Self help to prevent a stiff neck

Previously I shared my produced for how to treat a stiff neck.  In this blog post I want to share my tips for on prevention of stiff necks for those that are prone to them.

Firstly, make sure you practice proper posture regardless of what you’re doing, such as positioning computer monitor at eye level and moving your neck frequently when driving to ensure your muscles remain nimble.

Secondly, if you notice your neck muscles start to tight as you do core exercises then place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth to assit your neck muscles to relax.

Produces for Stiff Neck Prevention

1. Roll your shoulders backwards and down 10 times.

2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together 10 times.

3. Place your hands at the back of your head and push into them, then hold for 30 seconds.

4. Tilt your head shoulder to shoulder 10 times on each side.

 

Related Posts

  • What can help carpal tunnel syndrome?

    Previously, I discussed what carpal tunnel syndrome is and how desk based workers have an increased risk.  So what can you do to help youself:

    • Vitamin B6 - Carpal tunnel syndrome has been linked to low levels of vitamin B6, so suplementing with the vitamin may help.  In fact, several trials have found B6 may alleviate the symptoms, even in people who are not deficient in the vitamin.
    • Yoga - In one study a yoga based therapy was more effective at easing carpal tunnel syndrome than improving grip strenght than wrist splints or no treatment.
    • Acupuncture - In one radomised control trail, acupuncture was just as effective as steriod treatment,and it was also better at reducing sleep disturbance and improving never conduction than the drugs and came with minimal side-effects.
      Reference https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19590482 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15098856 https://apb.tbzmed.ac.ir/Article/APB_571_20130114180051 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1949298/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9820263 
  • Your energy account

    We all know that we aim to have a good nights sleep to wake up full of energy.  But as I have said before, sleep is only one way to boost your energy.   Think of yourself as having an energy account, and energy raising activities e.g. sleep, credit your energy account and energy draining activities e.g. frustration, debit your energy account.  You may find it helpful to work out the balance on your energy account. Use the table below to identify what in your life drains your energy and what raises your energy.

    Energy Debits  - Energy Draining Activites Energy Credits - Energy Raising Activities
    Unhealthy eating with heavy, rich, fatty, sugary good Health diet with give excellent nutrition supported by vitamin and mineral supplements
    Alcohol Cigarettes Drug abuse Over-stimulation (including over work) Natural highs from nature, dance, relaxation, music, physical achievement, humour and creativity.
    Sedentary lifestyle Exercise
    Fear Worries Anxiety Stress Frustration Depression Feeling things are out of control Security Peace of mind Rest Joy Happiness
    Isolation and loneliness Lack of love or support Being dominated Being stuck in the past Close personal relationships Sense of belonging Healthy boundaries Ability to forgive including yourself
    No self-expression Boredom Underachievement Creative self-expression Excitement Achieving
    Lack of purpose and meaning Clarity about your true values, purpose and meaning
    Difficult relationships Good relationships
    Lack of spiritual nourishment No sources of uplift Good sources of spiritual uplift
    Now you have worked out what is happening to your energy account.  If you are unhappy with how much energy your have then I recommend you go back through the energy raising activities and consider what you can easily incorporate into your life.  Once you had done this and implemented them, then you can go through your energy draining activities and see what you can give up.  It is important to boost your energy first as it put you in to a positive state of mind before tacking what in your life drains your energy.  
  • What to expect from a sports or deep tissue massage.

    First let me reassure you if you haven't been to us before that we don't do any unnecessary nakedness.  If you want you can wear gym shorts but it is no necessary. On your first visit you will be asked to fill out a consultation form and we will discuss why you booked.  At the start of subsequent treatments we may ask you about your response to our last treatment or if there has been a long gap, your reason for booking.  If there has been a significant gap we may ask you to fill out a consultation form again, especially if it has been archived. While we are all able to use oils, we tend to use a sports wax as it doesn't stain your clothes and it is odorless and one brand we use is nut free too. During the massage we will use fingertips, knuckles, hands, elbows, and forearms to treat you.  You may be asked to breathe deeply as we works on tense areas.  Most of our clients want deep pressure.  However there are times when we need to use a lighter sustained pressure on some restrictions to achieve a myofascial release. We may get you to move position on the massage bed to give us better access to certain muscles or to treat the opposing muscle.  For example, if we have worked on your upper back we may need to open up your chest, particularly your pec muscles. We may stretch your muscles ourselves or ask you to move your body in a certain way to stretch it or to see how it reacts to the movement.