Nuala Woulfe Beauty

6 ways to ease neck pain

Everyday life is not always  kind to the neck.Forward head posture is when your head is habitually forward of your shoulder. In this position, your head is much more difficult to hold as it seems many times heavier than it really is. To compensate, your upper back leans backwards. This in turn forces your hips forward while your knees lock out and your calves tighten up to try keep you standing at all.

In this piece I am just going to focus on the impact forward head posture can have in your upper body, specifically your neck, shoulders and head area. The first area we will have a look at is the skeleton and the impact on your cervical vertebra. With the head pulled forward, the space between the vertebra to the front opens up while to the back it reduces. The vertebra begin to compress the discs and cause friction on each other. You end up with bulging or herniated discs, osteo-arthritis and other issues. Sometimes a vertebra may be pulled to one side or another or slightly rotated, putting pressure on the nerves in the area.
There are many blood and lymph vessels and nerves traveling up each side of your neck. When your head moves forward these vessels and nerves become overstretched and can also become compressed by surrounding muscles and fascia. This causes all sorts of problems from dizziness due to lack of blood flow, to nerve pain in the head and face, thoracic outlet syndrome (pain, numbness, tingling through the chest and arm), carpal tunnel syndrome (pain, numbness, tingling, loss of power into the hand) and more.

Headaches and neck pain are common as muscles go into spasm. Some muscles become habitually short and tight and others become overstretched and weak. These weak muscles can go into spasm causing problems. The strong ones can develop trigger points and refer pain from these. Areas of tissue can become ischemic or lacking in blood flow, meaning the area is not getting any fresh nutrients and oxygen or getting rid of waste and is unable to respond to exercises. TMJ (temporal-mandibular joint/jaw) problems are also likely to occur, especially where there is a history of clenching, grinding or damage to the area.

There are a number of things you can do to help yourself. Stretching specific muscles while strengthening other muscles is essential. You should get assessed so you can learn your own pattern of tightness. While many people may have forward head posture, there are many variances to it that are unique to individuals. You may have an old injury or surgery that is adding to it. You may have a tendency to turn your head slightly. You may have one shoulder raised and the other depressed. If this is ignored or not understood, the exercises you choose to do may be the wrong ones for you and be doing you more harm than good. An experienced massage therapist or physical therapist will be able to assess you and guide you.
Awareness is key to changing anything that is habitual. Once you are aware of your own pattern you can do the correct exercises and you can also look to the tasks that you do on a day to day basis and the way you hold yourself to find better ways of doing all these things. You may find there is one specific thing that you do that is particularly habitual.  
Neck pain rarely starts overnight. It usually evolves over time. And it may be spurred by arthritis or degenerative disk disease and accentuated by poor posture, declining muscle strength, stress, and even a lack of sleep.

The following seven tips can help you take care of your neck.

1. Don’t stay in one position for too long. It’s hard to reverse bad posture, but if you get up and move around often enough, you’ll avoid getting your neck stuck in an unhealthy position.
2. Make some ergonomic adjustments. Position your computer monitor at eye level so you can see it easily. Use the hands-free function on your phone or wear a headset. Prop your touch-screen tablet on a pillow so that it sits at a 45° angle, instead of lying flat on your lap.
3. If you wear glasses, keep your prescription up to date.
4. Don’t use too many pillows. Sleeping with several pillows under your head can restrict your neck’s range of motion.
5. Know your limits. Before you move a heavy piece of furniture across the room, consider what it might do to your neck and back, and ask for help.
6. Get a good night’s sleep. Sleep problems increase the risk for several different conditions, including musculoskeletal pain.
7. Have regular massages to reduce muscular tension.

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