What is the best treatment for neck and shoulder pain?
Are you, too, experiencing neck and shoulder pain? Read on to know about its causes, symptoms, and the best treatment for it.
Your wrong posture can badly hurt your neck and shoulder. Whether you are a writer or receptionist, if you work the whole day sitting in front of your desktop computer, you are likely to be affected with neck and shoulder pain. According to a survey, 36% of participants complain of neck, back, and shoulder pain when they use digital devices for more than two hours.
The reason for neck and shoulder pain can be different each time. But most commonly, it occurs due to strain in the muscle and tendons of your neck and shoulder. Nerve pinching in the neck area causes pain that radiates towards the shoulder. Instability in shoulder joints and some diseases like meningitis are associated with neck and shoulder pain. Other than that, it can occur due to injury of muscle, tendon, and ligaments in the neck and shoulder.
Whatever the reason, it can be exhausting. The intensity of pain can be mild to severe. You may experience difficulty in moving your head in specific directions. You are likely to experience numbness, spasms, tightness, and soreness in the affected area. Among its symptoms, headache is also common.
Treatment for neck and shoulder pain
You can’t live with this stinging pain. It can decrease your ability to focus and work productivity. Treatment depends on how severe your neck and shoulder pain is. For severe and persistent pain, consult your physician. Some emergency situations associated with neck and shoulder pain, such as heart attack, require immediate hospital visits.
However, For mild to moderate pain, you don’t need to visit a doctor. There are home remedies that relieve your pain. Some over-the-counter analgesics such as Tylenol can treat your pain. But drugs have side effects associated with them, such as Tylenol’s long-term use can damage the liver.
What about massage to treat your neck and shoulder pain? Massage is a harmless way that does many good things to your body. People are using it for centuries for the management of pain. An article published in Evidence-based Complementary Alternative Medicine suggests that massage therapy may provide immediate effects for neck and shoulder pain.
But visiting a massage spa or salon every time can too add stress to your life. What about getting a massage in your home? Yes, it’s possible. Here are the devices that let you have a massage anywhere, even in your bedroom.
Massage gun
Massage gun makes it easier for you to massage at any place. It offers percussion or vibration massage therapy without the involvement of a trained massage therapist. It oscillates back and forth and hits trigger points in the body that corresponds to specific parts of the body, and heals those parts. It generates similar results as compared to massage by a therapist.
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Here are the ways it relieves discomfort associated with neck and shoulder pain:
● Improves Blood Flow
Massage improves blood and lymphatic circulation, which delivers more nutrients and oxygen to the head and neck muscles. The improved blood flow results in relieving muscle fatigue and enhanced range of motion.
● Releases Endorphins
Massages are known to release endorphins. Endorphins are neurotransmitters that mediate the pathway of the brain. They act on opioid receptors and block the sensation of pain. A study published in the Journal of physiotherapy found that massage is an effective way to reduce pain and fatigue.
● Relieve stress
Constant Stress puts strains on your muscles and is the most common cause of neck, back, and shoulder pain. An article published in the International Journal of neuroscience suggests that serotonin and dopamine levels increase following massage therapy that blocks stress.
● Decrease muscle soreness
A study published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research suggests that vibration massage therapy can reduce muscle soreness, reducing the pain associated with it.
Neck and Shoulder Massager
A neck and shoulder massager uses the same mechanism to relieve pain as a massage gun. It mainly focuses on the neck and shoulder area. You can use it anywhere in your office, home, and even car. It saves your money from visiting a massage spa every time.
It helps you relax and get rid of the pain by following ways:
● Relieve fatigue
Stiffness in the neck can affect the blood flow to the brain that supplies blood to some parts of the brain, which results in fatigue and dizziness. Neck and shoulder massagers enhance blood flow to the neck area and reduce stiffness, thus helping relieve fatigue so that you can work effectively at your workplace. An article published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical practice suggests that massage decreases the perception of fatigue.
● Relieves pain
A neck and shoulder massager not only relieves pain in the neck and shoulder but also treats headaches. It does so by releasing endorphins that reduce the sensation of pain.
● Reduces Muscle spasm
Muscle spasm can occur due to stress, wrong posture, exercise, and dehydration. Massage helps relieve muscle tension, inflammation, and muscle spasms in the neck and shoulder area. Neck and shoulder massager apply pressure to your trigger points, which release tension and increase range of motion.
● Remove Lactic acid
Massage increases blood flow, which in turn removes lactic acid from muscles that may be accumulated as a result of strenuous work. An increased amount of lactic acid is associated with muscle stiffness.