Available now, our free e-book, 5 things you can do today to ease neck pain and headaches. Are you dealing with neck or shoulder pain, headaches, or TMJ pain? Are you looking to learn a bit more about what’s going on? This free guide helps you understand not only what is going on with neck pain but gives you several strategies that you can start today to begin easing tight and tender muscles, aching and stiff joints all while helping you sleep better, turn your head, and enjoy the life you deserve without the agony of neck pain. This book is for everybody but is especially for anybody 35+ who is now dealing with difficulty looking over your shoulder, migraines, tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches, numbness down the arm, tingling in the arm, trigger points in the shoulder, pain when chewing, or TMJ pain who is looking for natural pain relief and is looking to avoid surgery, injections, or dangerous painkillers. If you’ve been diagnosed with neck arthritis, pinched nerves, bulging discs in the neck or if you are just curious if your neck is causing shoulder pain (especially if your MRI says nothing is wrong with your shoulder so why does it hurt? ) or if you have neck pain but your MRI says nothing is wrong with your neck. This book is for you. Request my free e-book
Not only will you learn the 5 things you can do today to ease neck pain and headaches you’ll learn the even more important part of what NOT to do when dealing with neck pain, headaches, or pinched nerves in the neck.
Some of the valuable lessons that I teach in this book:
When to go see your physician (i.e. when is this an emergency)
What is going on in the neck when you’re having pain
Is your posture to blame for your neck pain or headaches
What pain is
And When to Get Help
Two of the tips that I explain in this book that you can start to do right now to ease neck pain
Take a movement break
Sometimes it can be hard to just get up and go around the house or go for a walk when our neck is hurting but that is usually exactly what it needs. This is especially true if your pain improves after walking around the house. Key-fill up a glass of water and drink 1 per hour(unless advised not to by your physician). That way you have to get up to go use the bathroom and this gives your spine some exercise, eases achy muscles, and oils stiff and stuck joints.
Plan for 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
Did you know that lack of sleep increases the body's sensitivity the next day. It isn't just that we're grumpy or need 6 cups of coffee just to make it through the day but it also shuts down your body's natural painkillers, amps up the sensitivity of your sensors, and reduces your ability to move well. In addition, how you sleep and especially how many pillows you are using can equal a splitting headache or stiff neck first thing in the morning.
More importantly, 2 things to NOT do when dealing with neck pain
Mistake #1: Prolonged Rest
I get it-resting and lying down seems to help but...there is a ton of evidence that prolonged resting is one of the worst things you can do to recover from your neck pain or chronic headaches. It leads to
Higher levels of pain and stiffness
Reduced flexibility and muscle strength
A slower(and often worse) recovery
More time away from work
By performing gentle exercises and staying active, your pain will recover faster than just resting(and will often cost far less in time, money, and suffering)
Mistake #2 Focusing too much on MRI or X-ray Results
A common question we get is "Do I need an MRI" to "see what's going on". In most cases, an experienced Physiotherapist will be able to determine what is happening by having you move through a couple of simple tests. In addition, research shows that many people without back pain or sciatica will have changes on their MRI or Xray which means they may not be the cause of your pain or require surgery. In addition, the results of the scan rarely change a Physiotherapists plan of care because often you can be helped to feel better with no change to how your spine looks on an MRI. Get my free copy of 5 Things You Can Do Today to Ease Neck Pain and Headaches
Often we find that when we make some of the changes, like improving our posture, getting better pillows or mattresses, or having a better office set-up that we can reduce the number or severity of neck pain or headaches but they don’t completely go away. Why? Often because some of the underlying causes remain untreated. Often our nervous system becomes so sensitive that these fixes only partly calm down our nerves, ease our stiff necks or loosen tight muscles. Sometimes we try stretches or exercises that only aggravate our spine, muscles, or pinch nerves that then trigger a new headache, neck pain, or pain down the arm. Often there are other natural solutions to fix headaches. That’s why we offer free consultations to get to the root cause of your neck pain, jaw pain, or headaches.
During one of our free consultations, the Total Body Diagnostic, we offer expert advice about the worry and frustration of life-changing aches and pains – for FREE, in under 30 minutes.
If this article describes your story and you are looking for some help with neck pain or headaches, we offer FREE consultations, which give you the opportunity to come in and meet us and see for yourself how we can help you.
Here are just a few of the things you will learn in one of our free consultation:
What is the underlying cause of your pain? (hopefully nothing too serious!)
Roughly, how long will it take to fix the problem?
What to do to help – which doesn’t include painkillers, resting or surgery etc.
What other, natural, drug free methods are there to speed up recovery alongside treatment?
Our consultations are great for anyone that may be “unsure” if physio is right for them, and they give you the opportunity to ask questions and see for yourself if we can help you.
If you’d like one of our limited free consultation sessions, please click here to request your Total Body Diagnostic or CALL us on 850-765-2779 to make a no-obligation enquiry.
About the author
Brandon Alkire, DPT, CSCS, FMS, Cert. DN