Back & Neck Pain Relief, Treatments, Tips, Exercises, and Resources

For Neck and Back Pain Relief – RESPOND to Pain

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:02:42 +0000

Do you really want to have to live with back or neck pain? I didn’t think so. The path to finding back and neck pain relief starts with understanding pain and healing.

Remember this simple rule:

RESPOND to pain. Understanding pain and its role in finding neck and back pain relief is a major factor in recovery and getting your life back.

Use this simple acronym to get the right start down the right path toward healing and freedom from pain:

Recognize pain as your body’s signal that something is wrong. It’s a sign that something is wrong and needs to be addressed.Back or neck pain a sign that something’s not working properly. The source of the problem may be physical, nutritional, or emotional. Listen to your body and heed the message. In order to find neck and back pain relief, your first have to see it for what it is.
Embrace pain as a partner in healing. Sounds crazy, but it is the absolute truth. Pain lets you know what’s going on in your body. Pain is an incredibly great barometer for healing and progress toward neck pain relief and back pain relief.Replace your negative image of pain with the image of understanding how well you are healing. It helps you understand your limitations so you can continue to expand them. That results in you taking an active interest and participatory role in your healing.Back and neck pain is a signal from your body that you need to reflect and make change to better accommodate your body’s needs. So listen up!!
See the healing taking place. Visualization is a strong tool in healing.More and more clinical studies reveal the mental picture of healing as a major catalyst to neck and back pain relief. Even the simplest-sounding techniques have proven wildly effective in facilitating neck pain relief and back pain relief.For instance, try closing your eyes, breathing five slow, deep, relaxing breaths. In your “mental TV screen,” assign a color to your pain. See that color on your mental TV screen. Then replace it with a different color you associate with healing. Allow yourself to see that color for a minute or two while you continue relaxed breathing, and imagine what it feels like when it doesn’t hurt. Remember what it feels like to be pain-free. See the look on your face and connect to what you feel like when that look is on your face. See yourself freely doing the things you love to do: playing with the kids or the dog; having incredible sex with your partner; hiking; playing tennis, WHATEVER it is that you deserve to enjoy in your life! It will help you begin to believe you deserve to feel better and that you actually can. Do this exercise once a day, and create a mental image you can reference when the pain reappears, or simply when you have a few quiet moments you’d like to focus on feeling better.You have to believe you can feel better before you will.
Pain is temporary. It’s designed by nature to be a signal of damage, injury or danger.Pain in your back or neck is an alarm shrieking to you that it’s time for you to make a change.Don’t accept pain as permanent. If you believe you can find neck and back relief, there’s a strong likelihood that you will. Even if your back or neck pain is from known tissue damage or an established chronic condition, changing your approach to how you deal with pain will take you light-years forward in how you decide to live and manage the best possible quality of life.

Open yourself to all your options. Surgery for back and neck pain is not necessarily the answer.I will never tell you to not see your doctor about pain. But don’t just assume you need surgery just because you hurt a lot.Most neck pain and back pain will go away without surgical intervention so long as you are supporting your body’s own natural ability to heal.The best doctors will help you explore other options before they recommend surgery, because they know it only adds more layers to the recovery.You can heal with time, patience, understanding of back and neck pain, and commitment to doing the right things the right way to help and take on the quality of life you deserve.
No single approach to neck pain relief and back pain relief is a guarantee – it’s a multi-faceted approach to pain relief.

Healing fully and effectively involves full understanding of the physical, emotional and nutritional aspects of healing.

Work the whole solution and you’ll find much more complete relief for your back or neck pain.

Realize that knowing the next steps is the key to any phase of healing. Know where your body is now, and you can figure out what you need to do next about back or neck pain. Just focusing on one part of the solution will only solve one part of the problem.

Always know where you are — remember the old navigators’ axiom: You can’t know where you’re going and how to get there until you know first where you are.

Don’t rely on medications. Pain killers make you feel better only because they mask the signals your body needs you to hear. Aside from the fact that they can be habit-forming and take over your life in other horrible ways, narcotics have no healing properties whatsoever.

It’s one thing to mask pain so you can sleep immediately after surgery or an injury. Even the doc won’t want you on pain medications for very longs.

The better path is to tune in to your body and it’s signals — not to tune them out with drugs. Do nothing, and nothing will happen. Feel nothing, and you won’t know how much you need to do.

