Back and neck pain can be triggered by anything from heavy lifting to gardening or even sleeping in an awkward position. It can hinder your movement, cause muscle spasms and expose you to the risk of chronic back or neck pain in future. While such pain may be acute enough to warrant medical attention, you can sometimes apply certain therapies to manage and eventually treat the aches and swelling. Here is a look at several simple at-home therapies you can use to cure moderate back and neck aches.
Apply Ice and heat
It is not uncommon to experience some pain in your lower back or neck after intense activity such as gardening or lifting heavy boxes in your garage. This pain is usually caused by mild inflammation in your muscles, and it can spread to your arms and shoulders if aggravated by continued activity. Taking it easy for a few days usually does the trick, as well as applying ice and heat to the painful areas to help stop the inflammation in your strained muscles and ligaments.
Ice should be applied immediately after injury, preferably by placing crushed ice in a plastic bag and then putting the bag in a towel, which you then wrap around your strained neck or back area. Ice slows any swelling and pain by acting as a local anesthetic. After the initial 48 hours, you should then place a cloth with hot water on the painful area to increase blood flow to the tissues and relax any muscle spasms caused by the injury.
Get a massage
Massages to the back and neck area can be very effective at relieving pain, as they help relax tight muscles and move body fluids around, thus preventing tissue scarring and muscle spasms. A willing companion can massage the painful areas gently to prevent aggravating the pain especially during the first few days after the injury. A massage will also help work out knots in your injured muscles and ligaments leading to better mobility and reduced inflammation. After the pain diminishes, exercise your neck and back muscles gradually to ease any lingering muscle and ligament tension.
Use over-the-counter pain Medications
Moderate back and neck pain can be effectively treated using over-the-counter medications. Drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen sodium or aspirin can be a good starting point for treating irritation and pain in the back and neck, as they reduce muscle inflammation and help reduce the pain. Should your pain persist after trying out home treatment remedies, you should seek medical treatment, or visit http://www.swfna.com.
