Cervical spine which gives support to head and range of motion to the neck is also susceptible to injury and pain. A common neck pain problem can be cause by any abnormal movement or position of the cervical spine.
Muscle strains can change the neck anatomy leading to pain. Hunching over the steering wheel while driving a car, leaning on to the computer screen for hours or sleeping in an awkward position can all give rise to muscle strain and neck pain.
Neck pain is not life threatening, but it can make your life miserable. You can use may simple yet powerful home remedies to stay away from the misery of neck pain.Any strain on ligaments, tendon or muscles can give you neck pain.
All minor strains can heal itself with in a couple of days without any effort. However, some of these pains become chronic requiring attention.
Home Remedies for Quick and Sustainable Neck Pain Relief
Wrong postures of standing, sitting and sleeping all can lead to neck pain as well as lower back pain. Correcting the posture problems will not only eliminate the neck pain but will also avoid recurrences.
1. Change Your Pillow
If you have neck pain in the mornings then it is your sleeping posture that is responsible. Your Pillow is either to thick or too thin, too soft or too hard or you are not using the pillow at all. You have to try various different pillows before deciding the pillow that suits you.
2. Hot and Cold Compress
Alternate hot and cold compress will give immediate relief. Start with keeping ice pack on the affected pain area of the neck for 5 minutes.
You can wrap the ice in a towel and dab it on the strained area or you can use commercial ice packs. Keep it for 3-5 minutes and then use a hot water bottle for the same time.
Repeat the process 5-6 times to cover the total time span of 30 minutes. This will give you instant relief from neck pain.
Do this 3 times a day for a couple of days. Your chronic neck pain should disappear. If not then check with your doctor, there may be a nerve that may be getting pinched by cervical spondylosis.
3. Neck exercises
You can do simple exercises to relieve your neck pain. Stand straight or sit straight on a chair and slowly roll your neck clockwise and anticlockwise for 5 minutes.
Then Keeping your head and spine straight in one position slowly roll your shoulders in the same way for 5 minutes.
After completing the above exercise follow the head tilting exercise. Tilt your head backward in a straight sitting or standing position, then slowly coming back to normal to tilt in front. Similarly tilt your head right and left. Do this also for 5 minutes.
Within the span of 15 minutes of these simple exercises you will feel neck pain relief.
Make this neck exercise a regular habit every day morning to avoid future episodes of neck pain.
You can take over the counter pain relievers, but if the above remedies solves your neck pain problems why would you like to consume painkillers which have side effects particularly on your stomach.