Just about everyone experiences neck muscle pain from time to time. For some people, the muscle aches and pains come about due to stress, sleeping in an awkward position, or poor posture. In other cases, the pain in the muscles of the neck is a symptom of something more serious. Fortunately, there are ways to obtain pain relief in any of these situations.
For people who suffer with occasional neck muscle pain, it is a good idea to check your posture. The pain may be due to slumping over a computer screen at work all day, or failing to hold your shoulders and neck correctly when you walk. Poor posture puts additional pressure on the muscles of the neck. Eliminate your pain by purchasing a discreet brace that will help you maintain good posture. Over time, your posture will become second nature and you will no longer need the brace. In the interim, you will find your bouts with muscle pain in your neck begin to come less frequently.
Dealing with minor neck muscle pain in the here and now can often be managed by using various methods to relieve stress and allow tight muscles to loosen up. Try taking a hot shower, allowing a steady stream of hot water to flow over your neck and shoulders. If you have a massage setting on the shower head, use it to gently bombard your sore neck and bring about some relief. A relaxing massage can also do wonders for tense neck muscles. If nothing else, try applying heat to the neck while you recline on the sofa. Deep heating rubs accompanied by hot cloths can often ease the pain in just a few minutes.
When there is an underlying health issue causing the neck muscle pain, the treatments often must be more aggressive. Obtain the services of a physical therapist and develop a series of stretching exercises that will ease the pain without causing any damage to your neck and shoulder muscles. The therapist may even recommend basic strength training exercises several times a week as part of the pain management regimen. Traction may also help to relieve pain for extended periods. There is also a good chance your doctor can recommend over-the-counter or prescription medication that will provide you with some relief from constant neck and back pain.
In situations that are especially dire, it may be necessary to undergo a surgical procedure in order to relieve neck muscle pain. This treatment option should only be considered if other less invasive methods have been explored in detail and are judged by your doctor to not be adequate for your condition. Physicians rarely recommend surgery unless there is some sort of compression on nerve roots that cannot be alleviated in any other manner.
If your neck muscle pain only occurs infrequently, it is probably not due to any long term health issue. However, if you find yourself enduring bouts of pain several times a week, make it a point to consult your doctor. A quick examination will determine if the origin of the neck muscle pain is due to factors you can control with relative ease or if the root cause is something requiring aggressive pain treatment methods. In either case, there is an excellent chance you can be free of the pain in a short period of time.
By Malcolm Tatum