The neck is a very complicated part of your body and has a fantastic combination of mobility, function, and strength. It is also called the cervical spine. Also, it is a flexible link that connects the head to the rest of the body. One of the neck's primary functions is to balance and support the head while giving it various directions of movement.
The neck is a complicated component of the body, composed of seven cervical vertebrae connected by a sequence of joints, spinal ligaments, nerves, discs, muscles, and blood vessels. The central nervous system (CNS) is within the spinal column. The cervical spine is responsible for protecting the brainstem as it exits from your skull base and connects into the spinal cord below.
However, since your neck is a very flexible region of the spine, it is also highly susceptible to wear, tear, and injury that can cause neck pain. If you experience neck pain, it would also be a real challenge to troubleshoot due to the neck’s complexity.
Anyone can deal with neck pain by staying active and being mindful of normal daily activities. By doing so, you can limit the impact of pain on your life. Improve the way you do certain daily activities to reduce the risk of aggravating your irritated and tender tissues.
It means you don't have to stop what you usually do to prevent neck pain. We recommend that you find ways of making things less strenuous to your spine, neck, and overall health. We can find solutions to ease our discomfort and prevent neck pain from occurring. Let's take a look at some of these regular daily routines that need improvement:
Sitting for prolonged periods in front of the computer screen can put a toll on your overall health and even give you back pain. Therefore, you must set up your workstation correctly with ergonomics in mind. The several factors that need your attention:
Most people who suffer from neck pain find that sleeping on their back or side gives them the most comfortable, restful night of sleep. However, sleeping on your stomach can be incredibly demanding on the tissues of the neck. If your head is turned maximally to one side or the other for several hours at a time, it can put stress on the neck.
Therefore, those who sleep on their back must choose a pillow that correctly supports the neck's natural curve. Some pillows are available, which have an indentation built in to cradle the head optimally. Side sleepers can also choose a not too high or too thin pillow, with enough cushions to keep the neck in a neutral and relaxed position.
When you drive your car, try adjusting your seat position, playing around moving a little closer or a little further away from the steering wheel. Find the most comfortable sleeping position possible. Also, try to change the angle of your backrest. Then, using a small pillow or support behind the lower back (the lumbar spine) can be very beneficial. Further, pay close attention to your head position too. Try to keep the back part of your head in close contact with the headrest behind you. Doing this will relieve stress on your neck, spine, and shoulder blades.
If you will take longer drives, take regular breaks every several hours. Then get out of the car and stretch your legs, arms, and back.
When you regularly stare down at your phone or tablet for prolonged periods, it can put a tremendous amount of pressure on your neck as it strains to support your head at an awkward angle. Instead of looking down on your phone, hold it up at eye level or use a stand for your phone to hold it at eye level for you.
Playing your sports activities is usually ok so long as you are fit enough to do so. You will need to temporarily decrease the intensity of your sports to let your body recover and rest. Also, if you are making certain moves that you don’t feel 100% comfortable with, try to minimize those moves or find better ways of doing it. Generally speaking, staying active is great. Please do not push your body beyond its limits, unless you are going for a medal in the Olympics. Try cross-training instead so that you can let other parts of the body rest. Then you can focus on other functions where you want to strengthen or improve.
It would seem like a harmless activity, right? Whenever you carry bags of groceries, or anything really, always be mindful of how you move them. Do your best to distribute equal weight on both sides of your body. It is also something to consider whenever you carry a purse, heavy bag, or messenger-style bag over one side of your shoulders frequently.
Therefore, you must start paying attention during these routines to help you identify any bad habits you might be doing regularly. Correcting these mistakes will have less intense or less frequent neck pain cases from occurring to you.
It is usually easy to find much short-term care for neck pain. It would include taking pain-relieving medication and applying a heat pack. Unfortunately, these only work on the symptoms and have a temporary effect. Unless the underlying neck pain problem gets addressed, there can be no long-term pain relief.
Upper cervical chiropractic keeps the upper cervical spine aligned and taken care of properly. Upper cervical chiropractors know the complexity of the neck. Thus, they also focus on one part of the neck that is most complicated to handle. The atlas vertebra is the most flexible and has the most impact on how the neck functions and feels. The atlas bone is uniquely shaped, very different from the other vertebra of the spine. It has a critical responsibility – it supports the head's weight and allows it a remarkable variety of movement.
As a result of this high flexibility, the atlas is also very susceptible to becoming misaligned due to the following reasons:
When the atlas moves out of its normal position, the rest of the upper cervical spine is forced into a stressed position to compensate for the head's weight being carried in an irregular situation.
The upper cervical chiropractic method seeks to restore normal atlas alignment because misalignment can cause various health problems. Correcting the misalignment often results in returning health to its regular settings. It is often the solution to the underlying cause of various chronic neck problems.
Would you like to find the nearest upper cervical chiropractor in your region today?
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.