Have you recently noticed a consistent pain in your neck? If so, you’ve also probably experienced a decline in your quality of life. Neck pain can limit your range of motion and make the simplest things, such as turning your head, a very difficult task to accomplish.
HEALTH & WELLNESS The Newsletter About Your Health and Caring for Your Body
FIND RELIEF FROM NECK PAIN
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HEALTH & WELLNESS The Newsletter About Your Health and Caring for Your Body
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• Is Your Neck Pain Caused by Sleep Issues?
Have you recently noticed a consistent pain in your neck? If so, you’ve also probably experienced a decline in your quality of life. Neck pain can limit your range of motion and make the simplest things, such as turning your head, a very difficult task to accomplish. There are many different techniques in physical therapy for targeting neck pain. Physical therapy for this condition is focused on strengthening the structures supporting the spine. These include the tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joints. It is important to remember that this kind of issue doesn’t occur overnight. It can take years to develop a chronic neck pain condition. Here at practice name, our therapists specialize in the treatment of neck pain, so if you’re tired of dealing with your condition alone, contact our office today! Where Does Neck Pain Come From? As you read before, neck pain doesn’t just show up out of nowhere. Sure, you might have a sore neck from sleeping wrong on your pillow every once in a while, but severe neck pain develops over time and stems from the uneven distribution of your head’s weight over the spine. Your neck consists of seven small vertebrae, and it has a pretty big job: holding your head up! It’s no wonder your neck receives so much added stress. Over time, you can develop soreness due to weakened muscles in your spine, degenerative disc disease, and arthritis. You should always try to avoid staring down at screens or craning your neck upwards. Practicing good posture and having an ergonomically designed workspace can help with this, including raising your monitor to eye level or using a standing desk. Supporting your lower back is also essential for preventing neck pain as well because the weight of your head is distributed down your spine! How Can Physical Therapy Improve Neck Pain? Strengthening your core can improve existing neck pain, as well as prevent it from happening in the future.
Harvard Health lists many core exercises that can help support your spine and prevent neck pain from occurring. Five of these exercises are listed below, and should be repeated 8-10 times each. Your physical therapist at Elliott Physical Therapy may teach you some of these exercises to practice on your own! 1. Chair stand - Sit in a chair with your feet hip-width apart. Put your hands on your thighs as you tighten your abdominal muscles. Exhale as you stand up slowly. Sit back down, and repeat. 2. Single leg raises - Sit in a chair with your hands on your legs. Exhale as you lift your leg as high as you can without hurting yourself. Lower your leg. 3. Staggered chair stand - Sit down with your feet a few inches apart from each other, and make sure your left heel lines up with the toes of your right foot. Place your hands on your thighs. Tighten your abdominal muscles as you exhale slowly, standing up. Sit down slowly. 4. Heel raise - Stand behind your chair and hold onto the back, making sure your feet are hip-width apart. Tighten your abdominal muscles, and slowly lift yourself on the balls of your feet. Lower yourself back down slowly. 5. Standing side leg lift - Stand behind your chair. Place your feet next to each other. Lift your leg slowly to the side, until your foot is six inches above the floor. Do not turn your foot out. Repeat with the other leg. Besides utilizing all of these core exercises, making sure that you’re fitting enough physical activity into your schedule every day is key to preventing neck pain and strengthening your spine. Try not to sit for too long at your desk during the day. Get up, walk around your office or neighborhood! Staying fit is vital for your overall health and can be the difference between having a chronic neck pain condition, and being able to live a normal life.
For more support in finding relief from neck pain, talk to your physical therapist.
If you’ve never visited Elliott Physical Therapy, don’t be nervous! You’re in good hands. During your first appointment, a full assessment of your physical condition will be done. Your therapist might perform a strength test on you as well to see how weak the muscles in your cervical spine are. Spinal mobility will be measured along with palpation to locate sore or tight muscles. Your physical therapist will also ask you to complete certain tasks to figure out what your functional mobility levels are. Your medical history will be reviewed as well to see if any factors might correlate to the pain you’re currently feeling, such as recent injuries or surgeries. During this time, you can discuss the things that you are now not able to do as a result of any past injuries you might have sustained. Contact Elliott Physical Therapy Whether you’ve been struggling with neck pain for years on and off, or you woke up today and noticed things just “don’t feel quite right,” understand that our skilled physical therapists can help bring you the relief you deserve. Call our office today and request an appointment to have your condition assessed and a treatment care plan created for you. We’re excited to get you back on your way to living life to the fullest, without aches & pains!
WHAT TO EXPECT AT PHYSICAL THERAPY
EXERC I SE ESSENT I AL S Try this movement to help with neck pain. CHIN TUCK SUPINE Lie with roll under neck. Without lifting head, tuck chin gently. Keep the large muscles in the neck relaxed. Helps decrease neck pain.
Exercises copyright of
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Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.
TRY THIS RECIPE! OMELET MUFFINS INGREDIENTS • 10 large eggs • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped • 1 cup frozen cut spinach, thawed and squeezed dry • 2 green onions, finely chopped • 1/4 tsp salt DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin liberally with the cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat the eggs together. To bowl, add the bell pepper, spinach, green onions, salt, and ¼ cup water. Season with pepper. Divide egg mixture among muffin cups. Bake 20–25 min., until eggs are set. Let stand 5 min. before removing from muffin tin.
IS YOUR NECK PAIN CAUSED BY SLEEP ISSUES? There is onemore factor that often is not spoken about, but it’s a frequent cause of neck pain and discomfort: sleeping issues. Sometimes, sleeping in a certain position or sleeping on a mattress or pillow that is too soft or too hard will lead to neck pain. Oftentimes, this pain will appear to be chronic, as the sleeping issue is likely something that you experience day after day, causing the pain to return regularly. It may be helpful to rule out sleeping concerns as a reason behind your neck pain by assessing your sleeping conditions andmaking any changes that you think may be necessary. Adjust howmany pillows you sleep on, the position you sleep in or even your mattress! For more support in finding relief from neck pain, talk to your physical therapist.
Source: https://www.savoryonline.com/recipes/208593/spinach-and- pepper-omelet-muffins
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