Neck Pain

Most people will suffer from some medical conditions at a certain period of time in their lives. Neck pain is one of these common medical conditions and estimated that 2 out of 3 people of the population suffer from neck pain at least few time in their lives.

Although neck pain is very common, we should know its causes and they are far many causes attribute to neck pain. From nervous system issues to muscular issues, this condition can have a wide range of causes and each of them may need special treatment. Neck pain should be cure timely if not it can turn into a chronic condition.

The basic knowledge of Neck Pain

Our human vertebral spine is made out of 33 vertebrae, out of which only 7 are part of the neck area. Vertebral forms our main backbone system.

Each of these vertebrae should be seen as a bony block and in between each of them you will find the discs which usually act as “cushions” between the bony structures when they move. In close proximity, you can find nerves that pass through the vertebrae, which are part of the central nervous system. As for the structure of the neck, you should also know that it includes skin, muscles, arteries, certain kinds of glands, lymph nodes, the esophagus and the trachea. Knowing the parts that constitute your neck is important because any kind of medical issues that may be related to them will lead to neck pain in one way or another.

Neck pain can causing other symptoms such as headache, shoulder pain, facial pain, tingling and tenderness due to the nerves which pass through the neck, pulsations, swishing sounds in the head, lightheadedness and the swallowing of the lymph node.

The Main Types of Neck Pain and the Conditions Causing Them

There are two main types of neck pain: acute and chronic. Although acute neck pain is not a long term condition, it can be caused by different serious conditions. Chronic neck pain, on the other hand, can last for extended periods of time and causes by many causes.

Degenerative Disc Disease

One of the most common medical conditions that cause patients to feel neck pain is degenerative disc disease. The discs that are found in between the vertebrae are actually cushions that prevent the vertebrae from being badly impacted due to movement. The degenerative disc disease affects precisely these parts of the neck and it is most often associated with getting older.

Besides advancing in age the most commonly known cause for degenerative disc disease, there may be cases when trauma or injury can lead to it. Degeneration of the disc can be easily detected with an MRI scan or X-ray test.

The main symptom of the degenerative disc disease is feeling the pain of the neck in the area where the discs have worn out.

The surgical treatment applied in the case of those who suffer from the degenerative disc disease can come in two forms: stabilization surgery and decompression surgery. For stabilization surgery, two vertebrae are fused together and this gives the patient’s vertebral spine more stability. This type of surgery is more frequently done for those who suffer from the degenerative disc disease located in their lower back or in their neck.

Surgery will only be recommended in certain severe cases. Responding to medical treatment and non-surgical treatment can lead to a complete healing of the patient, while surgery may require physical therapy and an extended period of recovery time.

Spinal Disc Herniation

Commonly known as a “slipped disc”, the spinal disc herniation can be a very serious medical condition. Spinal disc herniation affects the outer ring of the vertebrae, which leads to the bulging out of the soft portion found in the central part of the vertebrae.

Age degeneration, trauma, and injuries resulted from lifting and straining is the main causes of the spinal disc herniation. People whose job natures require them to constantly sit, squat and lifting heavy object are more at risk of developing a spinal disc herniation than other people.

Spinal disc herniation is the result of a former existing protrusion in the outer ring of the vertebrae and it is not to be mistaken with it. The difference between the two conditions is that in the case of the “protrusion”, the outer parts of the ring are completely intact and the disc only bulges when it is under pressure.

The symptoms shown by patients with spinal disc herniation vary according to severances’ of their case and the area in which the disc has herniated. Feeling extreme pain in the area of the disc is the first and most important symptom. If the spinal disc herniation has developed in the neck area, pain will appear in the neck area and it can spread to the surrounding areas. The difference between the pain felt in the case of a herniated disc and the pain felt by a muscle spasm is the fact that in the first case the pain is continuous, rather than intermittent such as in the second case.

The treatment for spinal disc herniation can come in non-surgical and in surgical forms. Most of patients with a spinal disc herniation do respond well to non-surgical treatment within the first few months of treatment. Thus, in the first phase the doctor will prescribe the patient anti-inflammatory non-steroidal medication, but this is to be taken very cautiously because the treatment can be affected by underlying gastrointestinal toxicity and cardiovascular toxicity as well.

It is important that the patient receives proper treatment for spinal disc herniation because there may be serious consequences to just ignore it. Complications of this medical condition include the caudaequinasyndrome, chronic pain, permanent injury to the nerve and even worse, paralysis.

Prevention is possible in the case of spinal disc herniation is to educate people the causes that can lead to such a condition. The proper position when lifting an heavy object is very important. Exercising is also important part of preventing the development of this condition since it can help to strengthen the back.

