Neck Strains - Some Obvious Causes
An important factor that causes a stiff neck is sleeping position. This happens because in our sleep, we tend to remain in one position for a very long time and if the position is not proper it can cause strain in the neck. The muscles get damaged making the blood vessels to be pressed which leads to a stiff neck. Often, using pillows that are too flat or too thick can put more stress on the neck. Such a sleeping position can strain our tendons and ligaments.
The tendons can also strain when we sit for extended periods in a single position or excessively strain our neck during work or sometimes remain hunched behind the steering wheel for too many hours.
Wearing of our joints with increasing age may cause pain. Our joints suffer from wear and tear which can cause problems at our neck or back and even other parts of the body.
Nerve depression in cases such as dislocated discs, bone spurs and herniated discs causes multiple problems to the nervous system, thereby ultimately causing pain in neck and back.
Low Back pains
Approximately, we spend 33% of our lives sleeping hence having a comfortable mattress is essential. Beyond a good night's rest, it can guard us from dozens of health problems. The most important one being back pain. A soft mattress has lesser metal coils and may sink at the hip causing back pain. A high quality mattress should have around 300-400 coils. Anything fewer than that number can injure your back and trigger other side effects. Choosing the right pillow can save us from unwanted stress, specifically on the neck and shoulders. We must always select the correct level of support for our head and body.
Medical disorders
Neck or back pains often don't require a visit to the doctor's office but depending on the intensity of the pain or based upon the types of symptoms, we will have to make the call. Symptoms of a serious medical condition can be from the following list
shooting pain into your shoulder or down your arm numbness in your hands or lack of strength drastic changes in bladder and bowel movementsdifficulty breathing
Diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis affects joints of the fingers, feet etc. Stiff neck is an indication of Meningitis, a disorder that causes inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord which impacts our nervous system. Cancerous Tumors that form near the spinal cord can also inflict pains in the neck and the back. Several problems that cause compression of nerves can cause pain in the back and if left untreated can lead to immobilization of the legs. This is a disorder called as Sciatica.
Treatment
A ordinary stiffness on the neck can be treated by getting some rest or dulling the pain by rubbing ice and hot pain relief creams to relax the muscles at the problem areas. Other stretching exercises subjecting the neck to a variety of motions will help ease the pain. A few of these exercises are neck flexion, rotating and retraction of the neck and side reflexions.
Conclusion
Supportive self care is often sufficient to have total recuperation from neck strain and low back problems but you need to see a doctor when a problem was caused by a major event such as a fall, if it has prolonged for a long time or if it occurs with a severe and unexplained symptom.
GudAdvice.com
Your medical search engine to get answers to your medical questions fast! http://www.gudadvice.com
A user friendly medical search engine that helps you quickly find accurate answers to all your questions about health from only the most trusted online sources.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert
