8 TIPS TO GET RID OF NECK & SHOULDER PAIN

Do your neck and shoulders feel stiff when you awake in the morning? Or do they seize painfully with no warning? If so, you have plenty of company. Doctors estimate that seven out of 10 people will be troubled by neck pain at some point in their lives, often causing daily aching in the neck and shoulder area.

Neck pain is the cause of 90% of undiagnosed headaches. Rub olive oil, use a ice massage and a hot water bath to get rid of these pain. Most common cause is stress so please read the PTSD page.

Sometimes pain starts with the bang of a rear-end collision, but more often, the neck and its surrounding structures begin to ache after years of normal use, overuse, and misuse. Without knowing it, you may be encouraging neck and shoulder pain by the way you perform everyday activities. In general, try to keep your neck in a neutral position, which means your head balances directly over your shoulders and is not leaning forward or cocked to one side. Here are eight hints for achieving a healthy neck posture while performing everyday activities.

At the computer or desk. When working at the computer or at a desk, keep your head balanced directly over your spine as much as possible. That means setting your chair height so both feet rest on the ground, and sitting with your buttocks far back in your chair, using a small pillow to support your lower back if needed. Properly adjusting the keyboard and monitor may be difficult or impossible with a laptop computer.

You can plug a separate, full-size keyboard into a laptop to help you achieve better positioning. But no matter how perfect your office-chair posture, it’s important to get up, stretch, and move around every half hour. If you tend to get lost in your work, program your computer to flash a reminder.
Telephone use. If you spend a lot of time on the phone, try to avoid leaning your head to one side. This is also important when you use a cell phone and aren’t sitting at your desk while you speak. A headset or speakerphone is a good option to help keep your head in a neutral position for hands-free talking. Headsets are available for both your desk phone and cell phone.
Reading at home. If you are sitting in a chair, try to maintain an upright posture. Hold the book so that you don’t have to lean down or forward to see it. A pillow on your lap may help. If you must read in bed, sit up straight or use a specially designed wedge pillow. Or lie on your side with your neck straight and hold the book in front of you.
Walking. Avoid high heels, which change the alignment of your body from the ground up, characteristically ending in a head-thrust-forward position that stresses neck muscles. This may be one reason women have neck pain more than men do.
Carrying a bag. Choose a lightweight purse or backpack, and don’t overload. Don’t sling a backpack over one shoulder. Try switching to a fanny pack or a backpack designed to put weight on the hips instead of just the upper back. With heavier loads, use a wheeled pack or briefcase. If you must hoist a purse on your shoulder, alternate which shoulder you use.
Driving. Posture is a factor in whether a collision will cause whiplash. Your headrest should be high enough and close enough to catch your head in a rear-end collision. Position the seat so you can sit up straight with your head no more than two to four inches in front of the headrest. Adjust the headrest so its upper edge is level with the top of your head: the back curve of your skull should meet the cushion of the headrest.
Lifting. Improper lifting techniques put stress on the neck as well as the lower back. Bend your hips and knees instead of your back. Keep the object close to you while straightening your legs. When lifting something over your head, don’t tilt your neck backward. Strengthen your arms to make proper lifting easier.
Watching TV. Sit far enough from a TV or movie screen that you can watch without tilting your head back. Don’t sit off to the side, forcing you to turn your neck for long periods.

Isometric neck strengthening

neck strength exercise

This exercise can also be done in a sitting position—at the office, for example, or lying down with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your palm on your forehead and press gently as you try to bring your chin to your chest—your neck muscles will tighten without your head moving. Hold for a count of three to five seconds. Repeat 10 times.

FEATURED CONTENT:

Describing neck pain
Common causes of pain
Evaluating neck pain
Managing your neck pain
Ergonomics: Moving and sitting safely

Athletics and your neck
Medication
The mind-body connection
Alternative and complementary therapies
Surgery for neck pain

For General links on health info

--------------------------------------------------------------

To the extent the physician simply complies without making an independent evaluation of the appropriateness of the vaccine for each patient, he is abdicating his responsibility under the Oath of Hippocrates to

“prescribe regimen for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.”

It is apparent that critical medical decisions for an entire generation of American children are being made by small committees whose members have incestuous ties with agencies that stand to gain power, or manufacturers that stand to gain enormous profits, from the policy that is made.

Testimony given to the U.S. House of Representatives

Jane Orient, M.D.

-------------------------------

My suspicion, which is shared by others in my profession, is that the nearly 10,000 SIDS deaths that occur in the United States each year are related to one or more of the vaccines that are routinely given to children. The pertussis vaccine is the most likely villain, but it could also be one or more of the others.

Dr. Mendelsohn, M.D.

heart disease & stroke

Memory clinic

Depression & anxiety

Addiction & Drug Rehab

Sexual disorders Clinic

Parkinson Clinic

Epilepsy Clinic

Pain Clinic

Bone disorders clinic

Joint disorder clinic

Skin repair clinic