Whiplash

This is one of the most common conditions that lead to the development of neck pain and it is sometimes considered to be even more common than the degenerative disc disease. However frequently encountered though, this particular medical condition is very often misunderstood, which in itself leads to inadequate treatment.

Basically, what the medical professionals may refer to as “whiplash” is nothing else than the pain of the neck that is resulted out of a rapid acceleration of the back-and-forth head movements. These kind of injury is quite frequent happen in road accidents. This type of injury appears when the patient was in a vehicle was impact with another vehicle that was moving towards it.

In addition to neck pain, there are other symptoms associated with whiplash such as dizziness, headaches, shoulder pain, stiffness felt both in the area of the neck.

For the diagnosis of whiplash, it can be easily done with the help of X-rays. In fact, a person who has been involved in an accident will have to be tested for serious injuries and if whiplash is diagnosed, the patient will be informed on his/her condition, on what it means and on which is the path to recovery.

The treatment applied in the case of those who suffer from whiplash depends on the symptoms they encounter. Medical professionals used to believe that isolating the movement in the cervical area with a soft collar do help. However, it has been proved that not allowing the neck to move at all can slow down the healing process and that when immobilization is combined with too much rest; there is a higher risk of developing chronic conditions such as pain, stiffness, muscle pain, decreased blood flow to the soft tissue in the injured area.

It is believed that early movement exercises and physical therapy can be much more effective to the pain of the neck and that they can help the patient recover faster.

Whiplash can be prevented by avoiding car accidents wherever possible and by making use of all safety measures. Modern seat belts and airbags are proven useful in preventing this condition and most of the cars nowadays are equipped with them.

Arthritis

Arthritis is one of the most commonly encountered diseases primarily affects the elderly. Arthritis of the bones is characterized by the inflammation of the joints that link the bones between themselves. There are many forms of arthritis, but the most common one is osteoarthritis. While in general the degeneration of the joints is related to getting older, there are cases when arthritis is related to autoimmune diseases.

The arthritis of the neck bones is called “cervical spondylosis” and it is estimated that it affects more than 85% of people who are age of over 60. Cervical spondylosis does not affect the patients into very bad situations.

Basically, cervical arthritis is linked to the degeneration of the discs. As we grow older, the amount of liquid between our vertebrae becomes considerably smaller and decrease. following with this, the joints are affected and this is how cervical spondylosis develops. If the cartilage wears away completely, the patient’s body can respond to this by growing a new bone that will narrow down the space available for the nerves and this leads to a condition known as "stenosis".

The diagnosis process of the cervical arthritis started with several questions related to neck pain. Physician most likely will ask you when the pain started and the period of the pain since it first happen, what is the occurrence rate of the pain, if the pain is getting worse or better under certain circumstances and if you have ever been treated for this pain.

The treatment in the case of the “neck arthritis” can be both non-surgical and surgical. The non-surgical treatment will usually include various medications such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants.

The surgical treatment applied in the case of those who suffer from cervical arthritis is quite uncommon and the doctor will recommend it only for very serious case.

Pinched nerves

Pinched nerves is a medical condition that is common to various diseases and it can be one of the causes that lead to developing neck pain of various degrees of severity. Neck pain that develops due to pinched nerves commonly link to other medical conditions and diseases.

Pinched nerves conditions can be related to spinal disc herniation. As mentioned before, disc herniation usually develops with age due to the fact that the discs wear out. The herniation can appear on any of the parts of the disc, including the inner part that is close to the spinal canal. When that happens, the nerve beside the herniated disc can be pressured and that leads to pain, numbness and weakness.

Another circumstance when a pinched nerve may be behind the neck pain of a patient is when a bone spur appears. There are cases when the degeneration of the bone part of the vertebrae trigger odd reaction in the body: that of growing another bone to support the vertebral spine. When this happens, the spur can press against the nerves and lead to pain. Do bear in mind that this kind of pinched nerve is slightly different than stenosis.

Neck Strain

Straining is probably the most common and the least serious cause that leads to neck pain. There are many causes that lead to strain around the neck: sitting in an odd position for an extended period of time, sleeping in an odd position, driving for a longer period of time, carrying a heavy object on one side of the body only and working in front of computer for extended of period without exercise or move around.

Neck strains treatments do not required medicine. They can be treated with a series of home remedies such as cold and hot packs. When medication is needed, however, it will most likely be of the over the counter type such as anti-inflammatory drugs.

Although neck strains are not very serious and they can resolve without much hassle, they can be truly uncomfortable and painful. Do bear in mind that in certain cases you should definitely go visit your doctor about the pain of the neck because there may be other reasons behind it.