Medications that help control inflammation do play a role in healing. But there are nutritional ways to help your body manage inflammation, too. So you can also rely too heavily on medications that are known to cause damage to you liver and other organs.

So RESPOND to back and neck pain! You need to listen to and hear what your body is telling you!!

For More Information on How to Live Pain Free, or to Learn About Natural Solutions to Back and Neck Pain, Click Here!

Three Things You Can Do TODAY to Prevent Back Pain

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:28:29 +0000

Many people are suffering from chronic back pain. For some people, it is such a common experience that they have just decided to live with it and not do anything about it. They have resigned themselves to it, and are just considering it as a minor thing.

Of course, the problem with this is that as you keep on ignoring it or accepting it, the back pain could worsen. It could lead from being a minor discomfort into something that would give your crippling pain that would hinder you from doing your normal day to day activities.

To be able to avoid this fate, here are three things that you can do today that would help prevent you from having back pains:

1. Try to find some time for exercise:

One of the ways to avoid back pain would be to strengthen your muscles. To do this, you should be able to find some time to do some basic exercises, especially those that are focused on stretching your back muscles. It does not even need to take too much of your time. A simple 5 or 10 minute exercise everyday would do wonders for your back.

As for what kind of exercise to do; well there are plenty of various back stretching exercises that you can find online. You could use them as a guide for your own exercise regimen.

2. Start eating a Proper Diet:

If you are not eating a proper diet, then the chances are you would become more susceptible to feeling back pain. This is because of two reasons.

The first is that not having a proper diet may make you lack the necessary nutrients and minerals that help in strengthening your joints, muscles and even your bones. The second reason is that an improper diet can make you gain weight. As you may have already surmised, an increase in your weight would also mean an increase in the mass that your body needs to support.

If you start eating a proper diet, you would be able to control your weight to levels that your frame can easily support, as well as know that your body is getting the proper nutrients that it needs to remain healthy.

To ensure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs, start taking a supplement such as Baseline Nutritionals’ ® Private Reserve Superfood ™.

3. Use ergonomic items:

What you may not know is that even doing regular activities can actually increase your back pain. This is because what you are using may not be ergonomically designed. Ergonomic means it is designed in such a way that you would be able to use these items without worry about repetitive strain injuries.

One of the primary culprits for back pain is your chair. Check if it is designed to fully support your rear end and your back so that your body would be able to sit comfortably without adding the strain on the joints and muscles on these areas.

If you don’t have access to an ergonomic chair at work, or if you don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for one at home, I strongly recommend getting the Back Joy Core. The Back Joy Core turns any seat into a perfect ergonomic item. It fully supports your spinal column, and it’s small and light so you can take it anywhere!

While these may tips may seem quite simple, you would be amazed at how they could really help in alleviating and preventing back pain.

Learning more about Inversion Therapy

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:07:46 +0000

There are almost as many treatments for back pain as there are causes. There are pills, exercises, massages and even machines that all try to help in alleviating the pain that you feel in your back.

One thing that is gaining popularity is inversion therapy. Inversion therapy involves hanging a person upside down or at an inverted angle with the intention of bringing about therapeutic benefits all over the body, especially your back.

One of the best things about inversion therapy is that you can do it yourself at home, safely and privately with an Inversion Therapy Table.

While the idea may seem farfetched, there are plenty of people who swear by this method. They say that by doing inversion therapy they feel much better and live pain free lives. So before you throw out this seemingly crazy idea, it would be best to learn more about it.

How Do You Perform Inversion Therapy?

To do this form of therapy, you would usually need either a table, or the inversion boots. The equipment is used so that you would be able to hang upside down and apply gentle traction to your spine.

The inversion boots are an older style in which you wear them on your feet and hang upside down on a bar. There is now more advanced machinery that enables you to just lie on a table that turns to different angles.

After being strapped on the table (or on the inversion boots), inversion therapy happens by either being tilted for a set amount of time, or by performing some form of exercise while tilted.

What are the supposed benefits of Inversion Therapy?

People say that the main benefit that they get from inversion therapy is that they feel relief from their back and neck pains. But many are saying that there are plenty of other advantages from using this form of therapy.

Inversion therapy can improve blood circulation, maintain your height, relieve stress, heighten mental alertness, make you more flexible, improve your posture, and even realign your spine after doing strenuous physical activities.

Is it safe?

If you use a good and sturdy inversion therapy table then you have nothing to worry about.

However, there are some conditions where inversion therapy is not advised. You should not do this form of therapy if you are pregnant, are suffering from a hernia, retinal detachment, a recent stroke, or heart disorders.

