Neck pain can be debilitating, as it can impact your range of motion and, in turn, your mobility. However, you can alleviate the pain and suffering you are experiencing with physical therapy, as you can learn effective exercises to help you to return to your day-to-day activities.
There are, however, some activities you must avoid, as they could be causing or amplifying your discomfort. Here are five actions to stop if you have neck pain.
Ignoring the Problem
Many people living with neck pain might initially ignore the complaint, believing it will go away in time. While this can happen, early treatment can help you to quickly move on from the discomfort you are feeling and restore your range of motion.
Effective physical therapy exercises and postural correction could be enough to treat the pain you are experiencing and prevent it in the future, so might not need to embark on surgery or injections.
A Sedentary Lifestyle
Spending your days on the sofa can quickly lead to painful neck problems, which can impact your quality of life. It is important to get up onto your feet and embark on exercise, which could help to prevent the condition from developing.
You can also reduce any neck pain you are experiencing by performing regular neck exercises, which could prevent the problem from coming back in the near or distant future.
Poor Posture
One of the leading causes of neck pain is poor posture when standing or sitting down. A physical therapist can, however, provide advice on how you can change your posture to ease your discomfort.
For example, they can provide tips on how to keep your neck in a supportive position, and they will encourage you to perform postural exercises to transform your standing and sitting posture.
Sleeping with Many Pillows
While you might have once felt comfortable and supported when sleeping with more than one pillow, it could be causing your unwanted neck pain. If this is the case, you must ensure you only use one pillow when drifting away to sleep each night.
A person’s neck is made up of many bones that will naturally curve forward, which is known as lordosis. If you sleep with more than one pillow, you’ll be pushing your neck forward during sleep, which can impact the cervical lordosis and can add pressure onto your neck muscles, joints and discs.
Staring Down at Your Smartphone
Many people don’t think twice about staring down at their smartphone throughout the day, but it could be placing a great deal of stress and strain on their neck. If you spend your days frequently texting your loved ones, sending emails and browsing the internet on your cell, you could be placing your neck in a forward flexion position that could be leading to your pain and discomfort. It might, therefore, be wise to stop texting your loved ones and to give them a call instead.
To eliminate the pain you are suffering, call Icon Medical Centers to return to optimal health.