Preventing Neck Discomfort
- Posted on: Sep 21 2017
How many times have you been awoken from your slumber and feel a snag in your neck, the type of snag that last all day. These days it has become common for people to jerk their necks from side to side and to wriggle their shoulders up and down frequently throughout the day, trying in vain to release built up the pressure. The neck is prone to injury because its frame is relatively small in proportion to the load it supports and its muscles and ligaments are just not incredibly strong by nature. The fact that the neck and low back have no anterior support also lends itself to injury and deterioration in time.
The neck can easily be twisted during any sudden impact or traffic accident, or if the muscles and ligaments around the neck have extensively weakened due to overwork, poor nutrition or chronically holding the wrong posture. More than 90 percent of shoulder pain, however, is caused not by the shoulder itself but by a problem in the neck or organs like the lungs, heart and diaphragm. As each of the seven vertebrae in the cervical spine corresponds to a set of nerves, which serve a specific part of the body, the type of pain caused by a twisted bone or herniated neck disc can vary widely in intensity and location. Degeneration of cervical bones (from the top) number 1 or 2 can cause headaches or migraines as well as misty, watery eyes. If there is a problem with bones number 3 or 4, a sore neck, headaches or shoulder pain will most likely be experienced. If bones number 5, or 6 are not functioning properly, shoulder pain and sometimes arm or thumb soreness will be felt.
According to Oriental medicine; treatment involves returning any dislocated bones to their original spots and relieving pressure on pinched blood vessels by loosening stiffened areas, slackening muscles and reinforcing ligaments. This can be achieved through acupuncture, or taking Chinese herbal medicine. Here at AOSMI we specialize in Healing, Maintenance, and
Prevention.
Here are some suggestions to help aid in preventing discomfort:
- Never turn your head too much to one side
- Try not to read newspapers or books with your head down for long periods
of time - Never sleep lying on your belly
- Use a thin pillow. High pillows wreak havoc on the cervix
- Do not jerk or turn your neck suddenly
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Tagged with: Neck, Spine Health
Posted in: Evidence Based Medicine, Neck