Neck Pain Remedies and Exercises

There are a lot of things that you can do for your neck pain before you visit your doctor. Some of these methods are generally considered to be “traditional”, while other methods are considered to be “alternative” (and most of them are influenced by the Asian culture and practices).

Among the traditional neck pain remedies is applying hot and iced packs on the neck pain area. You can simply use a heating pad and apply it to the pain of the neck area for 15-20 minutes every 4 hours.

Massages are also helpful. However, it is better to get massages from a professional personnel. Gently massaging the painful area can help with pain relief.

Acupuncture is prove to be a very good Chinese therapy treatment. Acupuncture is helpful in relieving chronic pain. Acupuncture uses very small needles that are inserted into areas where these are the important part of nerves to smooth the “qi”.

One of the exercises you can try out for neck strain is to very gently bend it forwards and backwards. Do these slowly because otherwise you can hurt your neck muscles become even worsen. Slow neck retractions, side bends and rotations work the same way and they are usual exercises you can do at home as well. Another exercise you can try out is pulling your shoulder blades backwards and stretching the arms forwards after that. This exercise is especially good if your neck pain is situated on the lower end of the neck.

Neck Pain Prevention

Although certain medical conditions that lead to neck pain are not actually avoidable especially arthritis that develops once the patient getting older, there are also many things you should know to avoid any kind of pain of the neck and back pain problems.

1. Avoid slouching and try to sit up straight as much as possible. Although it may seem that slouching is something that mainly affects the lower and middle back, it can affect your neck as well. When you sit, make sure you do not bring your head forward, that you keep your back up straight and that you lower your shoulders. Try not to sit for more than one hour without any move.

2. If you work at a computer on extensive period of time, remember to adjust the monitor to your eye-level. This will prevent you from slouching.

3. If your work required you to answer phone call over long period, do not hold your phone between your shoulder and your ear. Use headset for the comfort.

4. When you sleep, use a good pillow that can support your neck. A good quality pillow is extremely important for the health of your neck and back. Remember that you are sleep for over 6 hours on the pillow and it happens every night.

5. When you lift heavy objects, make sure you bend your knees instead bending your entire back. Correct position is very important in lifting heavy objects. Wrong position can easily lead to back pain injury.

6. Avoid obesity. Our body weight is support by our bone system which is emcompass by our nerves and spine. Overweight can put pressure to bone, spine, nerves and joints.

7. Exercise regularly. Exercise must be practice at least 3 times a week. Exercise is benefit to our entire body, not just our neck or back. Every exercise should at least last for 30 minutes.

Natural remedy for leg pain

All Natural Remedies For Leg Pain

Leg is most important part of our body that supports our body weight and let us moves around for daily activities. Leg is built from many muscles, ligaments and joints and that can become sore and leg pain. Your body requires exercise, nutrients, and proper care in order to deliver its best mechanics. Many people suffer from different kind of leg pain conditions including the mysterious Restless Leg Syndrome or RLS.

In restless leg syndrome you will be all set to go to bed however, as soon as you lie down your legs begin to twitch, move and in some cases ache. This condition is rather elusive and mysterious. Many studies suggest that a mineral deficiency is the root cause of the condition.

Other causes of leg pain can be from over use of muscles or from a torn ligament. A simple fall down can hurt your leg without your notice. Consider what you’ve done on any given day if you’re suffering from unexplained leg pain.

Did you slip, fall, stretch or over extend a muscle or muscle group? Have you recently injured your back or neck? All of these can be contributing factors to leg pain.

Your body requires 4 types of electrolyte minerals to function properly. If any of these are off balance you could end up having cramping in your legs as well as the twitching and kicking so familiar to restless leg syndrome. To help combat this you’ll have to ensure that you’re getting all of the vitamins and minerals that your body requires.

When muscles in your legs are fatigued and there aren’t enough minerals to circulate you’ll wind up with severe muscle cramps. You’ll twitch and jump even though you’re not trying to. When you lie down these sensations seem to worsen.

Potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium work together to keep these electrolytes balanced. You’ll also have to get enough vitamins including Vitamin B, Vitamin D and Vitamin E. Zinc is also important to helping you ease those aches and pains. Take a good vitamin supplement to help combat leg pain.

These all natural remedies for leg pain will help to ease your legs into a good bedtime ritual and they can help you to ease leg pain and discomfort at any time of the day.

Take Your Supplements

To keep those electrolytes in balance you’ll need to incorporate some supplements into your diet.

