These days, many of us are spending a lot more time looking forward. While planning ahead and considering the future is a positive thing, when it comes to your neck, too much of a forward focus can be a bad thing. A forward head posture is more common as we hunch over our phones, laptops, and steering wheels with increasing frequency. The resulting “nerd neck” can bring with it pain and tension up and down the spine. How to fix nerd neck and still meet the demands of daily life? Here are some of the best approaches to easing the pain of a forward head posture.

What is nerd neck?

Nerd neck, also known as text neck or tech neck, is a forward head posture where the skull actually floats one or more inches in front of the cervical spine. Our cervical spine has a natural gentle curve forward and up to catch the base of the skull, but nerd neck exaggerates that curve.

In addition to this exaggeration, most people with nerd neck also tilt their head back, lifting their chin slightly. This places pressure on the upper cervical vertebrae as well.

This exaggeration and pressure have disastrous effects. The spine is beautifully designed as the body’s support structure, keeping us centered and aligned to provide balance in our body. With a forward head posture, the weight of the head throws this balance off. For every inch your head moves forward out of alignment, your shoulders carry an additional ten pounds of pressure.

Imagine carrying a small toddler on your back up the stairs to bed. Pretty easy, right?

Now imagine carrying that same toddler around all day long. Sitting at a desk, walking down the street, shopping for groceries. That toddler adds significant strain and pressure on your entire body, starting with the sides of the neck and shoulders and moving down the lower back. You might find yourself with increasingly rounded shoulders as you try to support the toddler that your head has become, leading to all sorts of mechanical issues in your body.

Nerd neck has become even more common as our workplace has changed. More people working in computer-related industries started this trend. And, in 2020 as people began to work at home in response to COVID-19, hastily assembled home workspaces added to the problem. It sounds like a bonus to work on a comfy couch in your jammies, but the lack of support can hurt over time. Even for people who are lucky enough to have a designated workspace at home, poorly laid out workstations can lead to rounded shoulders and poor posture.

Risk factors

While too much driving and screen time are the primary causes of nerd neck, there are other risk factors. They include:

• Carrying an overloaded backpack
• Excessive gaming
• Sleeping with your head out of proper alignment (too high)
• Injuries to the neck or shoulders
• Unbalanced physical activity (e.g., tennis)
• Occupations with unbalanced repetitive motion (such as a hairstylist, painter, massage therapist, etc.)

These days, it is safe to say that the majority of people have some degree of forward head posture.

Do I have nerd neck?

First, the good news. While most people have some degree of forward head posture, many of these cases can be gently corrected by making simple adjustments.

But the first step is to know what the signs and symptoms are and to receive a proper diagnosis. Common signs of nerd neck include the following:

• Tension headaches
• Shoulder pain
• Neck pain
• Rounded shoulders (kyphosis or “dowager’s hump”)
• Muscle spasms
• Chronic fatigue
• Restricted breathing
• Temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) pain
• Insomnia
• Sleep apnea
• Numbness and tingling of the arms and hands

Long term, the symptoms become more serious. You might experience reduced mobility in the shoulders, arthritis in your neck, bulging cervical discs, osteoporosis, and vertebral fractures. Pain may become severe and chronic, largely affecting your everyday life.

One of the simplest ways to figure out if you have a forward head posture can also be done at home.

1. Stand with your back to a wall
2. Press your shoulder blades and heels to the wall
3. Keep feet hips width distance apart

When you do this, does your skull make contact with the wall? If not, chances are good you have some degree of tech neck.

There are other ways to diagnose nerd neck, though. Your doctor will collect a complete medical history that includes things like the work you do, when the symptoms began, and any underlying injuries or past trauma. They will conduct a complete physical exam to check for areas of tenderness and limited mobility.

Over time and in severe cases, X-rays can pick up the changes in your spine. Your doctor may also order an MRI or a CT scan. In some cases, a bone scan may also be recommended to check for bone thinning or potential damage.

As noted above, you may be able to ease your pain without intervention, but if pain becomes debilitating or life-altering, check in with your doctor.

How to fix nerd neck: 11 approaches

In thinking about how to fix nerd neck, it’s best to start with conservative treatments before trying more interventional therapies.

Here are 11 treatment approaches to try. As always, work with your doctor before attempting many of these on your own.

1. Notice the problem

Start at the very beginning by becoming aware of when you are thrusting your head forward. This type of retraining can go a long way.

Pay special attention when you are driving or working at your computer. A sticky note on your screen or steering wheel can help.

2. Make ergonomic changes

Ergonomics is the study of the way we use our bodies in an environment.

Consider driving. If your body is too far back from the steering wheel, you will need to hunch your shoulders to reach it. If your rearview mirror is tilted up too high, you might lift your chin to see who’s behind you.

These are easy fixes. Adjust the distance to the steering wheel so that you can reach ten and two without hunching. Add a pillow behind your lower back to encourage a natural lumbar curve. Tilt the rearview mirror down so you have to keep your chin level to see what’s behind you.

Whether you are working remotely or heading to the office every day, ergonomic changes can make a world of difference there, too. Pain from sitting at a desk is very common, but ergonomics can help.

Try these adjustments:

• Sit closer to your desk so you don’t have to reach forward
• Use a pillow at your lower back to protect its natural curve
• Keep your feet flat on the floor directly below your knees
• Place your keyboard so your forearms are parallel with the floor, and elbows directly below your shoulders
• Adjust your computer monitor so that you can read it with your chin parallel to the floor (not tilted up or down)

3. Shop for accessories

The adjustments above can go a long way towards relieving tech neck, but sometimes accessories can help.

Look for desk chairs with built-in ergonomic support and computer accessories that keep wrists and arms at the proper angles.

4. Dump the extra gear

If you are a student lugging around biology textbooks or someone who carries their whole life in a backpack on a daily basis, it’s time to downsize.

Chances are good that the biology textbook has an online counterpart. Keep the heavy text at home for studying and use the online version when you are away from home.

Similarly, if you bring a heavy backpack to work every day, take a look at what’s really essential. Think like a long-distance hiker and get rid of things you don’t absolutely need. If you have your own office and can store things there, take advantage of that, too.

5. Start doing regular nerd neck exercises

Sure, you might do a few neck rolls after a particularly long morning at your computer, but that might not be enough to relieve neck pain. Nerd neck exercises, done regularly, don’t just provide a break at work. They can also strengthen the muscles in the neck and all along the spine to help actually correct a forward head posture.

Consider yoga to relieve neck pain, or try a few of the following stretches in regular intervals throughout the day:

• Release the trapezius muscle
• Stretches at the wall to relieve tight pectoral muscles
• Wall angels to stabilize the spine and restore the proper cervical curve
• Open the sides of the neck with easy SCM stretches

All of these can be done at your desk on a regular basis. These stretching breaks remind you to pay attention to your posture, too.

