Neck pain is a common issue that affects an estimated sixty percent of adults at least once in their adult lives. There are many different approaches for neck pain treatment, and these must be tailored to your individual needs and depend on how severe your neck pain currently is and how it got like that. The normal avenues of neck pain treatment are medication, neck and postural exercises and ergonomics.
Unfortunately the scientific evidence to support many non pharmaceutical approaches to neck pain is lacking. This can be for a number of reasons, due to lack of funding and also the difficulty in designing studies to treat the complex issue of pain. Doctors are well trained in medicine and will know the best medication for your neck pain, but it is not their job to be as informed about other non-drug therapies and often they are not.
If you have had a neck injury and are suffering severe or very bad neck pain this can potentially be a medical emergency and you should see your doctor immediately. An indication of a more serious problem can be the development of such symptoms as tingling, numbness, shooting pains, numbness and even weakness in the legs or arms. These symptoms may get worse quickly or come about suddenly so you should seek medication attention as soon as possible.
Previously extended bed rest was advised for neck pain but that is no longer the case. The best advice for bed rest is that it should be limited to 24-48 hours after the beginning of pain. Except in the cases of a pinched nerve or nerve root compression, or if you have broken a bone in your neck or damaged a disc in the neck area.
Keeping the neck mobile is very important part of neck pain treatment. Frequent breaks of sustained postures such as computer or desk work can go a long way to helping prevent or relieve neck pain. A break from desk work every 20 minutes is ideal. Although initially this may not look good for productivity, you may find that it will actually improve it.
Neck pain treatment in the initial phase of neck pain as a result from a specific injury can consist of icing the injury with an ice pack. Ice packs can help to decrease inflammation and swelling after an injury and help to ease the pain. If you are someone who does not like ice packs or the cold then just do not use it. The benefits are probably not worth it if you find it uncomfortable. After the initial 2 days you can apply heat to the area. This can help reduce stiffness and ease the muscles.
If you have suffered a neck injury or are suffering from chronic neck pain (longer than 3 months) then you may benefit from specific neck exercises as part of neck pain treatment. Also if your neck pain has slowly developed with no obvious single event causing it but you do a lot of desk work or computer work, you might also be a candidate. Exercises that focus on posture and core strength will be the most beneficial. Addressing your workstation ergonomics is a key aspect. Usually it can be the simple everyday things, that if done incorrectly at first will not cause a problem but eventually do. The height of your computer monitor is key. The middle of the screen should be eye level, at least try to have the top of your screen eye level. If you are working a lot on a laptop, get a laptop stand. Make sure your monitor is positioned in front of you. And frequent breaks are very important to rest and reset the neck muscles. A simple change like this can be the best neck pain treatment.
