Suffering from pains in your neck, whether they be chronic or from an injury, can have a great impact on your life. Oftentimes, it will be almost impossible to move your head, drive a car or do any kind of exercise. Sometimes neck pains lead to headaches and other upper body dysfunction that further limit activity. Regardless of the cause of neck pain, there are several things you can do to bring relief, including changing certain lifestyle and sleeping habits, and using natural remedies before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs and more invasive diagnostic procedures.
Step 1
Use a neck roll pillow for pain relief when you sleep. These come in different sizes to accommodate a variety of head positions.
Step 2
Try a memory foam pillow ergonomically designed to support your head in several sleep positions and relieve neck pain.
Step 3
Get a massage. Neck pain is often attributed to strained, overworked muscles, and regular massages help to relieve that tension and relax muscles, allowing you to hold your head more comfortably.
Step 4
Visit a chiropractor. Find someone who performs one of the more gentle chiropractic techniques such as using an activator or doing Network chiropractic or Nucca. Have regular adjustments that realign the skeleton to better enable the proper use of your muscles.
Step 5
Avoid consuming monosodium glutamate (MSG) in your food. This may sound like an odd piece of advice to reduce neck pain, but in their book "Nutrition and Rheumatic Disease (Nutrition and Health)," Laura A. Coleman and R. Roubenoff discuss the numerous side effects of MSG in relation to body pain, and point out its connection to fibromyalgia and other musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.
Step 6
Look into whether you have food allergies, which, in some cases, can produce chemical compounds in the body that produce pain in the muscles and joints. In particular, the nightshade vegetables are responsible for arthritic-type pains.
Step 7
Use nutritional supplements, suggests holistic doctor Andrew Weil, that are known for their ability to reduce musculoskeletal pain, such as turmeric, bromelain and fish oil. Ask an herbal practitioner or an herbal representative at the health store for suggestions on dosage.
Step 8
Use homeopathic remedies for pain relief. Remedies such as Rhus Tox, Bryonia, Pulsatilla, Staphysagria and Cimicifuga are used for the treatment of bodily pain, including pains in the neck. In particular, the remedy Rhus Tox has been shown to offer great promise for fibromyalgia and other joint-related pain conditions, according to a report made by the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Review Board in September 2009. See a qualified homeopath to ascertain which would be the best choice of remedies for you.
Step 9
Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs or prescription medicines used as painkillers. Speak to your doctor about dosage and quantities before starting these drugs. Over-use of these medications is not advised due to the possibility of serious side effects such as internal bleeding. If natural pain-relieving methods don't help your neck pain, there are drugs your doctor will prescribe that may be able to help.
Tips and Warnings
- Nightshade vegetables include white potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and paprika. These contain the toxic compound solanine, which some people are sensitive to and which creates body pain. In the event that none of the above suggestions bring relief, ask your doctor for diagnostic testing, like MRI, to find the cause of your neck pain. If your neck pain is the result of an injury, you may need to ask the doctor for a prescription for physical therapy.
- The information offered here is for educational purposes and is not meant to replace medical advice.
Things You'll Need
- Neck roll pillow
- Memory foam pillow
- Massage therapist
- Chiropractor
- Homeopathic remedies
- Turmeric
- Bromelain
- Fish oil capsules
References
- Andrew Weil, M.D.: Osteoarthritis
- "Nutrition and Rheumatic Disease (Nutrition and Health)"; Laura A. Coleman and R. Roubenoff; 2008
- Fibromyalgia Double Blind Study
