Neck pain or frequent tension?

There are many causes of neck pain. It is often caused by tension or cramps in the neck muscles, adhesions in the fascial tissue, lying or sitting incorrectly, stress or even a cold.

In car accidents or falls, they can also be a symptom and consequence of whiplash or vertebral fractures. Wear and tear processes such as osteoarthritis or disc damage (e.g. a herniated disc in the cervical spine), on the other hand, are rather rare.

Common symptoms of neck tension:

• Headaches, migraines
• Tiredness
• Dizziness
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Visual disturbances
• Fever

If you experience discomfort such as tingling, burning or numbness, certain nerves could be irritated or damaged. It is advisable to consult a doctor as soon as possible to rule out a potential herniated disc in the cervical spine. Various viral diseases can also cause neck stiffness.

However, the most common causes are incorrect lying, incorrect posture and, above all, stress in everyday life.

What can you do?

The appropriate therapy for neck pain generally depends on the cause. Heat applications such as mud, red light, etc. can alleviate the symptoms, but above all, gentle massages and loosening the fascia structures often provide the most effective relief.

Rebalancing fascia therapy is a gentle massage method for releasing fascia and muscle tension. Alongside reflexology, this is the method I use most often to provide my clients with relief.

Of course, painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs are sometimes quickly resorted to, but this is more of a symptom treatment than a cause treatment, especially in the case of tension caused by stress and incorrect positioning. It always pays to work with your doctor and body therapist to find the cause before the symptoms become chronic and then more difficult to treat.

Important: If symptoms persist for longer than 3 months and remain untreated, they often develop into chronic symptoms that can only be treated with a great deal of effort, time and patience. So don't wait too long to arrange initial measures such as treatment.

Find out the causes and change them

• Are you lying correctly?
  -> Here, the pillow and possibly also your mattress should be checked

Tips:

In many furniture stores and mattress stores, you can get advice and often even try out a pillow.
When it comes to pillows, I recommend investing in a good orthopaedic neck pillow. From personal experience and as a body therapist, I swear by the CLASSIC and DELUXE orthopaedic neck pillows from the Swiss company Witschi, for example. I have been sleeping perfectly on this model for over 20 years. Of course, I'm on my third, because pillows, like mattresses, should be replaced after a few years.

• Are you sitting correctly?
  -> An upright posture is the be-all and end-all. Adjust your seat and table height so that your elbows are at right angles to the table in an upright position. When working at a computer, the upper edge of the screen should be at eyebrow height.

Tips:

Check your office chair and replace it with a more ergonomic version if necessary. The best place to get advice on this is a back specialist store. I have personally had very good experiences with the inflatable seat cushion from Sissel. It enables a natural upright posture and the spine remains in motion, in contrast to static sitting. In general, however, it is advisable to switch from a static to a dynamic, flexible sitting posture several times during the day, to work standing up more often and to take breaks to move (e.g. with stretching exercises)

• What burdens you? What circumstances are throwing you off balance?
  -> Stress and tension are one of the most common causes of shoulder and neck pain. So it's not just our posture that is at play here and the cause of the problem, but often our own inner attitude and external circumstances that throw us off balance, make us tense and "stressed". Setting boundaries, saying no, asking others for help - for many people this causes discomfort and stress, which can often lead to shoulder and neck tension. Have you ever said NO or asked someone for help today without feeling guilty?

Tips:

Allow yourself to relax and take a break from time to time to regenerate. Do something good for your body and soul.
This can be a walk in nature, sport, meditation, yoga or even a soothing massage to bring you back into balance. If you would also like to work a little on your "posture", then rebalancing fascia therapy may be just the thing for you. In the case of recurring and stressful stress stimuli and consequently similar behavior/reaction patterns, wingwave coaching can provide support and relief.

 

I hope you have found some valuable information and suggestions in this BLOG article.

I wish you a very "relaxed" time and positive changes.