An acute neck pain flare up can come on suddenly with no cause of injury or can be secondary to a motor vehicle accident or sports injury. If you have been in a serious accident you are best to follow up with a health -care professional immediately.
We are going to discuss in this article what to do if you have neck pain that seems to have come on suddenly with no clear injury. This type of neck pain can come from sleeping on the couch, sitting for prolonged periods, increased computer work load, looking up for prolonged periods such as painting a ceiling. And even increased stress.
However, sometimes the answer isn’t always clear. This type of neck pain is sometimes referred to as a neck spasm and you will often find it very difficult to turn your head. If you are having an acute neck pain flare up or neck spasm we will discuss 5 tips below that can help you to get this pain under control as quickly as possible, helping to ensure that the neck pain does not turn into chronic neck pain.
1) Continue with your normal activities and exercise within tolerance
This is very important because your first reaction to the pain will be to stop moving and just rest. However, if you avoid moving you will find that your neck will actually become more stiff and painful. Most people who are afraid of moving their neck because of the pain are at an increased risk for chronic pain. Gentle exercise and movement help to relieve pain and the muscles to settle. You should not be pushing through sharp pain as this will not allow the muscles to settle. However, if you stop moving, over protecting the area and lying in bed your muscles will quickly deteriorate. Neck braces should not be used for acute neck spasm. These braces are only for acute fractures in which a physician has instructed you to wear it.
If you have an acute neck pain flare up you should continue to keep moving and exercising within your limits, modifying or backing off only from movements that cause sharp shooting pain.
2) Perform gentle neck range of movement
If you are suffering from an acute pain flare up it is important to do stretching exercises throughout the day. One good exercise to start with is simply sitting in a chair and rotating side to side looking as far as you can over your shoulder without pushing through sharp shooting pain.
3) Use heat or ice to reduce pain
With an acute neck pain flare up. You are simply trying to decrease the pain and muscle spasm. You can try ice or heat to help reduce the painful spasms. If you use ice make sure you use a towel between the skin and the ice pack. Only use the ice for a maximum 15-20 minutes. Make sure you leave at least one hour between ice treatments. Ice can be helpfull when the pain levels are really high to help block the pain and reduce the spams.
If you find that ice does not help to reduce pain much your other option is heat. Heat will also help to reduce pain, however may reduce stiffness, and loosen the muscles making it easier to turn your head. You should use a heating pad for 20 minutes at a time and should not use it continuously throughout the day.
4) Take frequent breaks from sitting
One of the biggest causes of an acute neck pain flare up is a period of increased sitting or work at the computer. When your neck is aggravated you need to take frequent breaks from the computer. This will help to reduce the spasms and allow your neck to settle down. In other words sitting for long periods of time is going to make an aggravated neck angry!
5) Visit a physiotherapist
If you have been trying the following tips and you are feeling like your neck pain is getting worse or you feel like it is not improving consult with a good hands on physiotherapist. A physiotherapist will be able to determine the most effective and cost effective solution to your neck pain. They will also be able to determine if the neck pain is more serious.
Physiotherapy can help you with neck pain, headaches, arm pain, or numbness and tingling down the arm. If you are taking pain medication physiotherapy offers a solution that will correct the issues that are causing your neck pain without the side effects.
A physiotherapist will address factors which may be causing your neck pain. At Shawn Williams Physiotherapy we use manual therapy and dry needling combined with exercises specific to your condition. Often treatments will focus on releasing muscles that have become tight and strengthening muscles that have become weak.
If you are struggling with an acute neck pain flare up and live in Toronto, take the first step to stopping your neck pain book a free 20 minute in-person consultation with Shawn Williams Physiotherapy.
