Your Neck Pain: How To Cope
Neck pain, over time, can become incredibly frustrating and painful. Dealing with that kind of pain most days can give you a hopeless feeling if you can't think of anything to soothe it other than pain medication. Luckily, some actions and changes--like those below--could have a positive effect on your neck.
Seek Official Diagnosis
Of course, stopping at a doctor's office or chiropractor's office is the first action to take. Cervical herniated discs or cervical arthritis could be real diagnoses and conditions that could be contributing to the pain. If those underlying issues are treated, for instance with manipulation sessions by a chiropractor, you might feel better.
Notice Neck Positions
Another thing which could help is to pay closer attention to what your neck is doing all day long. If you're always looking down at your phone or your neck is stuck in one position looking at computer screens or the road as you drive, you may have found the source of your pain problems. By simply remaining aware of the stress you're putting your neck through every day, you can change neck positions more often. That might ease some pain.
Sleep With Pillows
If your daytime activities aren't the problem, it could be your nighttime sleeping arrangements. If the pain is worse upon waking, it's possible that you're neck and spine aren't in alignment because you're sleeping in a way that makes such alignment impossible. For instance, if you're sleeping without a pillow at night and sleep on one of your sides, your head is laying in such a way that neck pain is almost inevitable. Care for yourself by sleeping with at least one or two pillows at night. This will raise your head enough to ensure the neck isn't under so much pressure.
Eat Better
It's unusual to think of the ways your diet affects your neck muscles, but the truth is that diet is related to physical ailments. If you're having a lot of pasta, bread, and notoriously inflammatory carbohydrates, you could be inflaming your entire system. As a result, your neck and other muscles throughout your body may simply ache until you make better dietary choices.
With all these ideas, you can better handle your neck pain. You may wish to consult a chiropractor, such as those found at Gerleman Chiropractic Office, in town for a more detailed plan of treatment to treat your chronic neck pain.