Does your neck hurt? You might be suffering from stress-related pain — also called a tension headache. During anxiety, muscles tense up. As muscle tension tightens, the back, shoulders and neck are affected. The more pressure they cause, the more discomfort you get. Let’s take a closer look at stress-related neck pain.
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Is Stress Causing Your Neck Pain? Also Inside Are You Suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder? Simple Tips For Shoveling Snow • Exercise Essentials Patient Success Spotlight • Healthy Recipe
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N E W S L E T T E R
DOCTOR Physical Therapy
Is Stress Causing Your Neck Pain?
Does your neck hurt? You might be suffering from stress-related pain — also called a tension headache. During anxiety, muscles tense up. As muscle tension tightens, the back, shoulders and neck are affected. The more pressure they cause, the more discomfort you get. Let’s take a closer look at stress-related neck pain. Pain worsened by keeping your head in one place — like when you’re driving, or using a computer — is neck pain. While neck pain has a slew of symptoms, its major symptoms, reported by Mayo Clinic, are: • Muscle tightness and spasms • Headaches • Decreased ability to move the head Stress-induced neck pain isn’t rare. It also isn’t psychological. Many experts think stress-induced neck pain is caused by physical factors — low, but constant, trapezius muscle activity. If your neck pain starts at the base of your shoulders, traveling upward, it may be stress related. Causes of Stress-Related Neck Pain While stress alone can trigger neck pain, a few factors can make it worse. Office environments tend to create neck pain problems — as they confine people to chairs, bad posture and little mobility. Driving often, too, can make your chances of stress-related neck pain higher. The U.S. National Library of Medicine suggests contacting a professional if you’re experiencing neck pain. Even if it’s caused by stress, untreated neck pain might later reveal muscle spasms, arthritis, bulging discs or even narrowed spinal nerve openings.
How Physical Therapy Can Help My Neck Pain Neck pain, fortunately, can be alleviated with physical therapy. Because neck pain is often caused by activity, different activity can cure it. Sometimes, this “activity” means “no activity.” Before you contact a professional, try reducing your neck movements. Sometimes, simply letting your neck muscles relax is enough. If you don’t see relief within two weeks, contact a professional. Physical therapists can target your pain’s source by examining your symptoms. Then, they can offer exercises that stretch, flex and relax your neck muscles. In time, your neck will become more resilient — giving you the comfort you deserve. Where after-care treatment is considered, custom-tailored neck exercises will assure your neck stays loose, limber and healthy. If you’re dealing with neck pain, you’re not alone. Call our office today, and schedule an assessment. Even if your neck pain is caused by stress, it still needs attention. We’ll work side by side with your goals, creating the proactive, effective programs you need to achieve mobility once more.
Sources https://www.spine-health.com/blog/how-relieve-neck-pain-caused-stress https://www.everydayhealth.com/neck-pain/neck-pain-reduce-stress.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0027055/ https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000802.htm
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/most-neck-pain-improves-with-self-care-time/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/neck-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20375581
Are you letting back pain hold you back? Call 856.579.7201 to schedule your appointment today!
minutes of exposure to sunlight each day. In addition, data show exercisers have lower rates of recurrent depression compared with study participants who do not exercise. These figures emphasize the importance of exercising throughout the winter, especially if your goal is health and well-being as well as a trim waistline. Try the tips for maintaining your winter exercise routine this winter: • Arrange your schedule to start and end later or earlier so that you can exercise outside after sunrise or before sundown. • Get outside to walk, jog, run, snowshoe, or cross-country ski. The exposure to sunlight can help increase your vitamin D levels and elevate your mood. • Enlist the services of a personal fitness trainer. Many people find meeting with a personal fitness trainer helps them stick with their exercise routine. Personal fitness trainers also can help vary workouts to keep them interesting and effective GET PROFESSIONAL HELP FOR SAD IF YOU NEED IT Although lack of sunlight and activity often are culprits of seasonal affective disorder, genetics and hormonal changes also may contribute to the condition. If exercise alone doesn’t improve your mood and your sadness persists for more than two weeks, schedule an appointment with one of our physical therapists. We will provide you with techniques in addition to exercise to manage stress.