6. Practice self-massage

We may not all be able to head to regular massage therapy, but we can certainly take a break to administer self-massage to tight, sore neck muscles.

7. Get regular full-body exercise

While we are focusing in this article on how to fix nerd neck, we cannot ignore the importance of overall physical health. Full-body exercise such as walking, swimming, cycling, and yoga help us in many different ways. For example, exercise:

• Relieves stress that can cause muscles to tense up
• Helps maintain a healthy weight
• Builds overall strength to support the whole body

Another benefit of exercise is that it helps fight fatigue. When we get tired, we have a tendency to slouch and slump. This can make nerd neck worse.

The recommended amount of exercise for maintaining good health is 150 minutes a week, spread out over the course of the week. This is less than three hours of exercise a week, a little over 20 minutes a day. Wake up with a short yoga routine, or incorporate a daily walk during lunch or after dinner with the family.

8. Try a nerd neck pillow

If sleep is a literal pain in the neck, time to consider a nerd neck pillow to get a better night of sleep.

This type of pillow provides support that keeps the cervical spine aligned properly: not too high, and not too low. Look for a better pillow for neck pain, and ask your doctor for recommendations if you’re not sure what works best for you.

9. Consider physical therapy

Physical therapists design tailored exercises to focus on your body and what it needs to heal from tech neck. Their targeted exercises can go a long way to increase strength, relieve pain, and restore your range of motion.

10. Visit a chiropractor

Chiropractors specialize in misalignment of the spine. As part of a treatment plan that includes exercise and ergonomic changes, chiropractors can identify and adjust mechanical issues that are contributing to neck or shoulder pain.

11. Consider more interventional strategies

As you work to correct the mechanical issues causing nerd neck, you might want to explore more interventional therapies to help with pain while you rehabilitate your neck and spine.

Some of these include:

• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
• Cervical epidural steroid injections
• Occipital nerve blocks
• Radiofrequency ablation

These interventional strategies (and other interventional neck pain treatments) are just one part of a comprehensive treatment approach.

Learn more

At Arizona Pain, our pain specialists understand the demands of our daily life and the toll that can take on our bodies.

We know how to fix nerd neck. If you are looking for neck pain treatment in Arizona, get in touch to schedule your appointment today!

In the U.S., cars are an indispensable part of daily life, taking us to and from work, school, and entertainment. Unfortunately, hurling down the freeway at 65 miles per hour is dangerous, and millions of people sustain injuries from car accidents every year. Prompt treatment for car accident injuries is important to minimize the potential for future chronic pain conditions. When it comes to injuries from car accidents, here’s what you need to know.

How common are car accidents?

Motor vehicle accidents are frighteningly common. Nationally, more than 4.4 million people were injured in car crashes in 2019, and nearly 39,000 people in the U.S. lost their lives.

In Arizona, more than 39,000 people experienced a car accident-related injury in 2019, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). Most crashes happen during rush hour on Fridays, with October ranking as the peak month for accidents, according to ADOT.

Car crashes are especially perilous when they happen at high speeds, sometimes leaving people with car accident injuries that can include whiplash, back pain, head trauma, or broken bones.

But injuries can occur at any speed, and the most common accidents happen when cars are moving slowly. Of all road-traffic accidents, 90% occur at speeds of less than 14 mph, and it is in these that whiplash injuries can still occur. Even more startling is that injuries can occur even at speeds between six and nine mph.

Regardless of speed, research shows that car accident victims are more likely to develop chronic pain. In a study published in Arthritis Care and Research, researchers found that 43% of study subjects with chronic pain had been involved in a traumatic event, like an accident.

What are the most common types of car accident injuries?

Injuries from car accidents can range from a mild annoyance to life-threatening. These are the most common to occur after an accident.

Cuts, scrapes, bruises, and broken bones

The most obvious injuries from car accidents are those you can clearly see on your skin. Cuts, scrapes, bruises, and broken bones are very common in car accidents.

More serious injuries can occur when you are not properly restrained, and your body is thrown around the car during the collision.

Whiplash

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries resulting from a car accident. It’s most frequently caused by rear-end collisions. When a car hits you from behind, the force of the collision sends your body forward. Caught by your seatbelt, the rest of your body stops, but your neck continues to travel forward until the top of the spine snaps your head back into place.

This near-instantaneous action causes your neck to jolt back and forth. The cervical facet joints that connect the vertebrae are most affected, but the tendons and muscles in the neck are also involved in this type of injury from car accidents.

Symptoms of whiplash include:

• Neck pain and stiffness
• Headaches
• Blurred vision
• Dizziness
• Fatigue

Some people experience ringing in the ears or problems with memory or concentration, but this is less common. In some cases, whiplash can damage the discs in between vertebrae in the cervical spine. Patients experiencing this type of injury will likely feel pain or stiffness as well.

To diagnose whiplash, doctors typically order X-rays or more thorough tests like MRIs or CT scans that have the ability to detect soft tissue damage.

Lower back pain

Most people think of whiplash as a neck injury, but lower back pain due to whiplash is also common. Your spine is a connected chain of vertebrae. Even if the injury occurs in the cervical spine, you may have pain and tenderness in the lower back.

And even if you don’t sustain a blow to the back, sudden, jarring movements may result in discomfort. Back pain may sometimes have no clear cause other than the collision. And you can have lower back pain without whiplash, too.

Head injuries

Although a seatbelt can contribute to whiplash by stopping the body short, not wearing one can result in serious head injuries and trauma. Head injuries are common in car crash victims who are not properly restrained. These are almost always the result of a blow to the head upon impact (most frequently the windshield).

Traumatic brain injury may result, and the most common type of injury is a concussion.

Symptoms of a concussion include:

• Loss of consciousness immediately following impact
• Headache
• Impaired memory
• Dizziness
• Vision problems

Note that you do not have to lose consciousness to sustain a concussion. A concussion can also occur as a result of whiplash. Remember that your brain is essentially floating in your skull. When your skull stops, your brain keeps traveling forward and runs into the bones of your skull. The action of the brain hitting the skull can cause traumatic brain injury, too.

Internal bleeding and injury

Internal bleeding is an injury that has the potential to be fatal. There are a few signs of internal bleeding. You may have some of the following symptoms after your car accident.

• Bruising around your navel
• Pain in the chest or belly
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Difficulty breathing
• Swollen abdomen
• Dizziness
• Light-headedness
• Blood in your urine or stool
• Blood in your mouth

If you experience any of the symptoms of internal bleeding, this is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention.

Why is car accident injury treatment so important?

