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Have you woken up with a stiff neck, began to get headaches after working at your computer, or had to reach for painkillers to ease your neck pain? If so, we have put together this blog which tells you how to cure neck pain fast! Why Do I Have Neck Pain?Neck pain can be caused by a number of things, but an increasingly common cause is people spending a lot of time staring down – whether that’s at a computer screen at work, driving, reading or looking at their smartphones. All these activities have the same effect, and day by day, certain muscles in your neck become weak, the neck becomes misaligned and it can feel stiff because it no longer moves freely. This stiffness also usually coincides with neck pain. Add on top of this potentially sleeping with your neck in a poor position, and you are creating lots of stress on the neck muscles which results in neck pain that won’t go away, and neck pain that keeps getting worse. Finally, there are specific trauma-related incidents such as car incidents, falls or sporting injuries that can cause neck pain which can trigger long term neck pain that lasts for months, or even years. How To Cure Neck Pain Fast Without PainkillersIf you want to know how to cure neck pain fast, the first thing to consider is the severity and nature of the neck pain. If you are experiencing neck pain which is extremely painful, you suffer from other symptoms such as loss of consciousness, pins and needles, numbness, weakness, or a cold arm, you should seek medical advice immediately rather than trying to self-treat or wait for any upcoming appointments that you may have. If you aren’t suffering with the above, then there are some simple, but effective home remedies to cure neck pain fast without painkillers. How To Cure Neck Pain Fast Using Ice And HeatA fast way to cure neck pain is to alternate using ice and heat. Ice works by lowering blood flow to the area which can reduce swelling and inflammation. Heat works by stimulating blood flow to the area. This strategy can be a really effective way to cure neck pain that is caused by a strained, or torn neck muscle. As general advice, we would recommend applying heat or ice for 20 minutes at a time, a few times a day. When using ice or heat packs, or even a bag of frozen peas ensure that the source of ice or heat is not directly touching your skin. How To Cure Neck Pain Fast Using StretchesAnother way to cure neck pain fast is to use certain stretches such as shoulder rolls, shoulder blade squeezes, and head rotations. However, the best stretches to do will depend on your specific neck injury so we would recommend speaking to our team who can create a tailored stretching plan for you, which enables you to cure neck pain fast and avoid it coming back in future. As general advice, the stretches should be very gentle and slow, avoid sudden movements and over-stretching which may cause more damage to the affected area which slows recovery and increases pain. How To Cure Neck Pain Fast By Avoiding Activities That Created The PainIn the short term, avoiding the specific activities that caused, or contributed to the problem can be a fast way to cure neck pain. This gives the affected area time to recover. How long to avoid specific activities, like heavy lifting, sports, and driving long distance will vary depending on the severity of your neck pain, but our team can ensure you recover much faster through a variety of solutions which may include massage, dry needling, stretching and exercises. With our holistic approach to your overall goal, our goal is to help you recover from neck injuries and re-introduce the activities – we don’t tell you to stop doing the things you love if they are the cause of the pain. Instead, we can work with you so that you can do the things you love, without having to suffer with the current consequences (neck pain in this scenario). How To Cure Neck Pain Fast By Better Sleeping Habits
Firstly, ensuring that you have a firm mattress means that your body, from your hips, shoulders and into your neck and head is in natural alignment. If you have a particularly soft mattress, this can contribute to neck pain because your body is resting in an unnatural position for a long time.
Finally, it is generally better to sleep on your back, or your side, compared to sleeping on your stomach. If you sleep on your stomach, it is likely that your neck will be twisted to one side, and being in this position for hours at a time over night can create a lot of stiffness and discomfort in the morning. How To Cure Neck Pain Fast By Good PostureThis is more of a preventative tip, but if poor posture is the reason for your neck pain, then improving how you walk, sit and move can cure neck pain fast. When you are sitting at your desk, driving, or on the sofa reading a book or watching TV, try to avoid slouching and periodically think about how you are positioned.  Is your head pushed forward? Are your shoulders slouched over? Are your hips, shoulders and head in alignment or are they uneven? (for example, is your right hip raised up, your left shoulder dropped and your neck leaning forward?) By correcting your posture, you can relieve pressure on overworked neck muscles which can contribute to neck pain that won’t go away. Another often overlooked cause of neck pain is carrying heavy items such as bags, children, or grandchildren on one side. Over time, this places much greater stress on one side of the body and to protect itself, your posture will change to help with the load. Unfortunately, this can be a cause of neck pain so try to switch the shoulder you carry your bag on, and which side you carry your children/grandchildren. How To Cure Neck Pain Fast Using MassageThe final tip we have to cure neck pain fast is to get massages regularly which can loosen and stretch tight and overworked neck muscles that are contributing to the regular neck pain you are suffering with. Massage also helps by increasing blood flow to the area, and is a great way to speed up the recovery time from a neck strain. It is important to seek professional help if you are suffering with neck pain – sure, it might be tempting to ask your partner to massage your neck and this might provide some short term relief, but as they are not trained in this area, it could actually make the neck pain and stiffness worse. Massage is an important part of the healing process at Blue Wave. When To Get Help To Cure Neck PainWith neck pain, you may find that without any help, pain gradually reduces within a few days and it may heal itself within a week or two.
