Commonly Treated Neck & Shoulder Pain Conditions:
Neck Pain
Shoulder Pain
Why do my neck and shoulder still hurt even after a month of stretching myself? ?
When most people have pain in their neck or shoulders, they assume it will go away on its own. That it’s nothing more than a knot in my throat or a crick in my jaw that will magically go away and won’t be noticeable at all… But then, even six months after the initial agony subsides, you’re still dealing with a persistent ache. If you’re already experiencing everyday headaches from it, imagine how much more difficult it could get to look over your shoulder while driving if you don’t get rid of the pain now!
Here are 5 Tips to manage Neck and shoulder pain
Use Ice (not Heat) To Stop Pain, Ice is by far the best way to ease neck and shoulder pain.
Use ice whenever you’re feeling achy or painful, such as at the end of a very busy day. Apply an ice pack for 10 minutes or so, little but very often (every hour). And when to use heat – my tip would be to apply a hot water bottle on a morning when your neck and shoulder is likely to be feeling more stiff than painful. Again, 10 minutes should do it.
Sleep With one Soft Pillow
It might be difficult at first, especially if you are used to two pillows. But if you can persist, it lowers the amount of stretching and the tension that occurs at your neck. Frequent headaches, migraines, and constant shoulder tension (and even an unhealthy looking posture) are signs of spending 8 hours every night in the wrong position. Drop down to just one soft pillow, and you will notice a difference. We also offer custom pillows at our clinic that are specifically designed to meet your needs, habits, and mattress quality.
Avoid Reading For More Than 20 Minutes in Bed
The reason why is because your head looking forward and down at a book or Kindle is increasing tension in your muscles. It’s a bit like stretching an elastic band too far – eventually it will “fray” and even snap. Worse, at this late time in the day, your muscles are already tired and weak. And by placing them under even more tension so late in the day, it will make more tension and headaches through the night inevitable.
Choose Sensible Footwear
Bizarre choices of footwear include high heels, sandals, flip-ops and plimsoll style trainers or shoes. Why bizarre? Because they’re all proven to add pressure and stress to your spine. It’s because there’s a lack of cushioning to absorb shock with these types. So your spine and joints have to take all of the impact every time your foot lands on the floor (which is not good for your hips either). If you can absorb some of the shock by wearing nice, soft, well-fitted and cushioned shoes/trainers, then you could reduce your neck and shoulder tension by as much as 20-25%.
Avoid Carrying Your Backpack Or Bag On One Arm Or In One Hand
For this, you’re going to need to completely “flip” everything you’ve likely done for years when it comes to carrying bags. And this one is a very common mistake that adds to neck and shoulder tension. Carrying a work bag or even a shopping bag over one shoulder means that the weight is not evenly distributed. And the result is that one side of your body is under more pressure than the other. Guess what happens to the side of your body that has carried the extra weight all these years? (Like being on the side you’re feeling the most pain and tension on.)
How Sure Cure Physical Therapy can help:
We start with a free consultation, where you will be talking with one of our specialists in physical therapy . During your consultation, you will learn why it hurts, how to manage pain at home, and the proper plan of care to follow up on. There isn’t a faster way to end neck and shoulder pain than going to see a physical therapist. Getting to see a hands-on specialist means getting very fast access to care that will soothe and relax those tight, aching muscles, loosen and lubricate stiff, stuck, and painful joints, and strengthen your body so that you can go back to doing the things that you love! Combine the one-on-one hands on treatment, tips, and a proper plan of care, and you will see a dramatic drop in the neck and shoulder pain (and stiffness) you are currently suffering from.