Say goodbye to neck pain
Are you a neck pain sufferer? If you are somebody who suffers with neck pain on a daily basis, you are not alone! Millions of people suffer with neck pain, unbeknown to them that a lot of it is self curable, and conquered in the comforts of your own home or office.
Here are my top 9 things to consider when combating neck pain!
1. Make sure your computer is set up properly
Do you work 5 days a week for 8 hours a day? If that is you let me share with you a few figures. In total that is 40 hours a week, 173.2 hours a month and 7,101.2 hours sat at a desk, laptop or phone. That is an awful long time, so it is worth checking your office set up. You may have this facility at work however if you don't... do not fear. I will be posting on "how to set up your desk" in the coming weeks.
2. Try a new pillow or sleeping position
When people come in for a sports massage I often talk about pillows. If you love your bed as much as I do, you will sleep 7-8 hours a night! That is a long time if your neck is in a poor position. The correct pillow varies from person to person so play around with this until you feel your head is in a 'neutral' position.
3. Get your eyes and sinuses tested
Can you see the specials board at a restaurant? Do you squint your eyes to read registration plates? If you do, it isn't just increasing those crows feet lines, it can be affecting the muscles around your face and neck whilst putting your head forwards in a very unnatural position.
4. Make sure you are maintaining correct posture
There are two ways your posture can leave you in a pretty bad way. Poor posture can cause severe neck pain, lower back pain and very drawn forwards shoulders. Trying too hard to maintain extremely good posture can make a back extremely stiff with poor mobility. Understanding what good posture is and how to maintain it is everything.
Think... Core tight, shoulders back, look up!
5. Scrap your phone
This will be ignored, I would bet on it! For both your mental and physical wellness ditching the phone is one of my top tips. We all need our phones to work, me so more than anybody. However phones are a huge cause of neck pain. No-one appreciates the weird and wonderful positions they are in when concentrating on a phone. It does cause a lot of neck pain and can be avoided by putting the phone away. OR for those people completely phone obsessed, try raising it to your eye level, keeping your head in a 'neutral' position rather than looking down.
6. Are your shoulders the problem?
Shoulder stability is key in providing your neck a happy home to live on. Good posture and position of the shoulders prevents excess stress on the neck. This "correct" posture that we all talk about is often maintained by strong core and back muscles.
7. Anxiety.. stress.... headaches and a clicking Jaw
Mental health is a taboo subject that luckily has become a talking point within society today. Any stress, both physical and mental can cause depression, anxiety and tension. This can result in a lot of tension around the face, jaw and neck. Headaches, migraines, clicking jaws and neck pain are all symptoms that could mean you are stressed out.
8. Are you having treatment?
Sports massage is a valuable tool used to help both mental and physical stresses that cause neck pain. A sports therapists ability to figure out why you are experiencing neck pain and how to relieve it alongside having your sports massage is a valuable thing to look out for when looking for a sports therapist in your area.
Sports massage will help with acute and chronic neck pain. However a lot of why you are experiencing pain is due to everyday life stresses and patterns. Exercise and awareness can make a huge impact, and it should be down to your sports therapist to figure out what that is.
9. Follow my favourite neck and shoulder exercises.
Over the next few weeks there will be a number of exercises for both the neck and shoulders posted on instagram. This is to help all clients and followers with their neck pain in-between sports massages and exercise.