As with all forms of therapy, you should check with your doctors first if doing so would be safe for you.

Frequent Headaches? Neck Strain Could Be the Culprit!

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:59:50 +0000

Do you find yourself reaching for a bottle of aspirin day after day? Headaches are one of the most common aches of people everywhere. They can be caused by a plethora of things. Having headaches might mean eyestrain from prolonged computer use, astigmatism, fever, or even an injury.

However, there is one commonly overlooked reason for headaches- neck strain. You should know that an aching neck can contribute to headaches.

If you fall into one of the following categories, you should know you’re at risk for neck strain:

1. You Spend a Long Time Staring at a Computer Monitor

People who work with computers are prone to neck strain. This is because of the position of the monitor in relation to your head. Many offices set up their computer monitors either too high or too low, which puts strain on your neck.

If you find yourself having to tilt your head back or forward to be able to see the monitor clearly, then you may be placing additional pressure on your neck muscles which can lead to the headaches.

The Back Joy Core can help prevent this by keeping your spine properly aligned while you sit at your desk, reducing any strain on your neck or back. And, the Back Joy Core is small and light, so you can bring it with you no matter where you go.

2. You Participate in Athletic Events or Do Strenuous Exercise

Another group of people who suffer from neck and muscle strain are the people who enjoy playing sports or working out strenuously. Either of these activities presents the potential for a tweaked neck.

3. You Sleep In an Awkward Position

If you wake up to find that you suddenly have a headache, try remembering what position you slept in. A common cause of neck pain is a prolonged awkward head position.

To combat this, I suggest using the Backsaver Dream Pillow, or another ergonomic pillow.

If you fall into any of the previous categories, you could be suffering from headaches due to neck strain. These types of headaches are typically referred to as tension headaches.

Tension headaches are usually caused by muscle discomforts. Because of that, treating just the headache isn’t sufficient, as you’re only treating the symptom and not the cause. You should search for remedies to your muscle strain if you want to avoid these headaches. Fortunately, there are plenty of options available for people who suffer from neck strain.

If you don’t think neck strain is the culprit, you should try Dr. Wiley’s Mastering Migraines, which promises to have you migraine free in 21 days or less.

Back Pain During Pregnancy? Three Tips for Instant Relief!

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:32:07 +0000

Preparing for the arrival of a new baby can be overwhelming, no matter whether it’s your first or fifth child!

There’s just so much to think about- preparing a nursery, making your home safe for baby, determining a birth plan, making sure you’re eating right, finding the right stroller…the list goes on and on!

One thing’s for certain, the discomforts of pregnancy can make even tying your shoes a chore- nevermind trying to assemble a crib!

Ask any pregnant woman how they’re feeling, and one common complaint comes up again and again- back pain. With all you have to do, you can’t let an aching back keep you stuck in bed!

Back pain in expecting mothers is usually caused by the physical and chemical shifts in the body.

This kind of back pain can vary in severity from minor discomfort to debilitating pain that can even make standing painful.

For great temperary relief, Baseline Nutritionals’® Essential Relief™ works deep to relax, soothe, and heal.

Here are some tips to relieve and prevent back pain in expecting moms:

Proper Diet:

Remember that just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean that you should overeat. The problem with eating too much is that you’ll gain excessive pounds of fat in addition to normal pregnancy weight gain.

The more excess fat you gain, the more stress will be on your already stressed frame.

That is why it’s important to maintain a healthy diet. Being able to manage your weight during pregnancy can help reduce the back pains that you’ll feel.

Using seat cushions:Being pregnant come with a completely different (and awkward!) posture! Even sitting can be uncomfortable!

One of the ways to counter this is to purchase and use seat cushions. The seat cushion will provide additional lumbar support which will lessen the stress that bad seating posture can do to your back.

The Back Joy Core is a great option to help ease back stress. It’s unique design “floats” your spinal system and pelvis, providing instant relief.

Using Soft Back Braces

If the pain is really crippling, then some doctors may prescribe using a soft back brace. These kinds of braces are usually available at shops that cater to mothers and pregnant women.

A soft back brace can help in providing support for your back while keeping pressure off the front area where your tummy is.

The support helps by limiting the back muscles range of motion

However, women should keep in mind that a soft back brace worn for a long period can weaken back muscles as well irritate the skin in that area.

Again, pregnant women should take note that it’s always a good idea to consult with your Ob-Gyn before following any of these tips.