Are You Suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder? Has your mood darkened with the shorter days and longer nights of fall and winter? If you’re like many people, getting less sunshine and being less active this time of year can contribute to feelings of sadness and apathy that may be associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD). The good news is that regular exercise can help boost your mood and guard against symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Exercise & Seasonal Effective Disorder According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, 14 percent of people in the United States experience SAD (also known as seasonal depression). But research shows that many people can manage or avoid SAD with 30 to 60 minutes of exercise and 20
References: RosenLN,TargumSD,TermanM.Prevalenceof seasonalaffectivedisorderat four latitudes.PsychRes.1990.31;131-144. RosenthalNE.Winterblues:everything youneed to know tobeat seasonalaffectivedisorder.NewYork,NY:GuilfordPress;2006.
BlumenthalJA,BabyakMA,DoraiswamyPM,etal.Exerciseandpharmacotherapy in the treatmentofmajordepressivedisorder.PsychosomMed.2007;69(7):587-96. Centers forDiseaseControl (CDC)andPrevention.CDCFeatures. Insufficient sleep isapublichealthepidemic.www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/.AccessedNovember1,2016. Centers fordiseaseControlandPrevention.AlcoholandPublicHealth.Frequentlyaskedquestions.http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm.AccessedNovember1,2016.
Simple Tips For Shoveling Snow! Snow shoveling can lead to a number of health risks for many people, from back injuries to heart attacks. The following tips can help keep you safer when you set out to shovel:
Lighten your load. Consider using a lighter-weight plastic shovel instead of a metal one to help decrease the weight being lifted. Consider multiple trips. Consider shoveling periodically throughout the storm to avoid having to move large amounts of snow at once. Keep up with snowfall. Try to shovel snow shortly after it falls, when it is lighter and fluffier. The longer snow stays on the ground, the wetter it can become. Wet snow is heavier and harder to move.
Warm up. Warm your muscles before heading out to shovel by doing some light movements, such as bending side to side or walking in place. Push rather than lift. Pushing the snow with the shovel instead of lifting can help reduce the strain on your body.
Call Doctor Physical Therapy at 856.579.7201 , or visit our website at www.drptnj.com to schedule your appointment today!
DOCTOR Physical Therapy
Healthy Recipe Spiced Pear Tea INGREDIENTS • 1 orange • 3 cups water • 2 (11.3 to 12 oz) cans pear nectar
• 1 tsp whole cloves • 6 tea bags • Small orange slices, halved (optional) • Stick cinnamon (optional)
Patient Success Spotlight
• 1 tbsp honey (optional) • 4 inches stick cinnamon
“Could have not have asked for a better physical therapist! Dr. Scott was wonderful and her staff was fantastic! She is very informative and explained everything about my injury in great detail. I trust her like family. The office is comfortable and clean, and they take great care in sanitizing the work area after use. I was sent home with an email program that demonstrated all of my at home exercises and instructions to call with any questions. And the Certificate of Completion gave me such a sense of accomplishment. Thank you so much Dr, Monica!!!” - Tracey E.
FREE NECK PAIN CONSULTATION! SPECIAL OFFER! DIRECTIONS Using a vegetable peeler, remove three wide strips of peel from the orange; set peel aside. Juice the orange into a large saucepan. Add the water, pear nectar and honey (if using) to orange juice in saucepan. For spice bag: Place the 4 inches of stick cinnamon, the cloves and the orange peel strips in the center of a 6-inch square of double-thickness, 100%-cotton cheesecloth. Bring corners together and tie with 100%-cotton kitchen string. Add spice bag to pear nectar mixture. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add tea bags; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and spice bag; discard. Serve in warmmugs. If desired, float orange slices on top of individual servings and serve with additional stick cinnamon.
Exercise Essentials Helps Relieve Neck Pain
Scapular Retraction Standing tall with good posture, shoulders relaxed. Pull shoulder blades back and down. Don’t hunch your shoulders. Repeat 6 times.
Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsureofdoing.
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