If you are reading this it’s likely that you are currently struggling with neck pain, know someone who is, or you’ve had it in the past and don’t want it returning any time soon as you remember how awful it was.

Most people blame sleeping funny or sitting in a draft as the cause of neck pain and don’t think it’s a big deal. So, what do they do? Well… two of the thing’s client s have told me they do is they put on a scarf (my nan used to do this one) to keep their neck warm or just shrug it off thinking “it will go away in a few days”, especially if they take a few pills.

Sound like you? I thought so.

Now here’s the thing…. It won’t “just go away!”

It’s like any body part that we have pain in we don’t realise what it does for us until it doesn’t work properly anymore, and we are struggling with pain, stiffness and we cannot get on with our everyday lives as usual. It’s usually at this point that people think I must go see someone about this but a few days pass and the pain starts to ease a little and then they think – I won’t book to see someone as it’s going away by itself and I really don’t have the time or want to spend the money getting this sorted once and for all.

Now this may work short term but one day this neck pain will come back to haunt you. Trust me we’ve seen this so many times before in clinic and still do daily!

Your neck supports one of the most important parts of your body, your skull and brain. What I want you to know is the base of your brain is where your spinal nerves begin. The nerves that come out of the upper levels of your neck supply your face and head so if you suffer headaches or migraines it is these nerves that are responsible for the pain you feel.

The nerves in the lower neck supply your shoulders and arms all the way down to your thumbs and fingers. So, have a problem in any of these areas and your lower neck could be a culprit for that pain.

As an example of when the real culprit for pain wasn’t exposed is when in clinic we see people that have had carpal tunnel surgery only to find their pain is no better and they are really upset they that had unnecessary surgery! Why did this happen? It’s simple it’s because they have been wrongly diagnosed, and the pain is actually coming from a problem in the neck.

Yes the human body is a complex thing so getting the right diagnosis is key to getting back to the pain free life we all long for. A life where we can remain independent, don’t have to rely on pills, injections or have risky surgery but instead a life where we move well and are able to do all the things we enjoy in life.

So, now you have a little insight of what impact the neck anatomy has ask yourself this question…. Do you still want to ignore that neck pain/stiffness that you’ve woken up with or that you have at the end of your work day?

I thought not.

Often, we don’t realise what impact things we do in our everyday lives have on our necks which either cause the problems in the first place or make it worse.

 

 

I remember a few times sitting at the hairdressers leaning back on those dreadfully uncomfortable hair wash basins thinking “wow my neck is sore, I can’t stay like this for long”. Does he person who washes your hair at the hairdressers ever adjust your chair or ask if you neck is comfortable? If they don’t and you are suffering please speak up and tell them, you need the seat and or basin adjusted. Even if you are only at the basin for a shampoo and condition those few minutes can prove detrimental!

Now let’s move on to “text neck”. Does it exist? Oh yes!… how think about how many hours you spend on your mobile phone. You see it all the time. People walking down the street head down looking at their phones, in waiting rooms, queues in shops. It’s like the phones are glued to their hands. Now don’t get me wrong I love my mobile and I too am guilty of spending too much time on it. It does become a habit!

One thing I have noticed is that I tend to hold my head turned to the right when on my phone and what a surprise if I ever get neck pain it’s on the right along with right eye pain! All connected to a tight right side of my neck. So, I am making a conscious effort to keep my phone central and also to have it up at eye line as I find that looking down at my phone definitely gives me neck tightness and aching.

The way our daily lives and habits have changed over the past couple of decades is causing a lot of our daily aches and pains. It can’t be helped it’s just the way life is right now. If you can look at your life and recognise what causes or aggravates your neck pain/stiffness, then at least you can adjust your daily routine to reduce the risk of problems happening.

If you would like more tips like the ones in this article to naturally ease neck pain, then here’s a FREE report for you to download instantly: http://www.wdcphysiotherapy.co.uk/physiotherapy/neck-pain/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Wendy McCloud

Wendy is the founder of The South East’s Leading Specialist Private Physiotherapy Practice for People in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, who want to keep healthy and active.

Wendy’s background includes working as an Extended Scope Practitioner Physiotherapist working as part of Mr. Ali Al-Sabti’s Orthopaedic Consultant’s team specialising in Shoulder Pain.

Wendy has treated royalty for Shoulder pain through referrals from her close links with a top Orthopaedic Shoulder Surgeons. More recently Wendy has been the sole choice physiotherapist for all Essex based referrals from London Shoulder surgeon Mr. Matthew Sala.

Wendy worked in National Level Rugby Union for 11 years, working with players who achieved county honours and representative honours for various countries such as England, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand. Wendy resigned from her position as Head Physiotherapist at Southend RFC in June 2011 to open WDC which has become the fastest growing clinic in the South East of England.

WDC is now a large multi-therapist speciality practice in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

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