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Neck and back pain are common ailments to affect people who work in stressful job environments, especially if they are put to be working in an awkward or static posture for a long time. This condition normally affects the muscles, which runs through the spine by straining them. Poor posture is one of the main causes of this condition and lately working on computer in the wrong ergonomic position has become a universal problem.
One of the side effects of affection with your near and dear ones can also be upper back and neck pain. As surprising as it may sound, do you remember when it was the last time you picked up your child and held on to him for an hour or more. That could have easily triggered off the pain in the place. Neck and back pain can either be constant or intermittent but whatever it is, just experiencing this kind of pain on a daily or even monthly basis can affect other areas of your life, change your mood or drive you to self isolation.
The reasons for neck and upper pain are identical to other types of pains that occur in our back that include poor posture, accidents or injuries, muscle spasm or torn ligaments. These are normally treated with anti inflammatory medication and can also resolve themselves over a period of time. Massages as well as hot and cold compresses help considerably, with the heat as it has more effect than the cold, by relaxing the tensed up muscles which cause the pain. Stress is also a known perpetrator of this particular type of pain and keeps your body tense and uptight. Relaxation techniques prescribed by your physician will probably be able to help with both your neck and back pain while de-stressing you.
There are many products available in the market which can help with the pain. Prescribed painkillers are available over the counter and help a lot in alleviating the pain. However, it would be best to avoid taking these too much as they may prove to be addictive. Hot tub and sauna sessions can also help with the pain as warm water works very well for neck as well as upper back pain. To combat poor posture induced back and neck ache, you can adhere to the following guidelines:
* Sleeping on the stomach at night should be avoided as it puts twisting pressure on the joints of the vertebrae for the whole night. Large or multiple pillows should also be avoided to keep the neck in a neutral position and preferably should be of feather than foam as feather pillows provide with your neck shape and head, thereby avoiding stress.
* Sitting position should also be regulated by keeping the knees lower than the hip with arms held down and back touching support.
* Use a larger screened computer so that you don't have to hunch your neck either upwards or downwards and also other adjustments such as larger fonts etc.
* Adjust mirrors when driving a car to view the backside and this will prevent you from having to turn back to look and consequently injuring your neck.
* Stretching exercises before getting into bed and after leaving it helps in reducing the stress to your body throughout the day.
* Lifting things should also be done very carefully to avoid any possible twists or injuries to the neck and the back.
The most common ways to prevent back and neck aches are to follow a good lifestyle which can be maintained without the help of any medical intervention. This includes exercising on a regular basis and also alternating it by taking time off to get your body to relax from the work. With these simple at-home solutions, neck and back pain will no longer be an ailment to get you over.
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