to move. Our bodies are machines that adapt to our surroundings, which used to be mainly outdoors. In the wild, we would regularly walk miles per day hunting, gathering, and fighting to survive. Our positions changed from deep squats, to standing, to crawling as we accomplished whatever we needed to do. As our civilization progressed, we’ve been spending less time outside moving, and more time indoors, usually sitting. Until our bodies change to accommodate these relatively new conditions, we need to make sure that we take care of our bodies, or be subject to pain.
What’s Causing My Neck Pain?
We live in a heavily internally rotated society, our shoulders round forward (internal rotation), chest falls down and we stay there for many hours during the day. Think about it, we are internally rotated when sitting at a computer, when we’re driving, texting, and at home watching television. The perfect recipe for neck pain.
What Should I Do for Neck Pain Treatment?
We tend to only become aware of our positions when they have already caused damage to our internal structures causing pain. The first step in prevention/recovery is to become aware. The next is to learn proper positioning, especially when seated because this is where we tend to spend most of our time. When seated, try to sit-up up tall with your shoulders over your hips, ears over shoulders, and semi-relaxed. Use the two hand rule to rate your posture. Try this the next time you are seated:
- Take one thumb and put in on your sternum with your fingers splayed and palm facing down.
- Your second hand also has fingers splayed out but your palms are facing up and your thumb is on your pubic bone.
This simple test creates two parallel lines that you can use to check your posture and can be repeated while lying down, sitting, or when you are exercising to make sure your spine is neutral.
That will take care of posture. But what if you already have neck pain? Try these stretches.
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Is your neck pain getting worse? Schedule an Appointment Today!
If you have any questions, or want a consultation with a professional, feel free to call, or schedule an appointment online at any of our Bergen County or Passaic County offices in New Jersey. Choose from Glen Rock, Franklin Lakes, Fair Lawn, Ho-ho-kus/Ridgewood, and/or Clifton – we make it possible for you to visit any of our offices at your convenience.
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Finally, and perhaps most importantly – move more. You need to change your positions throughout the day. This can be standing, tall kneeling, half kneeling, or going for a walk. The main cause of problem is sitting, but simply standing all the time is not the solution. The truth is – Any position you are in too much will cause imbalances.
Move more, and feel better.
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