Many injuries that occur during a car accident may not appear obvious. Many people “feel fine” after the accident and don’t even consider seeking medical attention.

It makes sense. Without cuts, scrapes, bruises, or broken bones, you might hesitate to head to your doctor. This is especially true if you are otherwise calm and the accident occurred at a lower speed.

But getting evaluated for injuries from car accidents is important. Whiplash and other spinal injuries may not be painful at first due to the surge of adrenaline that accompanies a collision. Internal bleeding symptoms may be subtle and mild, and it might be easy to discount them. And a serious traumatic brain injury may be masked by the activity surrounding the car accident.

The best practice is to call your doctor immediately following your car accident to schedule an examination. It may be days before symptoms appear, but it’s important to be evaluated as soon as possible. Even when you are given a clean bill of health, stay on the lookout in the days and weeks following any car accident for potential lingering effects.

Treatment for injuries from car accidents

For many people, rest is crucial after a car accident. Talk to your doctor, then take at least the rest of the day off to recuperate and relax after the trauma of an accident.

There are a variety of general treatment options that are recommended regardless of the type of injury you sustain. These include:

• Proper exercise and nutrition
• Acupuncture
• Medication management
• Over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., ibuprofen and naproxen sodium)
• Hot and cold therapy

Physical therapy

Physical therapy is also a common treatment for injuries from car accidents. The exact regimen of physical therapy will vary depending upon the type of injury sustained. Treatment may include a combination of hands-on stretching and strengthening exercises or other techniques.

Therapists work with patients to develop a customized series of exercises to help them regain muscle strength and flexibility. Building strength is just as important as regaining flexibility, and physical therapy regimens include a mixture of exercises to achieve both those goals.

A physical therapist can guide patients through exercises and give them a set of exercises to complete on their own at home.

Chiropractic care

Chiropractic care helps the body regain optimal spinal alignment, which is often lost during traumatic incidents like car accidents. During treatment, chiropractors often use a method known as spinal manipulation or adjustment. This method involves the use of controlled force to re-align vertebrae and stop them from placing painful pressure on spinal nerves.

Spinal adjustments may help you feel better after just one treatment, although some patients need multiple treatments to achieve the desired effect.

Whiplash treatments

Whiplash or whiplash-associated disorders (referred to as WAD) occur when the neck is hyperextended and exceeds its normal range of motion. The “whipping” motion of the eight-pound head at the end of the spine can be painful and cause tremendous damage.

Treatments for whiplash depend on the specific type of injury that occurs. These can include:

• Intervertebral joint injury
• Intervertebral disc injury
• Muscle strain injury
• Ligament injury
• Neurovascular injury
• Vertebral fracture

There are a variety of effective treatment options to help with whiplash injuries and the pain that results. Your treatment plan will depend entirely on your specific injury and symptoms, but may include one or more of the following.

• Active release technique® (ART)
• Cervical steroid injection
• Facet joint injection
• Spinal decompression
• Kyphoplasty

Some patients may also benefit from a procedure known as cervical facet radiofrequency neurotomy. This technique prevents damaged nerves in the cervical spine from sending pain signals to the brain. The outpatient procedure lasts about an hour and involves the use of heat to damage the targeted nerve. Pain relief lasts anywhere from several months to several years. One of the benefits of this technique is that it allows you to begin other treatments to heal the underlying damage in your neck.

Back pain treatments

Many back pain treatments after car accident focus on injuries to the lower back but can also treat middle and upper back pain.

Several types of injections are available to alleviate persistent pain that develops following car accident injuries. Injections are designed to directly target the pain-causing nerves—as opposed to pills, for example, that impact the entire body.

Three common injections that can help treat the pain of injuries from car accidents include:

• Medial branch blocks
• Epidural steroid injections
• Trigger point injections

Injections help to alleviate inflammation and pain. The procedure generally begins with a topical anesthetic, followed by an injection. Many people experience rapid pain relief that allows them to return to their daily life more quickly.

Since injections do involve needles and powerful medications, they’re more invasive than the other types of therapies mentioned. Because of this, they’re recommended on a case-by-case basis. They can, however, provide relief without the need for more invasive surgery.

Contact us for help after a car accident

If you are involved in a car accident at any speed, it’s crucial to seek medical attention that same day. Mild injuries may go unnoticed in the aftermath of the accident, and they may become serious in the days that follow.

If you suspect you might have experienced injuries from a car accident and need a complete evaluation and treatment plan, get in touch with Arizona Pain to schedule your appointment today.

Technology is great, but with each new development comes new problems for society to adapt to. One problem that has come to light in recent years is text neck, which is pain caused by too much hunching over a phone, tablet, or other device. Text neck can become serious if left untreated. Luckily, it’s usually easy to fix, especially if you start treatment early enough. In this post, we’ll explain what text neck is, list some of the most common symptoms, and how you can find relief.

What is text neck pain?

The term “text neck” describes the neck, upper back, or shoulder pain (or all three!) that can occur when using a mobile device, such as a cell phone or tablet. It typically can occur if you spend three or more hours a day bending over your devices. Despite the name, you don’t need to text a lot or even at all to suffer from text neck. Any time spent looking down at a device—or anything else, for that matter—can contribute to its development. This can include gaming, working through emails, or browsing social media.

But why does text neck happen at all?

The answer lies in the way your head and spine are constructed. Although the average human head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds, the farther forward you bend it, the harder it becomes for your spine to support it. Depending on the angle you hold your head at while texting, you could be putting anywhere from 27 to 60 pounds of pressure on your spine!

Text neck can be quite painful, and its symptoms will get progressively worse if you do nothing.

This is true of all sufferers, but it is especially so for young people whose bodies are still developing. Cell phones are becoming more and more popular among children and teens. As a result, more and more children and teens are showing symptoms of text neck. Allowing text neck to go untreated in young people could lead to permanently altered posture or lifelong chronic pain.

Do I have text neck?

Neck pain is very common, especially among women. Harvard Medical School estimates that around 70% of people will suffer from neck pain at some point in their lives. This pain can have many sources, so how can you tell if your pain is caused by text neck or by something else?

First, review your phone habits. Do you find yourself constantly looking down to read and reply to texts? When you get bored, is your first response to reach for your phone? Do you often use apps to read or play games? If you spend hours a day staring at your phone or other devices, then there is a real possibility your neck pain stems from text neck.

The symptom most associated with text neck is pain in the upper back, neck, and shoulders, although the pain can spread all the way down to your fingers. You may also experience headaches. In addition, hunching over too much can lead to reduced lung capacity, since constantly rounding your shoulders forward leaves less room for your lungs to expand.