Drink mineral water that has 100 mg of magnesium per liter of water. Drink more water and make sure that you’re staying hydrated. You should drink at least eight glasses of water per day to stay healthy.

Increase folic acid to help promote the building of your red blood cells. This will help to deliver more oxygen to your body and reduce leg pain.

Foods that are rich in iron are helpful. Dark green vegetables, wheat germ, kidney beans, lean beef and liver are rich of iron. Iron helps the myoglobin to hold oxygen and thus prevent muscle spasms. When you prevent muscle spasms you will help to reduce leg pain.

Massage Therapy

If during stretches you begin to feel a charley horse (strong cramping in the calves) of leg pain, you likely have suffering magnesium deficiency and need to increase your magnesium intake.

Simply sit on the edge of your bed or a sofa and firmly massage the calve area. If you are still having restless legs, take a walk around the house and make sure you’re taking some long steps so that you are stretching those muscles.

Homeopathic Remedies

There are many great homeopathic remedies that you can try as well. Consider Causticum in the 12C dilution. You could also consider Tarentula Hispanica three times each day until you see some improvement.

You can also consider some aroma therapy as well. Lavender, calendula and peppermint are all ingredients used to soothe the leg aches and leg pain. You can also soak in a lavender bath before bed to ease your spasms.

Prevention

Prevention is better than cure. Avoid alcohol and caffeine as these are stimulants that may keep restless legs in motion. Reduce or stop smoking. Cold and sinus medications may also make symptoms worsen and avoid them except in dire need.

If you’re suddenly having leg pain and haven’t had any for a time, consider what you ate that day and see if you can find a correlation to one of the foods you ate or something that you drank that day.

Exercise

Get up and start exercise to release those endorphins. Consider a walk after dinner to help your body nourish damaged nerves back to health.

Endorphins are the body’s way of dealing with pain and helping us to feel better. When you exercise, those endorphins are released and start to work immediately on your pain.

Gradually increase the amount of exercise or the distance walked until there are no more symptoms. It’s okay to start out slow and work your way up to a regular routine. Consider Yoga or Tai Chi to help get your body in motion.

Focus on exercises that will use your leg muscles so that they will be ready for rest when you are. Walking, jogging, yoga and Tai chi are all good ways to get those legs up and moving.

Pampering

Nerve pain is another reason that some people struggle with restless leg syndrome. If this is you, you can find some relief by using good foot care and pampering your feet and your legs.

Nerve pain results in impaired sensations, you may not feel that pin you stepped on, but it can still cause damage. You may not notice a minor infection or an infected toenail, but over the course of time if they’re left untreated it can rage into a horrible infection.

To prevent this, make sure that you inspect your feet daily to ensure that you don’t have any ingrown toenails or hangnails or other injuries that may become infected. Make sure that you aren’t suffering from cracked dry heels that can lead to infection.

Wear good comfortable shoes to protect your feet from harm. Even if you think an injury is too minor to worry about, keep an eye on it and if it becomes infected see your doctor immediately.

Change Your Lifestyle

Lower your stress levels and learn new methods of dealing with stress. Add more exercise into your day. Smoke less or stop smoking altogether to help reduce symptoms. Certain medications may make RLS or leg pain worse.

Reduce outside influences such as electronics, television and the like. Too many distractions can cause you to stay awake and focus on your pain. Instead, create a quiet time around your bedtime ritual and focus on relaxation techniques and methods for falling asleep. Try listening to some soft music.

Vitamin D

Some studies have suggested that taking a good Vitamin D supplement can greatly reduce symptoms. The same study also suggests that increased levels of Iron, Vitamin C and Vitamin E will also help to reduce symptoms.

A good multi vitamin can’t hurt either according to the study. Many times pain is something as simple as lacking in a specific vitamin or mineral. By supplementing your diet with vitamins you can often help to decrease your pain levels and gets a good day.

Other Considerations

Other things to consider are recent injuries to ankle, feet and legs. These can often be forgotten or passed off as minor when in fact a muscle was torn or stretched and is causing pain. Pinched nerves can also lead to leg pain.

If you’ve recently slipped and fallen and torque your back or neck you could have leg pain as a consequence. Don’t discount even a minor twist or fall that could cause our pain. It is amazing how easily things can be out of alignment and cause pain. Often a chiropractor can help as well.

If this is the case opt for heat and ice intermittently so that you can relax the sore muscles and give them time to heal. Leg pain from such injuries isn’t uncommon. Heat and ice are both ideal for helping to soothe aching muscles and giving you enough relief to fall asleep. Once you’re asleep your body will begin to relax and you won’t notice any pain.

Relaxation and a simple pain medication such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be all that is required to help ease the pain. Avoid overextending your leg muscles that can become strained.

