Any pain or discomfort on your body reduces your quality of life significantly. Unfortunately, neck aches and backaches are common occurrences among adults. Everyone suffers from neck ache or backache at some point in their lives. While some turn to wishing the pain away, it can persist or re-occur, forcing you to seek other effective treatments.
Neck aches and backaches sometimes occur as secondary symptoms to underlying conditions such as scoliosis, sciatica and arthritis. Sometimes they are exercises-induced, or it’s just the hormones playing with you. Whatever the reasons behind your neck pain and back pain, this piece will outline and discuss the best treatments you could use to beat the inflammation.
Take pain killers in moderation
Over-the-counter shelves offer a wide variety of pain relievers for all sorts of neck aches. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen might help reduce the back pain and migraines. If the inflammation and discomfort persist, consider talking to your doctor for a stronger prescription.
Steroid injections
Corticosteroid injections provide pain relief in cases of severe and unending neck aches and backaches. Although they aren’t a long-term or permanent solution, they relieve pain for about three to four months. Your doctor will recommend coupling the injections with other remedies for desired results such as chiropractic care, physical therapy, the right nutrition and exercise.
Chiropractic care
Chiropractors have been identified in the pain management sector, where they specialize in spinal manipulation and adjustment techniques. Using mechanical devices or their gifted hands, chiropractors realign muscles, joints and the spine offloading pressure and tension that trigger back pains and neck pains. Apart from diagnosis and use of chiropractic techniques to treat neck and backaches, chiropractors may suggest ways to make your lifestyle healthier through exercising and proper nutrition. Some of these lifestyle changes are key to bidding neck aches and backaches goodbye.
Hot and cold therapy
Localized pain from back and neck pain could benefit from hot and cold therapy at the comfort of your home. You could try placing a heating pad on your neck or the affected area and keep dabbing it until you feel some pain relief. Alternatively, you could place a cold pack on your back or neck. You could also use a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel. Keep pressing the pack on your back or neck for about twenty minutes for pain relief. If the pain persists, keep alternating with the heating pad to see if it makes the difference.
Lifestyle changes
As mentioned above, your chiropractor might guide you through some lifestyle habits that will help you relieve neck and backaches. Maintaining healthy weights through exercising and proper nutrition offloads stress and tension from your back. Perfect sitting and standing postures may help keep your muscles relaxed and the neck and back pains at bay. Consider taking frequent breaks from your rigid sitting positions while at work. You might also want to go slow on vigorous physical activities or heavy lifting that may be triggering the back and neck pains.
Acupuncture
Through a fusion of western and Asian medicine, acupuncture has proven to be an effective pain relief treatment. Acupuncture utilizes needles by carefully pricking them into the affected areas where patients record pain relief. The treatment is ideal for patients suffering from low back pain when other treatments fail. It can also be coupled with other therapies, such as exercising and medication. Consult with your doctor first to see if you are an ideal candidate for acupuncture.
Rest
The basic treatment for any kind of pain, minor or major is resting for at least 24 to 72 hours. Combine resting with other therapies discussed above for maximum benefits. You might want to change your mattress, pillows and sleeping positions and follow your doctor’s or chiropractor’s recommendations. Nonetheless, break these rests by not staying stationary all through. Consider walking around, taking short walks, exercising and stretching to ensure that you don’t open a new can of warms by harming yourself further.
Try massages
Whether you are looking to have it professionally done, or you want to do it yourself, a massage goes a long way in helping relieve neck and back pain. Ensure that you stretch and put pressure on the right places to avoid harming yourself.
Has your back or neck pain become too unbearable? You don’t have to struggle any more. Reach us at 205-637-1363 to book an appointment and allow one of our chiropractors to help you out. We are the solution you need today.