In extreme cases, text neck may lead to a herniated disc. This condition occurs when the cushioning layer, or disc, between two vertebrae suffers damage, forcing the vertebrae into direct contact with each other. The extra stress that you put on your spine by frequently tilting your head forward may, in rare cases, be enough to cause herniation. Symptoms of a herniated disc include:

• Tingling in the affected area
• Muscle weakness
• Intense shooting pains

If you or someone you love is exhibiting any of these symptoms, it’s important to take action before symptoms worsen. The rest of this post outlines different text neck treatment options you can try to find relief.

How to fix text neck, 8 ways

Before you begin any treatment for text neck, be sure to consult with your doctor. They will examine you and point you towards the treatments that will work best for you. They will also confirm that your neck pain is not caused by something rarer and more dangerous than text neck.

There are many ways to ease neck pain, no matter the cause. Some treatments require consulting with numerous professionals, while other lifestyle changes can ease symptoms and provide relief with a few daily adjustments. Typically, your doctor will advise you to start with non-invasive therapies or lifestyle adjustments before jumping into more interventional approaches.

1. Change your habits

The first and most basic treatment to try is improving your texting habits.

Don’t worry—you won’t have to give up texting all together—but keep track of the amount of time you spend staring down at devices, and take regular breaks. Newer iOS phones have built-in trackers so you can see how much time you’re spending on your phone. Tracking apps also exist for both iOS and Android devices. These are easy to use and generally free, allowing you to chart how much you’re using your phone and when.

When you do use a device, try to keep it at roughly eye level so that you don’t have to bend forward to see the screen. Finally, check your posture regularly, even when you aren’t using your phone. Is your head tilted forward? Are your shoulders slumped? If so, you may wish to learn more about what good posture looks like and how you can achieve it.

These are small actions, but don’t underestimate how much they can do for your pain. As mentioned earlier, text neck is caused by bending forward too much. By being more conscious of your posture and texting habits, many of your text neck symptoms may clear up without further treatment.

2. Check out text neck apps and devices

While changing your habits is one of the most basic solutions for text neck, it won’t necessarily be easy. If you are used to moving or acting in a certain way, you might find yourself slipping back into old, bad habits in spite of your best intentions. This can be frustrating, especially if it happens over and over again.

Fortunately, although technology may create problems, it can aid in solving them as well. If you need a little extra help remembering not to hunch over your phone, a text neck app like Text Neck Indicator LITE will provide timely reminders to straighten up and hold your phone at eye level.

In addition to apps, there are other devices that you may find useful. Posture correctors, for example, are designed to prevent slouching and the pain that so often accompanies it. Amazon sells a variety of them, ranging in price from $15 to $28 as of this writing.

3. Practice text neck stretches and exercises

Text neck develops because you’re holding your head in the same stressful position for long periods of time. Moving your neck and shoulders around regularly can do wonders to ease stiffness and discomfort. One study even suggests that exercise and physical therapy are more effective in reducing neck pain than medication, both in the short term and the long term.

Before you start a new exercise routine, talk with your doctor to make sure that the exercises you have in mind are safe for you.

Once your physician gives you the go-ahead, these 35 stretches and exercises may be a good place to start. Set aside some time each day to slowly work through that list and figure out which stretches work best for you. Be careful not to spend too much time on these in the beginning, especially if you aren’t used to exercising that part of your body. It’s healthier and safer to build up to your desired exercise routine over time.

4. Get text neck massages

Massage is a popular method of pain relief, in part because it can be very effective and in part because it just feels good.

You don’t have to go out and pay for a masseuse to enjoy the benefits of a good massage, though. Self-massage is a quick and economical way to get pain relief. You can teach yourself some self-massage techniques and then use them whenever and wherever you feel the need!

If you do have the time, budget, and desire for a professional massage, there are several styles to choose from. Each of them has its pros and cons. Read up on the different types of massage and pick one that suits your needs.

5. Try chiropractic care for text neck pain

Chiropractors are trained to treat many back pain sources, from traumatic injuries to text neck. They will manipulate your spine into better alignment and provide advice on what you can do on your own to reduce neck and back pain.

As always, you’ll want to talk to your doctor before consulting a chiropractor, as it may not be a safe treatment option for everyone.

6. Physical therapy for text neck

Like we mentioned earlier, physical therapy can be extremely effective at providing long-term pain relief, more so than medication. Most reassuringly, it has a good track record of success in text neck cases.

A physical therapist will use multiple treatment methods to decrease or even eliminate neck pain. These methods may include exercises, heat/ice therapy, joint manipulation, guidance on changes to your daily routine, and many more. The exact treatments used will depend on you and your needs.

7. Consider TENS unit therapy for neck pain

TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) units use low-level electrical pulses to eliminate pain. There is limited large-scale studies of its efficacy, but it also has a low risk of side effects.

If you’ve tried other treatments and they haven’t helped, talk to your doctor about TENS unit therapy and if it could work for you.

8. Talk to your doctor about neck pain injections and surgery

If you have tried all of the above treatment options and are still experiencing debilitating neck pain, it might be time to consider something more drastic. Injections or surgery may provide relief when more common treatments just aren’t enough.

If regular medications are insufficient to curb pain, your doctor may recommend injections, such as trigger point injections. These involve injecting anesthetics or steroids directly into the affected muscle. They are used to treat a variety of aches and pains, including neck pain.

Surgery is another treatment option to be aware of, although you more than likely won’t need it. One scenario that may require surgery is if your text neck has resulted in a severely herniated disc—though again, this happens only very rarely. While surgery isn’t often used as an initial treatment for herniated discs, it sometimes becomes necessary after other treatments fail to adequately address the pain.

Injections and surgery are a last resort, and the odds of your needing either of them are slim. Text neck is a very treatable condition, especially when caught early. Only in the most severe cases will you need to resort to interventional treatments.

Find help

Dealing with pain alone can be scary. Always talk openly to your doctor about the challenges you’re facing to see how they can help.

If you’re suffering from severe or long-lasting pain in your neck, it may be time to talk to a pain specialist. They will help you decide which treatment is right for you and develop a comprehensive pain management approach that helps you get back to your life. If you’re in Arizona, get in touch with one of our pain doctors today for more information!

Neck pain affects about 15% of adults in the U.S., mostly women, and can lead to chronic discomfort that impacts a person’s daily life. In this post, we’re looking at some of the leading treatments and neck pain exercises you can do to find neck pain relief.

Finding neck pain relief

Causes of neck pain range from poor posture to medical conditions like arthritis. The severity and duration of neck pain varies depending on the primary cause. Posture can be corrected while arthritis is a more lasting concern.

Neck pain may cause only a sore neck, but sometimes, particularly when the cervical facet joints become damaged, pain or inflammation can also affect the shoulder or upper back. Sometimes even turning the head becomes a painful ordeal. This dramatically lowers quality of life, and reduces a person’s ability to work and engage in other life activities.