If pain continues after trying some of the above mentioned remedies, consider consulting a doctor to ensure that there isn’t something more serious wrong with you.

Other conditions such as poor circulation and a peripheral vascular disease can also cause leg pain. Your doctor can fully evaluate your specific situation and recommend other treatments if necessary.

Back Pain - The Causes and Treatments

Back pain can categorised from a constant ache to a sudden pain that it can eventually cause us have difficulty to move. If you fall down or lift up object that is too heavy for you, it can causing back pain suddenly due to spine stress and it can get worse over the time.

Back pain is one of the most common medical problems facing by every people especially elderly, athlete and workers who always need to carry or move heavy objects. Some back pain will recover by their own, typically within a few weeks.

However, back pain can be one of the most difficult medical problems for individuals to deal with. Understanding the reason that causing your back pain is the key to get proper treatment.

Who Gets Back Pain?

It is possible for anyone to have chance to get back pain, however there are a few facts that actually increase the risk. Some of these things are as follows:

The older you get, the more common back pain is. You may not experience back pain until you’re 40 years old or more.

If you are less physically fit, you are more likely to have back pain.

If you are overweight, you are more likely to have back pain. Too much weight stresses your back spine and causing pain.

In some cases, causes of back pain could be due to cancer or a form of arthritis.

If you work in a job where you are required to push, pull, or lift while twisting your spine, you could experience back pain. Additionally, if your working environment require you to sit at a desk whole day and you do not stretch your body from time to time, you could experience back pain.

When To Visit Your Doctor

Normally, back pain will only last a few days or within a few weeks to have completely recovered themselves. However, if you encounter new episode of back pain, you should contact your physician to see if further evaluation is necessary.

Additionally, there are some warning signs that indicate that the problem is more serious and you need some immediate evaluation  for back pain treatments:

• The pain lasts beyond a few days
• The pain awakens you in the night
• Problems controlling bladder or bowels
• Fever, sweats, chills, or other signs of possible infection
• Other unusual back pain symptoms

Treatments For Back Pain

One of the most frustrating part of back pain treatments is that it takes time to resolve. Sometime, individuals can expect a full recovery simply by avoiding stress to the back.

Individuals can often get help with heat, ice, and anti-inflammatory medications. You can also consider using essential oils for back pain.

If the basic treatments don’t relieve your back pain, you will need to seek medical help. Depending on your symptoms, your physician suggest a proper treatment.

Depending on what is causing the symptoms of your back pain, there could be a number of treatments recommended. Some options your physician may suggest to treat your back pain could include:

Nonsurgical treatments: typically, the first suggestion in treating back pain is nonsurgical options. These include: ice/heat, rest/exercises, medications, and other treatments could be useful in helping relieve your back pain symptoms.

Alternative treatments: alternative treatments are becoming more popular and are often used just as successfully as traditional medical treatments for the symptoms of back pain. Additionally, keep in mind that these are often just as effective and safe as medications that are used for treating back pain.

Spine Surgery: this is left as the last course of treatment for the symptoms of back pain. It is only used for treating back pain that doesn’t resolve with nonsurgical or alternative treatments. However, in some cases, surgery may be necessary. Talk it over with your physician to determine when surgery is appropriate for treatment of your back pain.

Best Essential Oils for Back Pain Treatment

If you’d like to try to treat your back pain naturally with essential oils, you can to use the following oils:

Ginger oil: this oil is excellent for easing back pain and offering more mobility. Blend together 4 drops of ginger oil with 1 tablespoon of sweet oil, 4 drops cardamom oil, and 4 drops wintergreen oil to create a wonderful, soothing massage oil.

Clary Sage oil: this oil is very soothing and has a calming effect if you’re very anxious and your muscles are tensed up due to pain. Also, it has anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties. If you’re pregnant, you should avoid using clary sage oil.


Chamomile oil: this oil helps to control muscle spasms and also has anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties.

Peppermint oil: this oil is great for relieving muscle soreness.

Lavender oil: this oil helps to prevent inflammation and muscle spasms. Additionally, it helps to relieve tension, which could be a contributing factor of back pain.

Rosemary oil: this oil has anti-spasmodic and analgesic properties- it is wonderful for improving circulation and relieving back pain.

You can use any of these essential oils independently. However, it is great to blend two or more of them together.

You should never apply them directly to your skin, blend them together with a carrier oil first. You can also take an aromatherapy bath to soothe your aching, tired muscles and increase your circulation.

Add nine drops of either one or a combination of the above essential oils directly to your bath water and then soak for about 20 minutes.