How To Get Rid of Neck and Shoulder Pain?

Learn what kind of treatments exist to get rid of these types of Pain.

For many of us, pain is one of those things we simply have a tough time dealing with and we want relief. While there are pains that may come and go over the course of a lifetime, there are also certain types of pain that are so intense we must seek treatment for them or that linger for such a long time that we really do want to try and find some sort of solution. If you suffer from neck and shoulder pain then you will be glad to know that medical science does indeed know a good bit about this type of pain and there are actually many things which can be done to help fix it. Once you discover what is causing your pain and understand how it can be healed, or at the very least lessened to a large degree, you are bound to feel better. Let’s get started learning about it right now.

Neck and Shoulder Pain Causes

Certain Types of Injuries

There are a number of different physical injuries that can cause these kinds of pain. Typically, the injuries that will bring on neck and shoulder pain are tied to injury to the soft tissues in these two areas of the body. Whiplash is a prime candidate for causing this kind of injury and those who have experienced it know that it can lead to painful spasms that are extremely tough to live with. When people fall while having their arm outstretched, they can sometimes break their collarbone and this is certain to trigger intense pain in both your neck and shoulders. Although it requires an immense amount of force, it is possible to break your shoulder blades and this, too, leads to incredible pain. A similar, but slightly less traumatic, the injury would be a shoulder separation and this will bring on pain, too.

Health Conditions

There are a number of health conditions that will cause you pain in your shoulders and neck. One of those is, surprisingly, a heart attack. In this instance, the pain is ‘referred’ meaning it was sent from the chest outward. Disease of the gallbladder can send pain to your shoulder in this same manner. Tendonitis can cause pain, especially in your shoulder, and is a disease that develops after long periods of overuse of any given joint. Degenerative disc disease can affect the neck, causing pinched nerves that definitely are not pleasant to deal with. In addition, degenerative arthritis can affect both the neck and shoulders, being a prime candidate for neck and shoulder pain. Each of these diseases is treated a little bit seriously, but unlike injuries, they have a tendency to linger on until treatment is found.

Getting Rid of Neck and Shoulder Pain

For many of us, quality of life is going to be sharply diminished when we are experiencing pain. You may not have neck and shoulder pain daily, but if you have it often enough to really notice, then it is time to do something about it. The good news is, solutions are often quite a bit easier to find than you might believe and they will not typically cost you anything. You can find real relief for your neck and shoulder pain if you understand the common tactics to help make that pain go away. Let’s take a look at what works for a lot of people and see if there is an ideal type of solution for you.

Heat or Ice

There are two primary reasons that people would experience pain in their neck and shoulders. The first is due to muscle strain and this is something that you may find relief from with a warm shower or even lie down on a heating pad. However, if the pain is coming from an inflammation of other tissues then that heat can lead to further discomfort. For neck and shoulder pain related to inflammation, a cold compress is going to be best. A sack of ice or something frozen and then wrapped in a towel or rag is a great treatment. As long as you have cloth between yourself and the ice, you can press it directly against the area where you are experiencing pain. Ice is commonly used in sports medicine for this purpose.

Do Remember Exercise

If your pain is not immediate and severe, then you may want to consider the benefits of exercise designed to help loosen your neck and shoulders. With neck and shoulder pain, often the stiffness is going to need to be worked out so it is important to keep your muscles and connective tissues from freezing up by doing regular exercises. If you see a doctor for your neck and shoulder pain then you will most likely discover that there are a series of exercises you can do once or twice per day to help keep yourself limber. Remember, too, that when muscles are underused they can often strain easily with the slightest exertion, so exercise is going to be a positive thing for you.

Rest

One thing that is definitely important for those who want to recover from an injury or even when they have regular pain in their neck or shoulders is getting rest. You definitely do want to try and let your muscles relax and this could be as simple as taking a nap when you can or even getting a bit more sleep. It is quite common that poor sleeping posture will lead to issues with your neck and shoulders so consider investing in a better mattress if the problem is low level yet chronic. Certain posture supportive pillows can also do wonders to help you feel better. Generally, if you do what you can to support better patterns of rest that work for you, finding relief is not so difficult to do and can definitely make a world of difference as to how you feel.

If Pain is Intense or Persistent Be Sure to See a Doctor

Any time you take a shot to the shoulders or land wrong on your neck, pay very close attention to your level of pain. Shoulders can be dislocated and a damaged neck can cause big problems, too. You want to be alert during intense pains so that, if need be, you can get to an emergency room or at least schedule a doctor’s visit in the near future. It is best never to wait around if the pain is intense. Also, if you are experiencing chronic pain then you may need to see a doctor see what to do. Some physicians will issue a prescription to help you deal with the pain while others may recommend you go with an over the counter solution if they think that will be enough to get you through the day. A doctor may also send you for X-rays to check on the status of your bones and joints so that they can give a more thorough diagnosis. In many cases, a short course of physical therapy can drastically reduce the pain you have to live with each day or even eliminate it entirely.