Fortunately, a range of treatments is available to help you find neck pain relief. The specific methods that could help you vary depending on the cause of pain, so be sure to contact your neck pain doctor to discuss the specifics of each one.

1. Biofeedback for neck pain relief

Through learning biofeedback techniques, patients learn to control important body vital signs including temperature and heart rate, in addition to developing the ability to relax specific muscles.

Patients learn these special techniques while receiving real-time feedback from electrical sensors that are applied to their body during training sessions. As patients learn methods of controlling vital signs and other important body functions, they receive information from the sensors, helping them to refine their biofeedback abilities.

Studies show the technique is highly effective for reducing neck pain. Research published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation showed that patients who participated in a six-week-long biofeedback training session experienced significantly reduced pain when compared to other study subjects who didn’t participate in the sessions.

Other experimental groups in the study included one that completed an exercise regimen and another that received a type of electrical stimulation therapy. A control group was supplied with educational pamphlets but did not receive any treatment.

Biofeedback is an excellent treatment method for finding neck pain relief because it’s non-invasive, instead harnessing the power of the mind/body connection to alleviate pain and help patients regain a sense of control over their lives.

2. Chiropractic care for neck pain

Chiropractors specialize in making sure patients have optimal spinal alignment. Alignment is very important to evaluate in neck pain because in many cases, patients’ pain results from poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle. Spending the day in front of the computer and television screen is typical for many people, but the hunched-over postures commonly adopted while participating in these activities is a common source of neck pain.

To help a patient find pain relief, a chiropractor may apply controlled thrusts to the spine in a specific way to reset the bones and ligaments into optimal alignment, relieving pressure and pain.

3. Virtual reality, for neck pain? 

No, we’re not talking about escaping to a new reality where neck pain doesn’t exist, but instead using wearable technology to shift patients’ perceptions of how much they are moving.

Pain has much to do with the brain and perception, and researchers at the University of South Australia recently studied this connection using virtual reality. Subjects wore head-mounted devices that were set up to over- or under-estimate how much they moved their heads.

Patients experienced a greater range of motion when the virtual reality devices they wore understated how much they moved. In other words, they may have turned their heads two inches, but saw only one inch in the virtual reality.

Conversely, patients whose devices overestimated how much their heads moved—making it seem as if a patient turned the head two inches when in real life, the movement spanned one inch—experienced a smaller range of pain-free motion. Scientist Lorimer Moseley says:

“Our findings show that the brain does not need danger messages coming from the tissues of the body in order to generate pain in that body part.”

A patient believing pain will soon come based on external cues is sometimes enough to trigger sensation, Moseley adds. The results encouraged researchers to believe that next-generation treatments for neck pain will focus on helping patients differentiate between stimuli that will lead to pain and those they only think will lead to pain.

The 24 subjects recruited for the study had suffered from neck pain for an average of 11 years that resulted from causes including poor posture, trauma, and scoliosis, making this group representative of many other chronic pain patients.

4. Active release technique for neck pain relief

This highly specialized form of therapeutic massage, also referred to as ART, involves using deep pressure to break up scar tissue that may have formed in the soft tissue of the painful area.

Sometimes, neck pain results from a muscle strain or the accumulation of many small tears within soft tissue. These situations may result in the build-up of scar tissue that a deeply penetrating technique like ART can disband. The patient is often active during this process, moving in specific ways to augment the breaking up of scar tissue.

ART helps to restore the natural integrity of soft tissue, removing pain at its source.

5. Acupuncture for neck pain

This ancient therapy involves the use of long, thin needles inserted into the skin, their placement dictated by where the patient feels pain.

Acupuncture comes from the ancient system of Chinese medicine, which holds that the body has invisible lines of energy running through it known as meridians. Every organ and part of the body is connected to a specific meridian, and an acupuncturist has the ability to evaluate patients and determine the appropriate placement of needles to facilitate pain relief.

A review of research by doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found the ancient treatment helped to reduce half of all patients’ pain by 50%, reports ABC News. The study reviewed the treatment’s effectiveness for four conditions, including neck pain. Study author Andrew Vickers told ABC News:

“There is now a solid evidence base for referring patients for acupuncture.”

Because the therapy is so ancient, it’s based on theories not contained in modern medical books, and so many Western doctors have remained skeptical of its efficacy. Increasing amounts of research is showing that acupuncture has profound benefits for neck pain relief, even though the mechanisms underlying the relief aren’t fully understood.

6. Yoga for neck pain

If you’re suffering from chronic neck pain, you’ve probably tried just about everything to find neck pain relief. Yoga, the ancient mind/body practice that’s gained much recognition for reducing stress, may not be the first method on your list of ways to minimize neck pain. But studies show these neck pain relief exercises work.

German researchers found that a group of patients with chronic neck pain experienced neck pain relief and improved quality of life after participating in yoga classes. Authors of the research, published in The Journal of Pain, theorized that yoga poses simultaneously reduced muscle tension while strengthening neck muscles, encouraging proper alignment and optimal support for the head.

Researchers focused on Iyengar yoga, a special form that emphasizes proper alignment—even moreso than other schools of yoga. In Iyengar, poses are traditionally completed with an array of props that assist students as they hold poses for long periods of time. However, other types of yoga can also help strengthen neck muscles and encourage them to reset into optimal alignment.

Here are a few yoga for neck pain poses to try. Want to follow along? Click play on the video now and then read through each pose!

1. Triangle pose—Utthita Trikonasana

Enter this pose from standing tall in mountain pose, with the feet together or slightly apart at the top of the mat. Step the right foot back a few feet so the edge of the foot is parallel to the back of the mat. Or, if it feels better, turn the toes of the right foot inward 15 or 20 degrees. The arch of the right foot should align with the heel of the left foot.

The left toes remain pointing forward toward the front of the mat. Feel free to adjust your stance, widening or narrowing it, to feel comfortable. Keep the legs straight.

On an inhale, lift the arms so they’re parallel to the ground and reach forward, past the left toes, as if a string was tied to your left hand. Keep the spine nice and tall, heart open, as if pressing the body against a pane of glass behind you. Glide the left hand down toward the ground, lowering only as low as your hamstring will allow.

The full expression of the pose involves resting the fingertips on the floor, but don’t sacrifice form for depth. Instead, keep the spine nice and long, with the heart open as the left hand drifts lower. Rest the hand on the leg, or on a block, but engage the core to maintain the posture instead of dumping weight into the hand. Hold for five or ten breaths and then repeat on the other side.

