Neck Pain

Got Neck Pain?

General self care ... what to do for your pain
1) Begin taking magnesium as directed on this page
2) Avoid all dairy products until your neck is better.
3) Apply ice or heat for 10-15 minutes then apply the other and then give it a rest for 30 minutes. Heat may be inappropriate within 24-48 hours of injury. If either ice or heat seem to aggravate your condition, don't use them, and consult your health care practitioner.
4) See your doctor of chiropractic as soon as possible.
5) You are probably familiar with over-the-counter medications for pain.

And now, the longer discussion of neck pain .....
Neck pain, as with most conditions, is divided into two classifications, acute and chronic, which are based on how long ago the pain began, how it began, and its intensity. Chronic conditions are those that continue or recur over an extended period, often come on gradually, or may be the result of an incompletely healed injury. Acute conditions are those that begin or worsen suddenly, and are often caused by injury, infection, allergy, or abrupt change in a chronic degenerative process like arthritis. This article is primarily about chronic and acute non-injury induced neck pain.

First, let’s deal with the arthritis confusion, recognizing that neck pain invariably includes, or is, an arthritic condition. Over a 20-year period, I have interviewed many patients who have indicated that they suffer with chronic neck pain. It has been my practice to inquire as to what these patients believe to be the cause of their neck pain. Overwhelmingly, their response has been "arthritis." At that point, I usually ask if the patient knows what arthritis is. Most know nothing, and erroneously believe that "it just happens", that it is inevitable following injury to a joint, and/or is a result of aging. Even young people with chronic neck pain will answer that getting old causes arthritis. For some of these patients, my questions create a beginning for consideration of their condition relative to its causes and to the approaches that can be used to restore the health of their necks.

Most chronic neck pain is a result of a combination of factors. Common factors include, 1) food allergies and food sensitivities that may result in inflammation in the joint or a reaction in which the body attacks the joint, 2) chronic illness in the digestive tract that may have no other symptoms than joint pain, 3) insufficient stretching exercise to maintain full range of motion in the neck and upper back which results in restricted motion and poor nutrient delivery to the joints, and 4) insufficient aerobic exercise.

Treatment for chronic neck pain should be divided into two types; functional and cover-up. Functional treatment would begin by assessing the factors that influence the neck specifically, and the body generally, and then would focus on creating changes that would enable the neck (and the body) to heal itself. (It is worth noting that the body is designed to repair itself.) Functional treatments will be discussed in this article. Cover-up treatments include medications to mask pain and block inflammation, and limitation of use. Cover-up treatments may be appropriate for short-term use, but are disastrous when used long-term. Masking body-protecting pain signals leaves an individual at risk of causing further damage. Anti-inflammatory drugs are known to damage joint structures, injure the lining of the intestinal tract, and cause 10,000 deaths a year in the US.

Functional self-care is most important. Examples are listed below. Keep in mind that chronic health problems are usually caused by multiple factors, and therefore require several simultaneously combined changes to relieve the pain and restore function.

In my experience, elimination of foods that commonly cause arthritis provides the greatest relief from neck pain. Some of the foods that commonly cause joint pain are: dairy products, sugars, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, meats, and shellfish.

Full-body stretching, such as yoga, is remarkable in its ability to improve neck function and reduce pain. Stretching should be done for 30 or more minutes one to two times per day.

Baths with epsom salts are often very effective in the treatment of a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions, including neck pain. I recommend using an entire half-gallon of salts in a warm to hot bath. These magnesium salts can be purchased at drug stores and large grocery stores. They have been used with amazing results for generations.

Essential fatty acids (fish oil and flax oil) taken as supplements can, in many cases, reduce inflammation and neck pain. Recall that fish oil has been used for generations in the treatment of arthritis. When supplementing with these fats, it is important to also take a fat-soluble antioxidant such as vitamin E to protect these oils from oxidizing (turning rancid) in your body.

Aerobic exercise has proven extremely effective at reducing joint pain. Effects appear to be mediated in part through improvements in circulation, detoxification, and elimination of wastes. In more general terms, balance and wellness in the body is improved by an optimization of turnover/cycling of bodily fluids and gases, and their physiologically active compounds, that occurs with regular exercise.

Functional treatment of neck pain by healthcare practitioners can be valuable, and in many cases, invaluable. A doctor of chiropractic (DC) can provide treatment through adjustment (manipulation) of the spine. Some DCs are trained to advise patients regarding non-musculoskeletal treatments such as dietary change, improvement of digestive function, and vitamin supplementation. Other practitioners that treat neck pain include; doctors of oriental medicine, homeopathists, herbalists, naturopaths, bodyworkers, physical therapists, podiatrists, and osteopaths.

Neck pain is not uncommon in children. In my experience adverse food reactions are the most common cause of childhood neck pain.

Finally, I offer three pieces of advice:

take the time to find out what’s causing your neck pain, and make the necessary changes to stop it.
beware that chronic joint pain is an unquestionable sign of ongoing inflammation in the joint, that inflammation is destructive to tissues, and that unresolved, it is probable that your neck will deteriorate at an accelerated rate,
recognize your neck pain as an opportunity to learn about your body, and appreciate that the functional changes that you make to heal your neck will enhance the health and vitality of your entire being.