Is your back and neck pain so severe that you have to spend most of your time lying on your bed? Is this pain the reason for your sleepless nights?
There are various causes of this kind of pain, including herniated disc, degenerated vertebrae, a strained muscle, stenosis of the spine, and many other injuries.
Back Pain
The root cause of back pain is unknown in 85% of cases. Sometimes even modern medicine and magnetic resonance can’t give the real diagnosis. If it lasts for a month, it is acute back pain, but if it lasts longer it becomes chronic. In most cases, there are no treatments or cures for back pain. However, chronic back pain requires more testing and treatment. You have probably felt stiffness or pain in your neck and back at a certain point in your life, especially if you’re an adult. The neck feels weaker, your head heavier, and your muscles cramped. Factors that further worsen the pain are folded back, bad posture, and heavy loads to carry. Too many physical strains and aging lead to arthritis as well. All this can cause further difficulties in doing light workouts, reading in bed, and even sleeping.Tips for a Healthy Back
- Sitting for longer periods weakens the waist muscles. If you can’t avoid this, stand up and do some stretches or just move around for around ten minutes, every hour;
- Do stretches and exercises that target the back muscles. Don’t forget to relax while doing the stretches;
- An old mattress can either cause or contribute to your pain. The reason is that overused mattresses older than 5 years are often deformed;
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach as this might further worsen your neck and back pain;
- Try spending at least 30 minutes walking or running every day. Another good activity is hiking;
- Avoid lifting and carrying heavy items. Heavy bags damage the joints and spine, sometimes causing even injuries;
- If you have a baby or an infant, crouch and lift the child slowly using your thigh muscles, and not the muscles on your back;
- Always bend your knees when carrying bags, babies, or when doing other standing activities like brushing the teeth.
Transferred Back Pain to the Neck is Dangerous
Shoulder joints are delicate. Their flexibility and size lead to many movements. However, it also causes a higher risk of damage. Your shoulder sourness can be caused by:- Stretching;
- Unstable joints;
- Fracture of the bone on the hand;
- Dislocation injury;
- Stiff shoulder.
Why the Back Pain Spreads to the Neck
If your neck pain lasts less than 12 weeks, it’s acute, but if it lasts longer is chronic. The main reasons why your back pain has transferred to your neck are: stretched or damaged neck structures (muscle, ligament, and tendon), over-stretching, cramps, bad sitting and standing posture, lack of physical activities, a lot of stress, bad sleeping position, sitting for a longer period, etc.Alleviate the Pain in the Comforts of Your Own Home
- Apply cold and hot compress in the affected areas, every 2 to 3 hours. This will reduce your pain at least temporarily;
- Do exercises that are supposed to reduce your pain on a daily basis. Prevent a stiff neck by moving your neck muscles as often as possible. Some neck exercises are really helpful for eliminating chronic pain;
- Massages relax the muscles. If you can’t afford a professional massage, ask someone to massage your neck and back, or do a self-massage;
- Change the pillow or the sleep position. Everyone needs to change their pillow once in a while. The high and firm pillows get fixed and cause neck stiffness. Memory foam pillow adapts to your neck and head, so either tries sleeping on such pillow, or on a feather one which is very soft. Prevent your spine from curving when sleeping on a side, by using a comfortable pillow higher than the head area. Don’t forget to bring a travel pillow with you when going on a long trip;
- One of the major reasons for health problems nowadays is stress. Try to reduce it with the help of yoga, meditation, etc.
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