2. Side angle pose—Utthita Parsvakonasana

This pose begins with the same foot orientation as triangle pose. Doing the left side first, stand with the legs a few feet apart, the right foot parallel to the mat or toes turned slightly in, and the left foot perpendicular to the right, with heel to arch alignment.

Bend the left knee so it’s directly above the ankle. This may require adjusting the stance a little bit. You’ll feel the hips begin to open and the leg muscles engage. Stretch the arms out parallel to the ground on an inhale, with the gaze out over the left hand. Keep the torso nice and long, with the crown of the head reaching towards the sky, not drifting forward.

Bend the left arm and place the forearm on the left thigh. Reach the right arm up overhead, straight to the sky. Keep the gaze on the ground, out to the side, or up to the sky, staying mindful of the neck. Stay for five to ten breaths and then repeat on the other side.

3. Locust pose—Shalabhasana

Lay on the belly with the hands clasped behind the back. Gently lift the shoulders off the ground, and if that feels okay, lift the feet too. Keep the gaze forward while feeling the back muscles engage, careful to hold the head in a neutral position to avoid crunching the neck. Hold for five breaths and release, resting and then repeating three more times.

This pose strengthens the upper back and neck, and encourages proper alignment. If you’d like to increase the intensity for additional strength building, stretch the arms out in front of you, lifting the entire body off the mat for about five breaths.

4. Supported backbend

Counteract all those hours spent hunching over your desk with a restorative back bend. There are a few options for this pose. The first option is to find a thin blanket or towel. Roll the blanket or towel up lengthwise, and place it under the shoulders, where a bra strap might go. Lay on top of the roll for anywhere from three to ten minutes, allowing the back to release.

Those with stiff backs will want to keep the roll very thin, perhaps even placing a second blanket underneath the head if it feels like the head is tilting back too far.

Another version is to take two yoga blocks if you have them. Yoga blocks can be purchased relatively inexpensively at most sporting goods stores. The most accessible version of this pose is to place one block at the lowest level, with the widest side flat on the ground, underneath the shoulder area. Place the second block at the second-highest level, with the longest thin side on the ground, underneath the head. Rest here for three to ten minutes.

Once the back begins to open up, experiment with different levels of the blocks to deepen the back bend. Go slowly and give the body plenty of time to adjust. This posture doesn’t build strength, but helps to improve posture.

7. Percutaneous discectomy for neck pain relief

Issues with spinal discs, those important buffers between vertebrae, are often the root cause of neck pain. Herniated discs in the cervical spine are those that have slipped or ruptured. Fortunately, a minimally invasive procedure known as percutaneous discectomy has been shown to effectively provide neck pain relief. The outpatient technique lasts about an hour and features a relatively quick recovery time.

What is percutaneous discectomy?

The word “percutaneous” means through the skin, while “discectomy” means surgical removal of a disc, or a portion of it, that is thought to be causing the pain.

Spinal discs are composed of hard, rubbery outsides and jelly-like centers. When discs become herniated, part of the jelly-like center leaks through a crack in the tough exterior. This leakage creates pressure on sensitive areas in the cervical spine, leading to pain.

During a percutaneous discectomy, a doctor makes a tiny slit in the skin and guides a small needle to the herniated disc with a fluoroscope. A fluoroscope is an X-ray-based machine used to see under a patient’s skin in real time. Once at the correct location, the doctor uses heat or radio waves to remove the disc material and reduce pressure.

Patients stay awake during the outpatient procedure, although local anesthetic is used to prevent pain. Because the procedure is so minimally invasive, most patients do not experience a great deal of discomfort. The site of the incision may be sore for up to 2 or 3 days, and may be treated with a heating pad or cold pack.

Patients should plan on resting for at least a day after the procedure to let their body heal.

The research on percutaneous discectomy

Studies have shown cervical percutaneous discectomy to be both safe and effective at reducing neck pain. A study published in the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques found nearly 91% of pain patients experienced a good outcome during a 12-month follow-up period. Researchers said the procedure offered a safer alternative to more invasive procedures while also requiring less time for recuperation.

The procedure also shows potential for long-term neck pain relief. A study published in the journal Pain Practice followed patients who underwent the percutaneous discectomy procedure for two years, and found the positive results endured.

Have you tried any of these options for neck pain relief?

The birth of technology like the computer, car, and smartphone has led to us spending a lot of time extending our neck, either staring straight ahead or looking down without moving our neck much. If this is done infrequently, it doesn’t cause a lot of pain or stiffness, but it can add up if these actions become habitual. This coupled with bad posture and other factors has caused a lot of pain in the backs and necks of the average person. In fact, 70% of people in the U.S. at some point in their lives experience significant stiff neck and lower back pain.

What exactly is a stiff neck?

The neck is one of the most vulnerable parts of the body because it is so flexible and supports the head, which on average weighs between ten and 12 pounds. When the muscles in the neck become weak, it is much more difficult to turn your head smoothly and often you will pull a muscle or hit a nerve causing an intense burst of pain. The body responds by making your neck stiffen up more to protect from further pain, which leaves the neck feeling like it is locked in place.

A stiff neck is generally an acute condition that is caused by tiring the muscles around the neck joints and causing them to become overstretched. This usually occurs when you are locked in one awkward position for a long time such as when driving, using a computer, or sleeping. It is also caused by an injury occurring during other activities such as playing sports, projects around the house, and heavy lifting. Less frequently, a stiff neck can occur from traumas such as getting into a motor vehicle accident.

A stiff neck can be caused by quite a few things, but there are ways to treat a neck in pain. First, you should always consult your physician before you try to self-treat neck pain, especially if it is long-lasting or has additional symptoms like fever or numbness in the extremities. Rare conditions such as meningitis or cervical spinal stenosis can be the underlying cause in this case. These disorders need a medical professional to treat because, without them, it is possible they can cause serious damage as well as be potentially life-threatening.

Treating a stiff neck with neck stretches

There are some great options to help with a stiff neck even from the comfort of your own home. The best option for most people will be creating a regular stretching routine for your neck. Keeping to a daily routine of stretches will strengthen your neck muscles and reduce the likelihood of injuring them from overuse.

Try some of these easy stretches that you can do in the car or while sitting at your desk to start. For the maximum effect, try to do them in reps of ten.

1. Rotate your head 90 degrees to the right so your chin is directly over your right shoulder and hold for five seconds. Then return to a neutral resting position. Repeat, but this time turn to the left.
2. Lean your head back as far as it can go and point your chin towards the ceiling and hold for five seconds. Then return to a neutral resting position.
3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together slowly and hold for a five count. Slowly relax your shoulders as you exhale.
4. Bring your ear all the way down to the top of your shoulder. Alternate between the left and right sides.
5. Intertwine your fingers behind your head. Sit straight in your chair and begin to press your hands downward tucking your chin into your chest. To intensify this stretch, use the heels of your palms to pull your head away from your shoulders.

