Top 10 reasons for neck pain and how to correct them

Here is a list of the 10 most common causes of neck pain and how to fix them so that you can get rid of your neck pain once and for all:

# 1 Misalignment in the spine: This is number 1 because it puts pressure on the nerves that can cause muscle tension and more. I recommend seeing a good chiropractor; first he can tell you if this is really your problem, then he can help correct it. Postural exercises and a good neck pillow will also help correct the problem.

# 2 Poor Posture – Posture is a window to your spine and if you have bad posture, this is what your spine looks like and inside – misaligned! Look in the mirror or have someone else look you from the front and from the side. From the front, the spine should be straight, the shoulders and hips even. From the side, the spine should have smooth, flowing curves, the ear at shoulder height and the shoulder at the hip socket.

# 3 Bad Sleep Habits – Sleeping on your stomach is the worst because you have to turn your head ninety degrees to the side to breathe. Sleeping with a pillow that is too thick or too thin can also be a major problem. Get a good neck pillow to sleep on. Read the n. 4 for our pillow recommendation.

# 4 Not Using a Good Pillow – A suitable neck pillow is best, such as the Cervical Traction Cervical Pillow, which maintains correct neck posture when sleeping on your back or on your side.

# 5 Muscle strain and tension: hinders movement and creates inflammation, putting pressure on nerves and causing pain. Try to do occasional neck stretches to relax your muscles and avoid movements or positions that are painful.

# 6 Stress – Most people carry their stress to the back of their neck. Stress, in fact, doesn’t exactly cause anything, but it exacerbates anything and everything. Do your best to relax or take a pick from work if you are starting to get stressed. Take a few deep breaths and smile, you will be surprised how much this helps.

# 7 Workstation or computer setup – If you are forced into an awkward position or have continual poor posture, it creates misalignment and muscle tension, hence nerve pressure. Pressure on the nerve causes pain. Move around periodically and do some neck stretches to ease the tension that’s starting to build up.

# 8 Exercise or wrong exercise, maneuvers: Sometimes lifting too much weight or not using the proper mechanics or posture when exercising can lead to a major episode of neck pain. The most common mistake I see is that people pull on the neck when doing sit-ups. Keep your eyes on the ceiling and focus on doing sit-ups, not your neck.

# 9 Putting your neck in awkward positions for prolonged periods – This ties into the 2 reasons above for neck pain. Doing this creates tension – things like sleeping in awkward positions, reading with your head down, too many hours in one position at the computer, are just a few. Try to eliminate these things as much as possible.

# 10 Lack of stretching before physical activity makes it easier to strain a muscle: Just like before starting gym class or basketball practice, I always stretched first. Most seem to neglect the old stretching routine. It only takes a second and you could avoid many unnecessary days of suffering.