Neck pain is termed chronic if it has temporary relief periods followed by intense pain for at least three months. The pain takes away the pleasure of life, your hobbies, and if you are not feeling pain at the moment, you still feel it lingering. It may as well be the best definition of frustration. Living with chronic neck pain calls for remedies to alleviate the pain below.
What to do to relieve chronic neck pain
- Keep off bad energy
Stress isn’t good for anyone, especially those suffering from chronic upper back and neck pain, because high-stress levels intensify the agony. That applies to any other negative feeling like anxiety, depression, and anger. Relief starts with learning to manage stress. To reduce stress and relax, consider calming and soothing sounds or music.
- Exercise
Exercise evokes natural endorphins, which reduce pain. Endorphins are chemicals that work to improve your mood and block pain signals. Besides, it strengthens the muscles, inhibiting re-injury and more pain.
- Avoid alcohol and cigarettes
When living with severe neck pain, quality sleep becomes a thing of the past. While we may take alcohol to ‘relax,’ taking alcohol fosters sleeping issues. Without a doubt, staying off the bottle will boost the quality of life. On the other hand, smoking can result in painful circulation problems. It contains nicotine which accelerates pain and delays the body’s healing properties.
- Modify your lifestyle
Chronic pain can be frustrating, but fighting to maintain your original lifestyle will only make things worse. So, accept, and adapt to the new lifestyle. Consider all kinds of things that suit you, like taking breaks between activities and noting those that make the pain worse.
- Get massage services
A massage session will undoubtedly relieve muscle tension and stress and, in turn, back pain.
- Good diet
A well-balanced diet is responsible for many benefits like managing weight to minimize spine pressure and, sequentially, reduce neck pain. Living with an aching upper back may require avoiding foods with high inflammatory levels. These are rich in refined sugars, trans fats and are processed.
Medical approaches to neck and upper back include:
- Physical therapy
Every chronic back treatment starts with physical therapy, with guidance from physicians or a spine physical therapist, depending on your condition. But just like any other treatment, it works differently for everyone, calling for tailored approaches to specific symptoms and conditions.
- Injection treatments
These treatments include nerve ablations, nerve blocks, epidural steroid injections and are perfect when the cause of the pain has been established.
- Pharmacologic treatments
Several medications can help manage back pain, including muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory drugs, and analgesics. However, they come with side effects, and others should only be taken for short periods. If everything fails, the specialist will consider opioids as a last resort.
- Other treatments
- Acupuncture
- Massage
- Laser and biofeedback therapies
- Electrical stimulation of the nerves
- The neck pain specialist will take you through the alternatives to help you determine the best one for you.
Wish to see an Orlando pain clinic for your chronic neck pain?
At Orlando Pain Solutions, our specialists will investigate your medical history and use our vast knowledge and experience with state-of-the-art technology to give an accurate diagnosis of your chronic neck pain.
We recommend that patients record their pain level and daily activities for effective treatments. This way, we can understand how you live with the pain and functioning level and what may help. We will also gauge if your diet contributes to pain and suggest the foods that suit your condition.