Cultivate good sleeping habits

Another great option is to make sure you have good sleeping space and habits. Sleep on a firm mattress and use a pillow that properly supports your head and neck. In some instances, it might be best to skip the pillow altogether, but make sure you are not overextending your neck.

Try to avoid sleeping on your stomach as it often puts your neck in an awkward position. Cold temperatures, especially at night while sleeping, can cause the neck to stiffen and cramp, so make sure you keep your environment at a temperature that’s right for you.

Try heat and cold therapy

If the neck stiffness is recent, try icing the muscles for the first few days to reduce swelling. After that, a heat therapy using a heating pad or hot showers can help increase the blood flow and loosen the muscles up. It is also a smart idea to take a few days off from strenuous activities, such as sports or heavy lifting until your neck has had adequate time to rest.

Avoid and reduce stress

Avoiding stress is easier said than done, but a major cause of muscle tension is stress. The problem with stress-induced muscle pain is that it can lead to chronic pain, which can cause irritability, fatigue, and depression, which can create a vicious cycle of pain and stress. Another issue with a stiff neck is the longer it goes untreated, the more likely it is to be reoccurring and the longer it will take to go away. Try some of the following techniques to relieve stress and relax those tense muscles.

• Practice relaxation techniques: This can come in many forms such as yoga, breathing techniques, meditation, or participating in a soothing hobby. Try to incorporate one of these into your life every day even if it is only for ten minutes.
• Talk it out: Creating a support system that you can talk to when stress is high can do wonders for your mental health. This can be as simple as talking to a friend or joining an online community. The important thing is that you talk about issues and challenges as it can reduce your stress overall.
• Get a massage: A massage is a great way to loosen up stiff muscles and get the blood pumping. It can help a lot with the soreness. Plus, it’s always good to pamper yourself every once and a while!

How often do you deal with a stiff neck and what do you do to relieve the pain and tension?

We all have had high stress and anxiety days and sometimes weeks at a time. This can come from happy events like pre-wedding jitters or job-related activities like prepping for a career-changing meeting. Did you know, however, that it was found in a 2012 survey that 66% of people feel similar stress levels from losing their phone? This new trend called “nomophobia” and is related to the question: Is cell phone addiction real? Nomophobia is being seen more and more across the world and has shown significant growth since a 2008 study showed that only 53% of people had this fear.

Is cell phone addiction real? 

Nomophobia, short for no-mobile-phone-phobia, is the fear of being without a mobile device, or more specifically, out of mobile contact. Simply put, it is a word for cell phone addiction. Currently, it isn’t listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, although there is talk of adding it to the next edition. Why can misplacing a cell phone lead to high anxiety, panic attacks, and distress in a person?

A prime factor can be contributed to how much dependency the average person has on their smart device. It is used for scheduling, organizing our lives, information gathering, staying in contact with loved ones, and much more. It is unsurprising that losing such a valuable tool would be a stressor. It is also believed that the major drivers for nomophobia are boredom, loneliness, and insecurity.

A recent study actually found that high engagement with a cell phone and the internet is linked with anxiety and depression as well as using devices as an emotional coping mechanism. The same research, however, did find that using your phone to alleviate boredom did not negatively contribute to anxiety and depression.

Nomophobia is a modern phenomenon that has only come about within the last decade because of the massive expansion and penetration of smartphones in the global market. Smartphones have become so necessary and ubiquitous, it is hard to tell if you are addicted unless you take the time to find out.

Do you have cell phone addiction and how bad is it?

Scientists from Iowa State University have come up with a “Nomophobia Questionnaire” to help measure and evaluate a participant’s nomophobia severity. It uses a 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) scale to quantify this condition. The scale was developed by interviewing grad students and ascertaining their thoughts about their cell phones. There are 20 questions on the survey that were created using this data and they can be surprisingly revealing.

For example:

• If I could not use my smartphone, I would be afraid of getting stranded somewhere.
• I would be worried because my family and/or friends could not reach me.
• I would feel anxious because I could not check my email messages.
• I would feel nervous because I would not be able to receive text messages and calls.

The researchers from this study analyzed this data and found that there are four key components that make up nomophobia:

1. Poor or lack of communication with people
2. Loss of connectedness
3. Inability to retrieve information instantly
4. Loss of convenience

As a word of caution, this study is very new and there has not been a lot of research yet on all of the effects of nomophobia. So while there are negative side effects of heavy cell phone use, it is not yet proven that every aspect is a problem nor has there been an in-depth study on the benefits.

Now that we have touched on what nomophobia is and how it can be evaluated, why is it such a problem?

What are the consequences of cell phone addiction?

There are numerous side effects that can be observed from constant cell phone use. These can range from physical issues to mental health problems that can lead to chronic pain. Let’s visit each in turn.

The physical

Texting neck occurs when the neck is repetitively strained and is frequently caused by hunching over a smartphone. This can cause major pain to your neck, shoulders, and upper back in general. Robert Bolash, MD, a pain specialist at Cleveland Clinic notes:

“Neck muscles, in their proper position, are designed to support the weight of your head, about 10 to 12 pounds. Research shows that for every inch you drop your head forward, you double the load on those muscles. Looking down at your smartphone, with your chin to your chest, can put about 60 pounds of force on your neck.”

That is quite a lot of extra pressure on your spine and, on average, a person spends 700 – 1,400 hours a year in this position!

The mental

There have also been numerous studies that link bad posture (aka hunching over a cell phone) to other neurological conditions such as headaches and depression. There is also evidence that people who lose their phone can suffer from withdrawal. Finally, if you are still wondering is cell phone addiction real, a survey done by TeleNav, Inc. should provide a pretty strong case. This study found out some startling facts, such as one-third of participants would be more willing to give up a sex for a week than their smartphones. If that isn’t bad enough, one in five said they would rather go shoeless than phoneless for an entire week!

Tips and tricks to avoid the pain

Here are some quick ways to help fight the physical and mental pain that excessive cell phone use can bring:

• Try to look at your phone in the neutral spine position. Hold your phone up or only move your eyes down. If you need help, there is even an app called Text Neck that could be just the thing you need.
• Work on your overall posture. It will help with text neck and provides a host of other benefits.
• Stretch more. Take five minutes a day to work out your neck with easy exercises or go to your nearest yoga studio.
• Put the phone down. Avoid the issues all together by ditching your phone for a few hours. Taking time to go out and connect instead of staring at your phone will have loads of positive effects.

What do you think — is cell phone addiction real? What are your experiences with cell phone addiction and the pain it causes?

