Neck pain is a very common problem in today’s world. A big chunk of people, irrespective of age or gender, suffers from agonizing neck pain at some point in their lives, especially based on the current lifestyle in the world.
Do you know that physio-recommended neck pain exercises work to keep neck muscles flexible and strengthened and support a healthy alignment? So how can you as an individual make the most of physical therapy when it comes to that nagging neck pain? We’ve got the answer for you.
- Keep it to the minimum. Start small.
Neck pain can be one of the most distressing pains associated with the spine. Initially, we all want to explore another way of eliminating pain, maybe through a quick pain killer, or finding other shortcuts to getting rid of the pain a 100%, but instead, if we told you that you could get rid of this excruciating pain without putting yourself under so much pressure just by setting short term goals for yourself, wouldn’t that be much easier?
Discuss short term easy-to-do neck pain exercises with your physical therapist that might initially reduce a little bit of that stiffness or make you feel bouts of pain relief, so you’re motivated to do more to feel the “no pain” feeling more often and consistently.
The best time to discuss these goals, whether short or long-term, will be once your physical therapist has had a chance to diagnose your entire problem and prescribe a duration and plan. Don’t be afraid to ask about the results you can expect during each interval of this long-term plan. For instance, if it’s a two-month treatment plan, feel free to ask your physical therapist what you can expect within two weeks of your neck pain exercises to measure your progress.
- Reducing Neck Pain Through Active Movement
The key to seeing the results of these prescribed neck pain exercises is working towards it, which will only happen once you show action by exercising and, most importantly, doing it right. We recommend doing so if you have to take virtual assistance to get the movements right. If you have any doubts or difficulties with these exercises, consult with your therapist, who can help you.
- Don’t stop. Keep going at it
The body adapts slowly. Patience is key in making progress needed from physical therapy exercises. It takes time for strength to develop and the pain to disappear. However, if recommendations are followed correctly and intensified, then there is significant progress over one or two weeks.
Tight muscles will loosen up as time goes on. Complete Recovery doesn’t happen as fast as some might like, but results are much better over time.
It may also take practice and determination to get a full result from these sorts of exercises at home, which may be difficult initially.
- Adapting to some new lifestyle changes
This information should not be new to anyone; living a generally healthy lifestyle by staying active, eating a well-balanced diet, and getting plenty of sleep is cited repeatedly as being good for developing chronic pain or preventing it altogether.
Not only this, practicing good posture and daily habits and neck pain exercises such as stretches that you can adopt into your lifestyle is also a good way to avoid many of these problems in the future.
Lastly, we recommend continuing exercises at home and stretches that help your neck even after the treatment period has ended so you can always ensure a healthier, pain-free lifestyle.