Every pregnancy is different so, make sure your doctor approves any measures you may take to relieve back pain.

Three Things You Can Do TODAY to Prevent Back Pain

The Right Temperature for Pain Relief

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:57:49 +0000

When people feel pain in any part of their bodies, the two most common pieces of advice are to either put heat or ice packs on the area.

However, depending on the type of pain, heat or cold can actually cause the pain to worsen. How can you tell which temperature will offer the most relief? Here are some tips!

When to use heat packs as treatment:

Heat therapy is great for chronic injuries as well as if you suddenly experience back pain without any inflammation or swelling. Heat is great for sore, stiff muscles and joints as well.

Using heat packs, like the Far Infrared Healing Heat Pad helps by increasing the elasticity of joints and stimulating blood flow. Doing this makes the muscles more relaxed and increases the blood circulation.

As mentioned above, the thing to remember about using the right temperature for back pain relief depends on the kind of pain that you are experiencing.

If it’s swelling and inflammation then ice packs would be the best choice. If it is more of a chronic case that is not accompanied by the swollen parts, then you should probably try heat packs.

Always remember though that ice packs or heat packs are just first aid solutions. If the injury does not improve, or gets worse after a few days, then you should see a doctor.

When to use Cold packs or Ice:

Ice works very well for muscle strains, sprains, or pain due to external physical damage (such as hits or bumps). This is because ice reduces swelling on the affected area.

It also provides minor pain relief by numbing the local tissues, as well as slowing down the neurological impulses that trigger that pain response.

Also know that treatment using cold packs is quite effective if applied within 48 hours after the pain is felt. This is because it is in this time period when the muscles are still very swollen and tight.

A quick note though- you should never apply ice directly on the skin. Doing this for a long time can cause frostbite damage. Always have something to put between the ice and your skin.

Is Chiropractic Care Effective for Pain Relief?

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:38:38 +0000

When people feel pain in their backs or their necks, one of the things that immediately come to mind is to visit a chiropractor. Nowadays, there seems to be quite a boom in the number of clinics that offer chiropractic care to patients.

Although a trip to the chiropractor is beneficial, most people can’t afford the amount of trips necessary to keep their backs feeling good. Luckily, there are now products you can use at home to get great results, for way less than what you’ll pay for a couple chiropractic visits.

These products include things like Inversion Therapy Tables, which eliminate stress on the spine, and Trigger Point Therapy Systems, which give the benefits of a deep tissue massage at home.

However, not everyone is familiar with what chiropractic care is. Here then is a quick primer on some of the things about this practice:

What does it do?

Basically, the main goal of chiropractic healing is to correct the misalignments of your spine. This is because the central nervous system (the brain and your spinal cord) is the center of all the functions of your body, including healing and regeneration.

Having misalignments in your spine can lead to interference in the nervous system. These misalignments are the ones hindering your body’s recovery. If they’re straightened out your aches and pains will eventually go away and you’ll feel better.

How do they do it?

There are plenty of ways that a chiropractor provides you with care. The first of which, and the most well-known, is direct pressure using the hands. Most people know this as “cracking your back”.

Aside from this, the chiropractor can also use ultrasound, x-rays, electrical stimulation, hot and cold packs, and a variety of hand held mechanical devices to do the job.

Is it Safe?

Many people are skeptical about chiropractors because they think that messing with your spinal column is too risky. While there is some truth to that, you should remember that people who are licensed chiropractors have undergone tons of training before being allowed to practice.

Actually, most states require chiropractors to be board before they are allowed to do their work.

Is it effective?

The answer to this depends on the skill of the chiropractor or the level of chiropractic care that you are receiving. When people think of chiropractic care, they think that it would only deal with the bones. This kind of thinking is reinforced by chiropractors who are not that skilled. As such, they will simply pop your back, and let you go on your way.

However, skilled chiropractors know that aside from your bones, your muscles also need to be fixed in order to correct these misalignments. They will provide you with additional treatment methods that not only do wonders for your bones, but your muscles as well.

As you can see, the value of chiropractic care is dependent on the skill of the clinic that you are visiting.

A Guide to Massage Therapy

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:18:41 +0000

There is one common treatment that people suffering from sore or stiff muscles often overlook- a massage. A good massage helps blood flow through muscle tissues, and relaxes the muscle at the same time. The combination of these two things gives most people extreme relief from their pains.

