Suffering from neck pain?<\/p>\n
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You\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n
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Hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer from chronic neck pain daily, and most of them aren\u2019t aware of what they\u2019ve done to bring it on.<\/p>\n
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The first step is understanding what the initial cause of the pain was.<\/p>\n
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What Causes Neck Pain?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s generally not a difficult question to answer: Poor posture is the number one cause of neck pain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Carrying your head too far in front of your body means a great deal of unnecessary strain is generated, which your neck muscles need to handle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Are you under exceptional stress?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stress can also be a huge factor for neck pain, as it usually manifests physically as muscle tension in the shoulders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Poor posture sneaks up on us throughout the day and can be the source of back, neck and shoulder pain, which then can lead to aches, migraines, sleeplessness and even fatigue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What Can Be Done?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You may be tempted to pop at over-the-counter headache medicine to treat neck pain, but that is only masking the problem. Treating the source of the pain and correcting poor lifestyle choices will allow you to self-heal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here are a few tried and true techniques for treating neck pain that are endorsed by massage therapists:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Practice proper posture<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you sit at a desk for work, this is especially important.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As you read, try lifting your chin a few inches and pushing your shoulders back, as if you were holding a lemon with both shoulder blades.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Notice how it opens your chest and rids your profile of a double chin? Ensure that your lower back isn\u2019t overly curved and that your head is over your shoulders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The average person\u2019s head weighs around 20 pounds. Practicing proper posture is like balancing a bowling ball on top of your neck. Even an inch off center will create unnecessary tension in your balancing neck muscles.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Relaxing your shoulders just a bit will allow you to be in the most aligned sitting position.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Feel how different this is from where you just were?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you find yourself hunched over throughout the day, try raising your computer so that you\u2019re not crouching down to see the screen. You may also choose to use a lumbar pillow to help you sit back in your seat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019re feeling stiff in this new position, try bending at the waist and letting your hands float down to the ground. Release tension in your neck and shake your head \u201cyes\u201d and \u201cno\u201d a few times to loosen up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Modify your lifestyle<\/strong><\/p>\n