Effective Exercises That Quickly Relieve Neck Pain

Neck pain can be resulted from prolonged immobilization, scoliosis, severe trauma, or degenerative changes in intervertebral cervical disk and cervical joints but most of the time it is due to improper posture for long period of time.

Most neck pains happen after a whole day work due to several reasons such as wrong body positioning, improper environment mechanics, wrong movement or weak and tight musculature. In this case, I want to share these effective techniques to help you decrease that painful area quickly! Please read it well as exercises on neck should be done carefully.

EFECTIVE HOME TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR NECK PAIN

I. Self-Stretching

1. Upper trapezius

Sitting or standing, head is bent and rotated away from the muscle to be stretch. Hand on the side to be lengthen should be holding a chair for stabilization while the other hand slowly pulls the head to side until you feel stretch at the back and side of the neck.

Do this for 6 seconds hold, 10 times, 1 set for 2-3 times a day, daily.

2. Levator scapulae

Sitting with head side bent and rotated away from the side to be stretch. To stabilize your scapula, reach the back of your chair with hand on the stretch side. The other hand is gently pulling the head to side and forward in an oblique direction force opposite the line of pull of the tight muslce.

Do this for 6 seconds hold, 10 times, 1 set for 2-3 times a day, daily.

3. Short suboccipital muscles

Lying on back or sitting, nod your head toward the larynx until a stretch is felt below the occiput area. Its like doing a double chin with a downward pressure. Do this 6 seconds hold for 10 times, 1 set, 2-3 tmes a day.

II. Range of Motion Exercise

1. Flexion - Extension

Move your head forward towards your larynx then backwards as far as you can without eliciting any painful symptoms. This improves movement at your neck.

Do this for 10 times, 1 set for 2-3 times a day, daily.

2. Lateral Flexion

Move your neck side to side, bringing your ear towards your shoulder as far as you can without having intolerable pain.

Do this for 10 times, 1 set for 2-3 times a day, daily.

3. Rotation

Rotate your neck side to side by moving your chin to the direction of your shoulder.

Do this for 10 times, 1 set for 2-3 times a day, daily.

III. Strengthening

Place your hand at forehead, occiput and temples of your head then apply minimal resistance each side against the direction of the head 6 seconds hold, 10 times 1-2 sets 2-3 times a day, daily.

From forward postion, tuck your chin back and hold it for 6 seconds, 10 times for 1-2 sets 2-3 times a day, daily.

***Please be reminded that these exercises can also be done during breaks, before and after work  to lessen the recurrence of pain.

2. Warm Compress

Place a warm compress around your neck for about 15 to 20 mins before and after the exercise regimen. This can relieve pain and improve circulation to the area that promotes healing.

3. Proper Posture

You should always remind yourself to be in proper posture because this can greatly decrease the chance of the eliciting the symptoms again that might lead to serious injury.

Note: Neck condition can be as simple as cervical strain or sprain, however if you still experience same amount of pain or worsened ng of it, it can be a severe one like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, stenosis, spondylolysis,  spondylolisthesis etc. Consult your Doctor so you can have it diagnosed well and formulate specialized excercise just for you. 

If you have questions, you can email or message me on my facebook page and answer it for free! Have a painfree day!

Health Benefits of Mountain Climbing

1. Improves Memory
In an article published in Backpacker magazine, writer Elizabeth Kwak-Hefferan witnessed it as she serves as a test subject in Dr. David Strayer, a neuroscientist study. Results shows mental ability increase by 45 percent increase once the hikers had been out o n the trail for three days. The theory, according to Backpacker, is that time in wilderness may inspire physiological changes, such as the release of hormones, different brain regions usage, allowing to destress, restore and clear the overtaxed higher-thinking regions of the brain. In Utah, another study on a larger group of Outward Bound hikers, showed up to 50 percent increases in creative abilities.

2. Improves Cardiovascular Fitness
Hiking can also decrease levels of cholesterol, which is common cause of heart disease. It increases HDL (high density lipoproteins), the good cholesterol that helps remove LDL (low density lipoproteins), bad cholesterol from the walls of arteries which leads to hypertension, heart attack and stroke. One study shows that hiking and walking as a method of stabilizing cholesterol and blood pressure levels.


3. Strengthens Bones
According to a German anatomist principle, Wolf's law, the bone grows and remodels in response to the forces that placed upon it. Hiking and walking increase the bone density and slowing the rate of calcium loss through external force, thus strengthening the bones and decreasing it susceptibility to break.


4. Improves Muscular Fitness
Main muscles involved during mountain climbing are core, gluteus medius and maximus (hip/back muscles), quadriceps, hamstring and gastrocsoleus muscles (thigh/knee muscles). Muscle endurance improves as your walk gets longer and strength as you climb heights to your goal to summit. Also muscle bulk increase noted after regular mountain climbing as carried bags serves as your weights.


5. Prevents Vitamin D Deficiency
Rickets is a defective demineralization of bones secondary to inefficient vitamin D in our body that may lead to fracture or deformity. Great natural vitamin D source would be the sun, sythesized in the skin.


6. Removes Body Toxins
Hiking, like any forms of exercises, increases blood circulation, thus increasing Haldane effect which is transportation of oxygen and nutrients to the cells, tissue, organs and systems of the body. Removing harmful toxins such as carbon dioxide at the same time is termed as Bohr effect. Moreover, this activity increases your fluid intake which generally helps our kidneys flush harmful substances. Increase circulation means more harmful substances removed into your waste like in sweat, urine and feces.

7. Loses Extra Pounds
In an easy hiking of 2 mph, 240 calories per hour will burn on a person weighing 150 pounds. Doubling your pace, doubling fats shed off.


8. Improves Immune System
Li, an immunologist in the department of hygiene and public health at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, and chairman of the Society of Forest Medicine collaborates with Miyazaki revealed after for three days, participants' white blood cells had increased by 40%, white blood cells remained 15% higher a month later. These results were not found after urban walking trip, which indicates that the changes aren't from exercise alone.

Another study showed that a one-day trip boosted the levels of white blood cells and anticancer proteins for at least seven days afterward,


9. Decrease Stress Hormone
Miyazaki is a physiological anthropologist and vice director of Chiba University’s Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences outside of Tokyo. In the past eight years, he has taken more than 600 research subjects into the woods, and not surprisingly they reported better moods and lower anxiety.


10. Improves Balance