• October 13, 2021

Common Self-Care Solutions for Back and Neck Pain

Back and neck pain are prevalent in the United States, with 60% to 80% of adults likely to experience back and neck pain that interferes with their daily activities at some point in their lives. Living with chronic back and neck pain can be challenging and lead to severe physical and psychological issues if not appropriately managed.

Fortunately, some simple, quick, and easy self-care solutions can provide relief from these painful symptoms and make it easier for you to manage them while you are waiting to get professional treatment.

A woman eating healthy foods after exercising to avoid back and neck pain
Maintaining a healthy diet can help you avoid painful back and neck conditions.

Let’s take a look at some of these simple self-care techniques that can help relieve your neck and back pain:

Give Your Back a Rest

While it might seem too obvious to be true, resting is probably the best way to manage back and neck pain and find some relief. Avoiding strenuous activities and being careful with how you move for a few days allows the muscles to unbind and relax. However, too much rest and a sedentary lifestyle can make things worse, so make sure you don’t use your back and neck pain as an excuse to sit on the couch or in bed all day, binge-watching Netflix shows.

Apply Ice and Heat Alternately

Applying ice can help reduce inflammation and swelling that is common with back pain caused by an injury. The cold temperature also acts as an anesthetic, providing temporary relief from the pain. If you don’t have an injury or inflammation, you can use a heating pad to increase the blood flow to the soft tissues of the area and encourage the muscles to relax.

If your back and neck pain persists, it might be time to make some serious lifestyle changes to ensure better physical health and a more robust musculoskeletal structure. Smoking has been known to compromise bone health, and it can lead to degenerative disc disease. That is the first thing you should quit. The next step is incorporating a healthy diet into your daily life by eating foods that nourish the body. It is also essential to avoid unhealthy and processed foods full of fats and sugar. Finally, you should exercise regularly to strengthen your bones and improve your posture to prevent your back and neck pain from getting worse.

TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital

If you have been experiencing persistent back and neck pain, it is imperative that you get professional help as soon as possible.

Our spine experts at TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital can evaluate your symptoms and condition to determine the right treatment plan for your back and neck pain.

We perform lower back surgery, effective back surgery for a herniated disc, and back surgery for sciatica, among other procedures, using innovative and minimally invasive treatments at our neurosurgical spine center in Houston.

For more information, go to the Find A Doctor page to select a spine specialist who’s right for you. Once you have found your doctor, you can make your appointment directly with their office.

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