A sedentary lifestyle has been linked to a host of health issues, including obesity, back pain, and osteoporosis. Sitting is dangerous enough to be considered the new smoking, according to JustStand.org. The average U.S. adult sits for eight hours each day, reports U.S. News, but that number is higher for many people who may work in desk chairs, watch television or read on the sofa, and otherwise relax while reclining.

A spate of studies has been released calling sitting deadly, and many of them reveal that even exercise isn’t enough to stave off the health impacts of a sedentary lifestyle. While exercise is important, researchers say, it’s as important to intersperse activity throughout the day to break up long periods of sitting.

A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that adults who sat for at least eight hours per day were 15% more likely to die in 15 years than people who sat for no more than four hours per day, according to U.S. News.

The risks are even more pronounced for people older than 60, according to research from Northwestern University. Scientists found that the risk of disability doubled for each hour a person spent sitting, regardless of how much a person exercised.

Scientist Dorothy Dunlap says:

“This is the first time we’ve shown sedentary behavior was related to increased disability regardless of the amount of moderate exercise…Being sedentary is not just a synonym for inadequate physical activity.”

The study examined nearly 2,300 people over the age of 60 who wore devices called accelerometers to measure their movement. Gathering objective data was important because researchers said older people and those who are overweight tend to overestimate the amount of physical activity they’re getting.

So what are the top health risks from sitting?

1. Heart disease

Sitting decreases the rate of blood flowing through the body, limiting the fresh supply of nutrients delivered to all the organs, including the heart. Prolonged sitting has been linked to higher rates of cholesterol, blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease, according to The Washington Post.

Those who spend most of their days seated have about the same heart attack risk as smokers, says Dr. Martha Grogan, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist.

Sitting for more than five hours per day has also been linked to heart failure, reports USA Today. The newspaper quotes Dr. James Levine, inventor of the treadmill desk and a professor with Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University, suggesting that people should try to move for ten minutes every hour. Levine says:

“If you’ve been sitting for an hour, you’ve been sitting too long.”

2. Back and neck pain

Many people sit at desks or on sofas with poor posture. The neck might be leaning forward for a closer look at the computer and the back is often hunched. When sitting, by definition, the body is still. Consequently, the bones, muscle, and cartilage of the back and spine stiffen, losing flexibility.

These factors contribute to back and neck pain. While some risk of pain can be mitigated by sitting with good posture, it’s best to rise and move every hour or so, even if it’s just to drink a glass of water.

3. Osteoporosis

Strong bones require weight-bearing activity. Sitting increases the risk for osteoporosis, a disease of thin bones that are more prone to breaking. Researchers believe that the increasing number of cases is related to the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles, according to The Washington Post.

4. Weight gain

Expanding waistlines are the target of a multitude of weight loss products and the cause of concern for many people. It’s not all about aesthetics—weight gain has been linked to disorders such as diabetes, some cancers, and osteoarthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

5. Diabetes

While sitting may contribute to weight gain, which can increase the risk of diabetes, long periods spent in a chair are enough in itself to increase risk of the disease, according to research published in Diabetologia.

The study found that limiting time spent sitting is more important than exercise when it comes to reducing the risk of diabetes. Researchers cautioned the findings don’t negate the importance of exercise. Instead, they emphasize how problematic long periods of sitting are.

How to mitigate the dangers of sitting

We’ll talk in more detail on this blog about options like standing desks and taking breaks to walk around, but there are a few ways to reduce the health risks of sitting right now.

One option includes swapping out a chair for a stability ball. These balls require core engagement to stay balanced and so they work the muscles even though the body is still.

While in a traditional chair, be sure to maintain good posture, with the back straight. Switch chairs if needed, making sure to find one with adequate lumbar support.

Part of the problem with sitting is the reduced blood flow and muscle constriction it creates. By doing a few simple chair exercises, you can increase circulation and work muscles without standing. Try ankle flexes and circles, repeating each exercise ten times and completing the set on both sides.

The hips tighten when seated, so simple hip stretches may feel good. With the left leg remaining on the floor, take the right ankle and rest it on the left knee, keeping the foot flexed to protect the knee. If it feels good, bend forward slightly to access a stretch in the hip.

To release the spine, do a simple spinal twist. Place the right hand on the left knee and the left hand behind you. Gently twist, making sure to keep the spine straight. Hold for three to five breaths before switching to the other side.

What do you think about the dangers of sitting?

Image by Mish Sukharev via Flickr

Pain Clinic Now Offering Revolutionary Neck and Back Pain Treatment

Originally published on PRWeb.com

The leading pain clinic in Arizona is now offering a ground-breaking treatment that often provides over a year of consistent relief. Arizona Pain now treats chronic neck and back pain with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). As one of the most innovative pain treatments developed in the past 20 years, RFA provides significant hope to those suffering from chronic pain and desire to avoid surgery.

Scottsdale, Glendale & Chandler, Arizona (PRWEB) November 19, 2012

For individuals suffering from long-term neck pain after a car accident with whiplash or back pain from arthritis, an RFA may allow people to need less pain medication, get back to work, and play with their kids. The treatment may be performed on multiple arthritic levels in the same setting. Both the arthritic lumbar and cervical spine respond well to RFA, and there is new research showing the sacroiliac joint receives pain relief as well with the treatment.

“Studies have shown a 60 to 90% success rate in well-respected publications such as The Spine Journal”
– Dr. Tory McJunkin

Radiofrequency ablation, also known as radiofrequency neurotomy, is an outpatient procedure that deadens the tiny nerve endings that provide sensation to arthritis joints. By eliminating these small nerve endings, which are known as medial branches, the patient experiences pain relief results that may persist for 12 to 18 months. Eventually, the small nerve endings may grow back. At that point, studies confirm that a repeat RFA typically works well again.

Spinal surgery is often not the best answer for back pain due to spinal arthritis. The reason is that multiple levels are usually affected, and no effective joint replacement exists for the spine like it does for hips and knees. Fusing multiple arthritic levels entails risks that often outweigh the benefits achieved.
Therefore, having a procedure that allows patients to avoid surgery while achieving substantial long-term pain relief has been revolutionary in the world of pain management. A radiofrequency neurotomy is a low risk procedure, and studies have shown a 60 to 90% success rate in well-respected publications such as The Spine Journal.

Along with this cutting edge procedure, Arizona Pain offers several additional non-operative treatments including medication management, physical rehabilitation, acupuncture, chiropractic manipulations and spinal decompression therapy. The combination of alternative and traditional options allows for individualized treatments, which have lead to over a 90% success rate overall.

Arizona Pain accepts a considerable amount of insurance options including Medicare, BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, United and Humana along with Personal Injury, Worker’s Compensation and many more. The clinics serve a broad area including Florida with Board Certified and Award Winning pain doctors and chiropractors.