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The strain in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments (the soft tissues) in
and around the cervical spine or neck arises the neck and back pain.
Most of our day is spent in spinal flexion, texting, scrolling, sitting
at our desks, watching TV, and driving. The everyday activities leave
pressure or strain on the cervical spine.
You can consult a healthcare provider at
emeds regarding your neck and
back pain to know if you require some other treatment.
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Causes of Neck and Back pain
Sitting all day causes the muscles of our upper back to overstretch. The
opposing muscles of the chest get tight, leading to neck and upper back
pain. The poor posture and misuse, muscle strains, and excess sitting
cause neck muscles to become weak over time resulting in a stiff neck.
Some other factors like smoking, being overweight and heavy backpacks
and purses often cause back pain as well. The muscle strain and
resulting muscle spasm are mainly responsible for stiff neck and upper
back pain.
Effective ways to prevent neck and back pain
There can bevarious causes, but the critical point is to
relieve your neck and back pain. A few of your lifestyle changes
help to handle this problem. Check these natural pain-relieving
strategies and sort out what works best for you:
• Change your mattress
The key to fight neck and back pain is good and soundsleep. Good sleep
depends on how comfortable your bed and mattress is. Try to sleep on a
firm and a bit hard mattress. The old mattress may contribute to your
pain. Check your mattress by placing a yardstick across it. If there is
a crevice or dip in the mattress, you need to change it.
• Try a new Pillow
You may require to perform some trial and error to find out what is
causing you pain or the best solution. The type of pillow not only
affects your quality of sleep but is responsible for neck and back pain.
Try to use a pillow that keeps your cervical spine or neck in neutral
alignment. Check if your pillow supports and maintains the natural curve
of your neck. Try to use a feather pillow that conforms according to the
shape of the neck.
• Sleep On Your Back
The perfect position is to sleep on your back to let the entire spine
staying comfortable. If you tend to sleep on your side, use a pillow
higher under your neck than your head. This strategy is helpful to keep
your spine straight. Sleeping on your stomach may be a cause of your
back pain. It keeps the spine totally out of alignment.
• Rotate and bend your neck
Rotating and bending your neck will help relieve the neck pain. Try to
sit in a comfortable position and start tilting your head towards the
right side while looking forward. Wait in this posture for 10 seconds
and move your neck back to its position. Now move your neck
anticlockwise towards the left side and wait for another 10 seconds,
then move your neck back to the original position. Repeat the clockwise
and anticlockwise movements 3-4 times.
Bend your neck by dropping your chin down to your chest and hold it
there for 5 seconds. Then, return to a neutral position and allow your
head to gently fall back and hold it there for again 5 seconds. Repeat
the process 2-3 times.
• Chair Rotation
The chair rotation strategy involves sitting on a chair with your right
side resting against the back of the chair. Next, start moving your
torso to the right side and reach the backside of the chair. Stretch and
hold your body for 10 seconds. Repeat the same procedure while sitting
with your left side resting with the back of the chair. Repeat this
sitting rotation thrice for each side.
• Exercise or Stretching
Exercise is an effective way to stretch your back. It improves the
health of muscles and joints and enhances blood circulation throughout
your body. Exercise helps increase the flexibility of the spine.15
minutes of daily exercise keeps your neck muscles strong and strengthens
your back and shoulders. Try the strengthening and stretching exercises
such as:
a) Corner Stretch
Stand near the corner of the room and face the corner or a doorway. Try
to position both feet together, about 2 feet away from the corner.
Forearms should be on each wall with the elbows slightly below shoulder
height. Try leaning forward until a good stretch is felt across the
chest and shoulders. Hold the stretch for around 30-60 seconds and
repeat 3-5 times.
b) Head-Chest Stretch
Head-chest stretch help ease upper back pain. Sit comfortably and
interlock your fingers, bend your elbows, and raise your arms above your
head. Try to compress your shoulder blades together and move your elbows
and hands backwards. Hold the stretch for 30-40 seconds. Repeat the
head-chest stretch 2-3 times.
C) Child’s Pose
A child’s pose is a resting stretch that perfectly tunes your breath,
relaxes your body, and reduces stress. It helps relieve pain and tension
in your back, shoulders, and neck. Sit back on your heels by leaning at
your knees. Rest at your hips to fold forward and rest your forehead on
the floor. By extending your arms in front of you,support your neck or
bring your arms alongside your body. Breathe in deeply while holding the
pose for 5 minutes. Feel the stretch or tightness in your back. Repeat
the child’s pose 2-3 times daily.
• Massage/ Relieve Trigger-Point Pain
Massage effectively relieves back pain. The massage works by circulating
oxygenated blood to the problem area. Several different strokes break up
scar tissue, remove lactic acid, and detangle muscle fibres. A good
massage gives you less back pain and increases mobility.Various massage
techniques work on these pressure points to lessen the pain.
• Avoid excessive sitting
Sitting in the same posture for a long duration causes back pain. If you
keep sitting for a longer time, pressure on your spinal discs increases.
Make a habitof getting up every hour and walk a short distance to take
the pressure off your spine. Adjust your neck, shoulder, and back
alignment to prevent stress on your spine.
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