![]() ![]() Top Tips For Using Heat Therapy For Neck Pain Here are my top tips on using heat therapy to get you moving and free from neck pain as quickly as possible and get fast, effective, free pain relief. But the type of heat and method you use significantly affects how well the heat therapy works. When used correctly, heat treatments work deep down to promote natural healing, pain relief, and tissue repair for neck strains and stiffness. Yet, as an experienced PT, I know how varied the effects can be – due to how you use heat therapy. As a pain-relieving therapy, heat therapy is cheap and easy to apply, and it doesn’t require an expensive prescription. However, if you’ve already consulted a doctor or physical therapist and still have neck pain, in that case, heat therapy is excellent to treat your discomfort. If in doubt, always consult your doctor or physical therapist first before applying any form of heat or cold therapy. You won’t be able to feel how hot your heat treatment is until it is too late. Pain relief gels – like Voltarol or Biofreeze – ease soreness by numbing the discomfort. If you have already put pain-relieving gel or cream on the problem area, do not apply heat treatment over the top. It is always best to check with a medical professional before using heat treatments at home. Also, prolonged neck injuries or neck injuries that feel swollen, badly strained, or painful may involve internal bleeding. At least, wait until an MD or Physical Therapist has examined you. In this instance, heat treatments can make the problem worse, so avoid at all costs. When there is a possibility, you could be at risk of internal bleeding or swelling. Directly after the damage occurs, however, it is still important to seek medical advice first. When swelling or pain accompanies a neck injury, ice treatments may prove helpful. Muscle strain usually occurs when sensitive muscle tissue tears, so internal bleeding or inflammation is a real possibility with a neck injury. In some cases, heat therapy is not the best option. And please remember to get your neck pain checked out by an MD or Physical Therapist, as they can check for serious injuries. However, with recent sporting injuries and inflammation, your doctor or physical therapist might recommend ice/cold therapy instead (depending on the damage). In the right circumstances, heat therapy provides soothing relief for discomfort in the neck and shoulders. It might seem simple, and you may want to apply heat to your neck right away, but there are some crucial factors to consider first, and, as with everything, there is a right and wrong way to do it. In this blog, we explain how you can use heat therapy to help with your neck pain. So, what can you do to get relief from the pain? It affects your long-term health as well as your sense of wellbeing. Aching neck muscles, stiff shoulders, chronic pain, or arthritis in the neck can be excruciating. It’s a complicated bit of kit, which means that neck pain makes everything you do painful when things go wrong – whether it’s sitting, standing, walking, or running. Deciding whether you’re in fight/flight or rest/relax mode and managing everything from your heart rate and blood pressure to metabolism, digestion, and the nervous system is all situated in your neck. For starters, there’s a large jugular vein that moves blood from your brain back to the heart, and the vagus nerve that controls our stress response. The neck houses some critical arteries, veins, and nerves, too. It allows you to look left, right, up and down, and circle and twist your head right around if you want to. With the average human head weighing approximately 11lbs, that’s quite a job! It’s a bit like a hinge on a door or a camera tripod. They work together to stabilize and keep your head in position. ![]() Inside your neck, there are seven bones – called the cervical vertebrae – and twenty-six muscles. It’s the type of pain that is hard to escape, too, because your neck is an integral part of your anatomy. Issues with the neck, the upper quadrant of the spine, and the muscles and tendons surrounding the neck can cause severe pain and discomfort. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |