neck

Tips for healthy living…Also, bad posture can result to back and neck pain.

Resolve to keep happy and joyous and difficulties will run away from you. Enjoy the journey, enjoy every moment and quit worrying. Tips for healthy living are:

- Drink a pint of water first thing in the morning.
- Eat fresh fruits on your way out in the morning.
- Exercise.
- Drink herbal tea or just simple tea without sugar and milk.
- Eat a handful of nuts.
- Drink fresh juice.
To build up physical endurance:
- Do some cardio training
- Get into some vigorous sweeping, mopping or vacuuming as they burn a significant number of calories.
- Take the stairs instead of elevator.
- Do yoga.
- In sedentary job, take your breaks outdoors and have a brisk and short walk. Concentration and mood is also improved.
- Dance or do aerobics at home.

As one sits in front of the desktop screen or lie in bed working on laptop, you develop the risk of nagging pain in the shoulder. Back and neck pain is a result of prolonged sitting at work.
Problems faced are:
- Back and neck muscle spasm and pain.
- Back and neck soft tissue inflammation.
- Back, neck and shoulder pain on movement and involvement of other muscles.

Bad posture can cause headaches, excessive tension in neck area, chests, shoulders, arms and forearms, back, hips, thighs and legs. From back and neck pain, you can develop pain and numbness in the fingers, wrists or arms.
Good posture is very necessary:
-Fingers should be kept as straight as possible.
- Elbows should be resting at 90-100 degrees.
- Keys on left side of keyboard should be used by left hand. Right hand should not be forced.

Not doing so, can result into:
- wrist pain that moves up to elbow.
- swelling of wrists, numbness and lack of power.
- stiffness of arms and wrists.
- surgery

Things that can be done:
- use an ergonomic office chair with lumbar support.
- adjust the height of the chair so that upper thighs are parallel to floor. Back should be supported and angeled at 120 degree to keep spondylitis away.

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Torticollis (Wryneck/Stiff Neck/Cervical Dystonia) – Types, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Torticollis refers to the neck in a twisted or bent position due to imbalance of neck muscles and leads to involuntary contractions of the neck muscle refers to presentation of the neck in a twisted or bent position due to non-symmetry of neck muscles leading to involuntary contractions of the neck muscle. This condition affects the neck muscles which become tender and soft. The neck gradually begins to bend to one side.
- If the condition occurs without a known cause, it is called idiopathic torticollis.
- Torticollis may develop in childhood or adulthood.
- An infant born with this condition may have limited neck movement.
- The shoulder on the affected side is usually elevated. There may be an enlargement of the neck muscle.

Congenital Causes:
This type of Neck deformity is usually due to abnormalities in the neck that are present at birth.
- Abnormal position of the head and neck of the baby, while in mother’s uterus.
- Birth injury causing damage to neck muscles, bones and nerves.
- Inadequate blood supply to the baby’s neck, while in mother’s uterus.
- Due to inheritance of a defective gene.

Acquired Causes:
This type of Neck deformity can occur overnight. It usually lasts for few days and subsides with rest and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Neck Injury / head trauma.
- Neck sprain.
- Tumor in the neck.
- Severe neck burns.
- Vigorous neck movement.
- Bad neck posture.
- Use of certain antipsychotic drugs, or neuroleptics.

Symptoms of Torticollis

- Neck pain
- Limited motion.
- Headache.
- Stiffness of neck muscles.
- Shoulder is high on one side.
- Swelling in neck.

Seek medical care when:
- Trouble breathing or swallowing
- Numbness in your arms and legs
- Urinary hesitancy, urinary or fecal incontinence
- Weakness in your arms and legs
- Impaired speech
- Difficulty walking

Treatment for Torticollis
Developing a torticollis treatment plan usually starts with identifying the cause. These treatments include medication, physical devices, botulinum toxin, and surgery.
- Most people with acute torticollis are successfully treated with medication.
- Treatment of congenital torticollis involves stretching the shortened neck muscle.
- Acquired torticollis is treated by identifying the underlying cause of the disorder. Application of heat, traction to the cervical spine, and massage may help relieve head and neck pain.
- In surgery, some of the upper neck nerves are selectively severed to prevent muscle contraction.

Helpful Hints for avoiding problems…

Prevention is better than cure. People get careless when their back is not hurting and they start doing all the things that they should not do to avoid back ache.
Precautions that you should take are :
- Your neck is best ruined when you hold the phone between your head and shoulders to avoid using your hands. Use a mouthpiece or else get a speaker phone to avoid this situation.
- People who say that in order to lift something, always bend your knees and crouch down to pick up something from floor level are not wrong. You should avoid leaning over from the waist to grab it. It creates a stress on the lower vertebrae.
- Driving for a longer time and in a wrong posture can create bad back ache. Take frequent breaks to get out and stretch. Keep your knees elevated and for that keep your seat as far forward. Keep doing neck exercises and shoulder lifts while you drive.
- Do not continue sitting in the same posture for longer periods. Take breaks to exercise and stretch your neck and upper back. Place a stool to elevate your knees and feel comfortable. You will feel comfortable if the lower part of your buttocks or lower back are pushed against the back of the chair.
- If the body is not prepared for active sports, then you should avoid playing active sports over the weekend. If you are planning to play a cricket match over the weekend with a gang of friends, spend a few extra minutes with the routines for the whole week preceding the get-together.
- Always turn to either of your side with knees close to the edge of bed to get up instead of keeping the legs flat on the bed, and straining the muscles of your lower back.