However, if it doesn’t go away, the pain or stiffness gets worse, or the problem keeps returning, then it’s likely that you will need some expert help to cure neck pain. If you are in the “suffered with neck pain for weeks, and it’s not getting any better” group, then our team is here to help. At Blue Wave Physical Therapy & Wellness, we have worked with many patients that experience neck pain without resorting to strong painkillers or injections. To find out more, we offer complimentary Discovery Visit Consultations, where you can speak to a member of our team, ask any questions that you have, and find out what’s stopping you from getting the life you want. We also have free, downloadable reports for people with neck and shoulder pain where you can learn how to ease annoying, daily, irritating neck and shoulder pain naturally – before it gets any worse… Suffering with annoying knee pain when walking, finding it harder and harder to do the weekly shop, and missing out on weekend strolls around or festivals? Knee pain is an extremely common problem for people over 50, and we understand how frustrating it can be. A lot of patients visit our clinics after seeing their GP and being told to take painkillers and rest, or that it’s just something that they will have to live with as they age… But what if you don’t want to rely on painkillers, and you don’t want to miss out on spending quality time with your friends and family in your retirement because of nagging knee pain? That’s where we can help… In this blog article we will cover:
 The Most Common Causes of Knee Pain When Walking Knee pain when walking can be caused by many reasons, but generally the pain will fall into two categories:
Fast Knee Pain Relief There are some simple things you can do for fast knee pain relief that don’t involve reaching for the painkillers. When you are suffering with knee pain, especially stiffness, the application of heat can be incredibly beneficial – Use a heat pack to the affected knee for 15-20 minutes which should reduce stiffness, and will likely provide fast knee pain relief. If you are having sharp pain with each step or swelling in the joint, and ice pack to the front and/or back of the knee for 10 min should decrease pain. Another important thing to remember is that pain behind the knee when walking will be made worse, and occur more often if you go through long periods of inactivity – so an effective tip can be to keep active (during the day, and throughout the week). For example, try to avoid sitting for long periods of time each day and aim to move every hour if you find that knee pain and stiffness is a problem for you. If you feel like you need to increase your activity level, we recommend doing this gradually which will help avoid making the problem worse. Finally, there are a number of exercises which can be very powerful at reducing knee pain, and minimizing the severity and frequency in future… Quick And Easy At-Home Exercise If You Suffer With Knee Pain When Walking Watch Catherine demonstrate a quick and easy at-home exercise that you can do if you suffer with knee pain when walking. This exercise is very safe for people of all ages, and helps to stretch tight muscles, and loosen stiff joints which should reduce discomfort behind the knee.
If your condition or injury is relatively minor, then applying the advice of keeping active, and regularly exercising may be enough to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee, and avoid the knee becoming stiff and painless. However, if your condition or injury is more severe and the discomfort is getting worse, you may benefit from some more advanced pain relief techniques, and more specific exercise tailored to your individual needs… Start Your Journey To A Life Without Knee Pain If you realize that your knee pain is only getting worse, and you are missing out on creating treasured memories with your friends and family and you want expert help for your knee pain in the New Orleans area, take advantage of a FREE taster consultation today. A taster consultation is the first step to a happier, healthier and more active life so click the link below to arrange your Free Discovery Visit! |
We help active adults get back to exercising, feeling fit, and participating in the activities they love without medications, injections, or surgery.
Catherine Courtney, PTSpecialist Physical Therapist Categories
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February 2023
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