Unfortunately, if you’re like many people, you don’t have the time or money to go to a masseuse every week. If that’s the case, I would strongly recommend buying a Trigger Point Therapy System.

These are great, and unlike the cheaply made “massage chairs” you pick up at a retailer, this system can be customized to your body AND it actually works as well as going to a masseuse- For a lot less money too!

Another added benefit of the Trigger Point Therapy System is that you can use it at home without any assistance. That means you can get the benefits of a massage in your own home, whenever you want!

Oddly, not everyone seems to be familiar with massage therapy as a treatment for pain. They see massage as a gimmick that doesn’t really help relieve pain.

Massage therapy can do wonders for the body and is a great option for treating aches and pains

Here are some things you should know about massage therapy:

Why should I get massage therapy?

Massage therapy is a way for people to be able to recover from soreness and pain in their muscles. Some of the more specific reasons for massage include treatment for the following conditions:

Back pain
Arthritis and tendonitis
Stress relief and stress-related conditions
Headaches and migraines
Muscle and related conditions such as spasms, strains and sprains
Repetitive strain injury, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
Circulatory and respiratory problems
Post-injury and post surgical rehabilitation

How does Massage Therapy Work?

Massage therapy works by improving the circulation of oxygen and other nutrients to the various parts of the body. The long, smooth strokes, kneading and other movements done aim to remove inflammation in the muscles and other areas of the body.

By improving this circulation, massage relieves muscle tension and pain, and also clears lactic acid and other waste materials found in the muscles and joints.

Will the movements hurt?

Some people may feel a very mild pain when pressure is applied on very tense muscles. However, you can always have the pressure lightened if the discomfort is too great.

Is massage therapy all I need to cure my back pain?

Massage therapy should never be used as a replacement for a medical checkup. It should only be a tool to help relieve you of the back pain or other pains that you feel. You should always go to a doctor or a medical expert if the pain is too severe or if it worsens over time.

Review of the EP 550™ Inversion Table

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:49:43 +0000

It is a fact that back pain can be caused by a variety of causes. However, one of the most common reasons that people would have this kind of pain is because of the regular wear and tear brought about by our regular activities. Due to gravity, our bad posture, or additional strain caused by poor movements we have made our spine a bit tighter and more compact. This additional tightness may pinch the nerves which would be one of the main reasons that people feel pain.

Because of these findings about back pain, experts have thought that a way for people to be able to recover from it would be to decompress the spine. Decompressing the spine is exactly what the name implies. Through a variety of techniques it tries to loosen the tightness and stop the compact position of the discs to give us relief from back pain.

One of the things that help in decompressing the spine is called Inversion therapy. Inversion therapy would usually involve hanging a person upside down or at an inverted angle. The inverted angle helps in diminishing the influence of gravity, reducing the compression of the vertebrae and discs and allowing the muscles and ligaments that encase the spine to relax.

Of course, to be able to get that inverted angle, you would need the aid of some fitness equipment. This is where the EP 550™ Inversion Table comes in. The EP 550™ Inversion Table is a fitness equipment that allows back pain sufferers to easily experience the benefits of Inversion Therapy.

What I like about this product:

Quiet operation:

As the inversion therapy table would require me to move, I was glad to know that it was free from the creaky and squeaky sounds of other inverstion tables.

This is because the EP 550™ Inversion Table is made with a de-rattler knob and specialized pivot bearings to ensure that you would have quiet operations throughout your exercise and therapy sessions.

There would be no annoying sounds with the EP 550™ Inversion Table.

Safe:

For someone with a bad back, it would be quite risky to get into a machine that might break down and cause further injury. That’s why I liked that the EP 550™ Inversion Table seems to be sturdily constructed and that I felt safe when I was strapped onto it.

Its auto-locking hinges, cam locks, and heat-treated steel parts help in ensuring the toughness and security of this inversion table.

What they can improve on:

More padding and wider handles:

When I was strapped onto the EP 550™ Inversion Table, I couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable with the handles of the machine.

This was because it was a bit too narrow for my taste. I hoped that it was a bit bigger to make it feel more comfortable while doing my exercise.

Recommendation:

I would recommend the EP 550™ Inversion Table to anyone who would want to try inversion therapy at the comfort of their own homes. It is a safe and effective way to get that decompression that you need to feel better.

With that said, always remember to first check with your doctors, before engaging in any type of exercise or physical activity.

Inversion Therapy: The Basics

Back & Neck Pain Resources — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:39:50 +0000