Here are the symptoms, causes, and ways to prevent neck pain
It is common for people to complain about neck pain but many may not understand its causes, symptoms, and ways to prevent this condition.
This condition rarely becomes a symptom of a more serious problem, however, you should consult a doctor once you feel numbness or loss of strength in your arms or hands or if you have shooting pain into your shoulder or down your arm, according to the article from Mayo clinic. It could mean that what you are feeling is not simply a neck pain.
Mainly, the neck is the one that supports the weight of your head. This way, it becomes vulnerable to injuries. Here are the causes:
Muscle strains can be one cause of neck pain when you spend a long time hunching over a computer or smartphone. You can also strain your neck muscles by reading in bed or gritting your teeth.
You can also feel the pain in your neck once the joints wear down with age. It is the same as what is happening in other joints of your body. This part of your body could also experience Osteoarthritis.
Nerve compression happens when herniated disks or bone spurs in the vertebrae of your neck presses on the nerves branching out from the spinal cord. This could cause neck pain.
You can also have this condition through injuries and this happened when the head is jerked backward and then forward, straining the soft tissues of the neck during a rear-end auto collision.
In some instances, certain diseases can be a cause of this such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis or cancer.
Here are the symptoms:
- Pain that’s often worsened by holding your head in one place for long periods, such as when driving or working at a computer
- Muscle tightness and spasms
- Decreased ability to move your head
- Headache
Based on the article, when these symptoms below occur, you should consult a doctor immediately:
- severe
- Persists for several days without relief
- Spreads down arms or legs
- accompanied by headache, numbness, weakness or tingling
Here are the ways you can prevent neck pain:
Always use good posture when you are standing and sitting. Make sure that your shoulders are in a straight line over your hips and your ears are directly over your shoulders.
If you travel long distances or work long hours at your computer take frequent breaks. Take time to get up, move around and stretch your neck and shoulders.
When working, adjust your desk, chair, and computer. Make sure that the monitor is at eye level. Your knees should be slightly lower than your hips when you are sitting. Using the chair’s armrests can help also.
If you are having a phone conversation, avoid tucking the gadget between your ear and shoulder. In this instance when you can’t hold the phone, use a headset or speakerphone.
Quit smoking because it can put you at higher risk of developing neck pain.
You should also avoid carrying heavy bags with straps over your shoulder for the weight can strain your neck muscles.
Make sure to sleep in a good position. In order to achieve this, your head and neck should be aligned with your body. You can also use a small pillow under your neck. Another option is to sleep on your back with your thighs elevated on pillows. This will flatten your spinal muscles, according to the article.
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