Neck pain is probably one of the most common complaints I hear from not only patients but from EVERYONE. At some point in your life it’s almost inevitable that you’ll have a pain in the neck….and I don’t mean that annoying boss or neighbor! In this age of cell phones, laptops and tablets people are holding their heads in a position that never really happened for thousands of years. If you had been looking DOWN as much as we now do back in the stone age, civilization would have ceased to exist because we all never would have seen that predator coming!
So here’s the “science”….(we’re hearing that phrase a lot lately) behind MOST pain in the neck. Believe it or not your head weighs about the same as a bowling ball!! The bones at the top of your spine, along with your muscles and ligaments, support your head. A recent study published in the journal ‘Surgical Technology International’ showed that when you are standing or sitting straight your head weighs 10 to 12 lbs. on average. But if you lean 15 degrees forward, the head weight is more like 27 lbs!! No wonder neck pain is in epidemic numbers.
Most neck pain is benign and if you put the phone down for a few days will improve. Some other causes are sleeping in an odd position or plain old muscle spasm from bad posture or a sudden injury like a fall or whiplash. More serious causes of neck pain can be osteoarthritis, pinched nerves from herniated or bulging discs, malplacement of vertebrae called spondylosis and narrowing of the spinal canal called spinal stenosis. If you are experiencing neck pain, numbness or tingling that radiates down your shoulder and arm you should see your physician for additional testing like and MRI or CT scan in addition to x-rays. Some of these problems will improve with rest and sometimes physical therapy. More severe cases may require an injection called an epidural and very seriouls cases occasionally need surgery to stabilize the problem area.
A good friend of mine WAS diagnosed with both arthritic changes and severe narrowing of the spaces between the neck vertebrae. She had pain , severely reduced range of motion and pain that radiated down one arm. Courses of steroids and oral pain meds to reduce inflammation really didn’t help and she was left with trying epidural injections (shots into the narrow space between vertebrae). Sometimes pain relief is short term. Other times the benefits continue for some time. They’re also not 100% safe. In rare instances you can have allergic reactions and even paralysis. So we didn’t do that. We tried something INSTEAD. The Neck Hammock.
Yes…..the Neck Hammock……As Seen on TV…..and guess what?….IT WORKS!! Her pain had been a 10+ for months. Almost IMMEDIATELY she had some relief! She described the improvement as increased range of motion back and forth and a feeling of “cool air injected between her vertebrae”. Pain went down to about a 5 out of 10 and some days even better as long as she uses the Neck Hammock once or twice a day. What it does is provide simple traction (a pulling on the head to open up the vertebral spaces) that YOU control by your body position. Is there any danger to it? In most cases no, but if you have symptoms of a “pinched nerve” get the ok from your doctor first. You can order your Neck Hammock here. There are TONS of “fakes” out there that are really garbage. Go for the REAL Neck Hammock . It’ll be the best $50 you’ll ever spend and feels amazing even if you just have a mild neck spasm or headache.
Now the Neck Hammock works great but if you REALLY want to get rid of that Pain In The Neck make sure you cover all bases in your treatment. If you have a pool, swimming is excellent for restoring range of motion because your head doesn’t weigh as much in water. Massage is excellent as well as warm compresses. VERY importantly STOP LOOKING DOWN AT YOUR PHONE!! …or laptop…..try and put them down for awhile or at least raise them up! Your pillow is very important too. Try and sleep with your spine in a normal position. If you’re a “back” or “side” sleeper this shows the best positions.
There are literally HUNDREDS of pillows out there for you to try in different shapes and materials. The MY PILLOW, cervical S-shaped, memory foam…..on and on. The one my patient finally found to work the best is The Water Pillow by Mediflow Original Waterbase Pillow. It’s an interesting combination of a water pillow base with a normal overlying pillow. You can vary the firmness depending on how much water you add! Very clever and effective design for both back and side sleepers.
So there you have it. Hopefully this will help you get rid of that Pain In The Neck in your life! If not….I have a good lawyer for you!