What should I do if I feel pain after a stiff neck? Should I apply ice or heat? Experts reveal 1 action to prevent "cervical joints" from getting stuck
Your neck hurts after you get up? Is swiping a mobile phone more likely to cause stiff neck?
After waking up from sleep, you are surprised to find that your neck is stiff and difficult to move. It hurts so much when you move even a little bit? “Stiff neck” is a common cervical spine health problem encountered by modern people. Ling Yusheng, a physiotherapist at “Healthy Livelihood Two Points Ling”, pointed out in an interview that the commonly known stiff neck is actually “cervical joints getting stuck.” Because the cervical spine tends to remain in a fixed position after falling asleep, the cervical joints get stuck, just like a machine. It is fixed in the same position and cannot operate smoothly.
Therapist Ling Yusheng said that in addition to stiff neck often occurring after sleeping at night, due to using a computer and the cervical spine swinging to one side for a long time, maintaining a fixed position for too long, cervical spine joints may also become stuck. Generally, people who have had a stiff neck have a higher chance of cervical joint jamming again, as the injured area is prone to relapse.
In addition, modern people use screens and 3C products for a long time, which may easily increase the problem of turtle neck. This group may have poor proprioception and poor core muscle control, which may also be related to the occurrence of stiff neck. The public is reminded to practice stretching exercises appropriately and avoid maintaining fixed postures to reduce the burden on the cervical spine.
There are many problems with stuck cervical spine! Can stiff neck cause migraines and shoulder pain?
Stiff neck not only causes neck pain, but also affects the surrounding myofascia? Therapist Ling Yusheng explained that there are a total of 7 cervical vertebrae. When stiff neck occurs in the 1st and 2nd upper cervical vertebrae, migraines are likely to occur. People with tight myofascial muscles may also experience soreness and numbness in their shoulders.
Therapist Ling Yusheng emphasized that because cervical vertebra stuck and surrounding muscle tightness often occur at the same time, and the two are interrelated, stiff neck must be treated at the same time to avoid the subsequent problem of cervical joint stuck due to muscle tightness.
Should a stiff neck be treated with ice or heat? Muscles and joints need to be treated?
Should I apply ice or heat after stiff neck? Therapist Ling Yusheng explained that current opinions increasingly tend not to support ice application, because ice application will inhibit blood circulation, reduce muscle tissue metabolism, and easily maintain a tight state. It is recommended to consider applying hot compress the next day.
Therapist Ling Yusheng said that common rehabilitation treatments for cervical spine problems include electrotherapy, laser, hot compresses and neck traction commonly known as “neck pulling”. Electrotherapy and heat compresses are used to help local muscles relax, while neck traction has the opportunity to loosen stuck cervical joints. As for the soreness patch used by many people, it has the effect of relieving muscle tension and reducing pain, but it has limited effect on relieving stuck cervical joints.
Therapist Ling Yusheng suggested that if you want to relieve stiffness as soon as possible after a stiff neck occurs, it is recommended to seek professional physical therapist as soon as possible and use one-on-one manual therapy to find the really uncomfortable joint positions and loosen the joints appropriately according to your own tolerance level to help speed up the process. Improve stiff neck problem. Many cases received manual treatment on the first day of consultation and achieved significant recovery after three consecutive days.
Keep your upper body in a “centered position”! Relaxation exercises to prevent stiff neck
Therapist Ling Yusheng pointed out that to prevent the occurrence of stiff neck, you should move your shoulders and neck every 30 minutes or so. You can also practice training exercises to relax the neck muscles: first maintain the neutral posture of the neck, so that the upper edge of the back of the head and the tail vertebra are in a straight line. Extend upward. In the neutral position, look to the left and right with your neck; alternately bring your ears closer to your shoulders. This action helps stretch your neck muscles while lightly training your core muscles.
Therapist Ling Yusheng reminds that when practicing neck relaxation movements, if the pain becomes more obvious the more you do it, you should stop practicing and seek medical examination. If you feel no obvious difference after practice, you can continue to observe whether you need to increase the number of exercises. The therapist reminds that the correctness of relaxation movements will affect the effect of practice. If you have any doubts about training and movements, please consult a physical therapist to master the correct relaxation movements that suit you.
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