A sudden onset of neck pain or stiffness is actually quite common
in fact Two out of three of us will suffer from it at some point in our lifetime now, I know it's a pain
But the good news is that neck pain usually lasts a couple of weeks
And there are also many things that you can do at home to help with this. So what we're waiting for, let's begin
Okay
So in most cases neck pain is not usually due to a serious condition
Or a neck problem in most cases quite often the cause is actually unknown and we call this
non-specific neck pain now
It might be caused by bad posture sleeping awkwardly a pinched nerve a neck injury and potentially many other reasons, too
However, please remember if your neck pain or neck stiffness doesn't go away after a few weeks painkillers
Haven't helped it or you just worried about it, or if you have any of the following symptoms, like tingling prickling numbness sensation
Or if your arm has gone cold or your arm and hands have become weak
Then you need to speak to your doctor as soon as possible
I will leave a full list in the description below for you as well
So how can you ease the neck pain or stiffness yourself?
well
The first thing that you should do is try either a heat or a cold pack on the area of the neck that hurts
So option one get a hot water bottle wrap it in a tea towel and place it on the area that hurts
For about 20 minutes two to three times a day
Please be very careful though that you don't burn yourself or option two grab yourself a pack of frozen vegetables like frozen peas
And before anyone comments, I know that peas aren't technically vegetables, but we do refer to them as vegetables
So grab yourself a pack of frozen peas wrap it in a tea towel and place it on the area for about five minutes
Two to three times a day
It's really important that you do wrap it in a tea towel
Please so that's a few simple things that you can do that are gonna help
but the next thing that I recommend to all patients, are these four
Simple exercises that everyone can do at home and I know what you're thinking right now. You're probably thinking about abraham
You must be joking
My neck is so painful and stiff. I can barely move it and I get that i've been there
But please remember
Bed rest for more than a couple of days is going to make it harder for you to get back to your normal
Routine and by doing these exercises it's going to help with the pain. It's going to help you recover. So what we're waiting for
Okay, so let's begin with the neck tilt exercise
So tilt your head down and rest your chin on your chest now gently tense your neck muscles
And hold this for five seconds then return back to your neutral position. You need to try and repeat this five times
Next up we have the side to side neck tilt
So tilt your head down towards your shoulder leading with your ear now gently tense your neck muscles and hold this for five seconds
Then return your head to the center and repeat on the opposite side repeat this five times on each side
We're now past the halfway mark, so next up we have neck turns in this exercise
Turn your head towards one side keeping your chin at the same height and moving with
Uncomfortable limits now gently tense your neck muscles and hold for five seconds
Then return your head to the center and repeat on the opposite side
Once again, you need to try and repeat this five times on each side
And lastly we have the next stretch so keeping the rest of the body straight push your chin forward
So your throat is stretched now gently tense your neck muscles and hold for five seconds
Then return your head to the center and push it backwards keeping your chin up
You also need to hold this for five seconds repeat this exercise five times
So as I mentioned at the start of the video most cases of neck pain
The cause is unclear and we call that non-specific neck pain
so for non-specific neck pain
These exercises should help ease the pain within two weeks and hopefully after four to six weeks
You should be fully recovered now
please remember try and do these exercises for six to eight weeks in total and this will help to strengthen the area too and hopefully
Prevent the neck pain from coming back now
Please remember that if your symptoms aren't improving then you should definitely make an appointment to speak to your healthcare professional. I explained it
Right at the start of the video and I will say it again
I'll leave a full list in the description below
On when you should speak to your healthcare professional and i'd highly recommend everyone reads it so your next question might be well Abraham what?
Other options do we have for neck pain or neck stiffness? Well, another option would be pain killers
These are quite effective for the neck pain or stiffness such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
But please always speak to your pharmacist first before you take any medication so they can check that
It's safe and suitable to use that medication
and also
Always read the medication leaflet that comes with any medicine
Another useful tip is to use a low firm pillow as quite often larger pillows can cause neck pain and stiffness
also
Please remember if you don't have full movement of your neck because of the pain or the stiffness
Don't do activities where you need full movement
For example driving or cycling as you're putting yourself at risk and you're putting other people at risk
So that's a little about treatments. But what about prevention? How can you try and prevent non-specific neck pain from coming back?
Let's quickly run through them as I think it'd be quite useful for everyone to learn
So tip number one when you sit always try and sit upright and I know it sounds a bit strange
But next time you sit down just think to yourself. How you sat. How are your shoulders placed?
So they rolled back can they roll forward and how is your neck placed?
Because all of these the posture can make a massive difference on neck pain and tip number two
Do you have a desk job are you sitting correctly is your monitor?
The right height is your seat the right height because all of these can make a massive difference
Now the good news is the nhs have a really useful article all about how to set up your desk properly
All about how to sit properly which I mentioned tip number one
So if this applies to you
Please check out that article. I will leave a link to it in the description below
And also before anyone comments and says this monitor is too low for you
I promise you it's not this is a wide angle lens and for some strange reason
This monitor looks like it's too low for me
But it is the correct height which moves us on nicely to tip number three
Make sure your head is the same height as your body when you're sleeping
So remember the low pillow that we spoke about earlier this can really help also make sure you have a firm mattress
This has been shown to help as well. Make sure you don't sleep on your front
This doesn't help and lastly make sure you don't twist your neck when you're in bed
This is a habit that a lot of people do but it's really not good. Thank you for watching
this week's video if you currently have neck pain or stiffness, I
Really? Hope my tips help you in this video
If you don't have neck pain and you're watching this video well, thank you for watching anyway
And you are now a neck pain pro. So tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell your loved ones
Tell everyone because you're a neck pain pro. Always remember, you're awesome and I will see you next week
You've got to do this
exercise
I mean, it does look a little funny but
I mean, that's too fast though
Hey guys. Thanks for watching. This week's video
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