Ouch! I knew I screwed up my neck!

Could your episode of neck pain been avoided? Probably, right! Now we've got neck pain, how can we get pain relief?

If it's severe pain use ice to decrease the neck pain and inflammation. 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off works best, and try to do this a few times during the day or night.

Also use muscle massage and any topical pain relief gels like biofreeze are good to have around.

The best thing to do is prevent a neck pain episode from happening in the first place. So next time you know something may strain your neck, try to avoid it. Sometimes this is impossible however. So the next best thing is to have neck pain relief products on hand.

Some of my top picks are as follows:

1. the cervical traction neck pillow
   
2. ice and heat packs
   
3. the back nobber
   
4. a tens unit
   

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

Strain of the Upper Back…What Can I Do?

Upper Back Pain can be common in athletes
and for people who work on the computer

Upper back pain can be common with athletes who work out with weights (muscle strain), and for people who work on a computer or at a desk daily (poor posture). This can put stress on the upper back area causing pain, muscle spasms, tightness and an overall a feeling of discomfort.

One of the best things to do in this case is use a neck pillow. What you’ll notice, I’ll bet, is that even though the pain may be between the shoulder blades or up closer to the shoulder, it is made worse by moving your neck. Not only that your neck range of motion may be limited.

We need to align the neck as good as possible because nerves that exit between neck vertebrae mainly supply the upper back. For example- your trapezius muscle, which is a large muscle that covers a good portion of the back of the neck and upper back is mainly innervated by cervical nerves. What does this mean? Well, it tells us we need to keep the neck nerves free from pressure for the upper back to work like it should.

This is exactly what a neck pillow is designed to do. With arc4life's cervical traction pillow, not only does it align the neck but it also gives a gentle neck stretch opening up the nerve holes, and releasing more pressure.

So even if you have pain lower down, look to the neck spine for issues also. It may be the reason for your pain and has been going unnoticed.

Additonal Reading You May Find Interesting

• Neck Pain While at the Gym
• Arc4life’s Spine-Worx Posture system helps maintain spinal alignment!
• The Dreaded Hunchback - How to Correct That Area of Your Upper Back That Pops Out and Looks Funny!
• Arc4life's Cervical Traction Neck Pillow
• Which Neck Pillow is Right for Me
  Pain in the Upper Trapezius Muscle

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief.




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Chronic Pain Can cause shrinkage of the brain

A pain in the neck, a pain in the lower back, a headache...Did you know that 75 million people in the US suffer from chronic pain or pain that reccurs. Chronic pain can rob you of a normal fruitful life. Physically and mentally it can wear you down. A 2004 Study showed that people who suffer from chronic backaches have brains that are 11% smaller than those people who do not suffer.
It is not understood why. "It is possible it's just the stress of having to live with the condition," said study leader A. Vania Apkarian of Northwestern University. "The neurons become overactive or tired of the activity."

How to Treat a Muscle Spasm with Ice and Biofreeze

Muscle spasm or muscle tension in the neck or in the lower back? One way to treat this simply at home is to use a combination of ice and Biofreeze, a natural pain relieving Gel. A muslce spasm often feels like a tightness and sometimes it can be painful. I originally wrote this article on ehow.com and now i want to share it on my blog as well. In this particular blog I am talkinga about treating a muscle spasm in the neck region specifically. I have also given you ideas for your lower back region as well. Here is what you will need:

• BioFreeze Natural Pain Relieving Gel
  
  
• 6 x 20 Cold Pack for your neck OR 10 x 12 Cold Pack for your lower back region
  
• 1 towel
  
• 1 glove (non latex preferrable)
  

Step by Step Instructions for treating your muscle spasm:

1. Make sure your 6 x 20 ice pack has been in your freezer for at least 4 hours.
   
2. Take your ice pack out of the freezer and wrap your ice pack in the towel
   
3. Put one glove on and squeeze a small amount of biofreeze from the tube onto your finger.
   
4. Apply to your neck. Start from the top of your neck in the back (just under your hairline in the back) and start to massage in small circular strokes. First do the right side, then the left side. From top to the base of the neck. Keep your head in a neutral position.
   
5. After you have a massaged for about 1.5 minutes on each side, apply the ice pack that has been wrapped around the towel. Apply this ice pack right around your neck, allowing the ice pack to hang from your upper shoulders. Relax, sit (or lie down face down) like for 10-15 minutes.
   

It is a good idea to have someone else do this for you, but this is not always possible. BioFreeze Natural Pain Relieving Gel is odorless, and greaseless but you don't want your fingers tingling afterwards. Wearing a glove will also save you a step from having to wash your hands (you can concentrate fully on your neck pain or lower back pain)
Also, It is a good idea to keep your ice pack in a seperate plastic bag so that it does not pick up the freezer odors. You want to get a 6 x 20 ice pack because this will fit nicely around your neck or a 10 x 12 ice pack for your lower back region.



NJ
Visit us at Arc4life.com
Join our Free Newsletter at Arc4life: The Healthy Back and Neck eNewsletter- Read March 2008
Arc4life is an Ehow expert on health related issues. Read our eHow to Articles here: Ehow Arc4life Articles
Contact NJ via email: infoarc4life.com
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The Best Care for Neck Pain Sufferers: A 7 Yr Study

February 2008- a seven-year, international study published finds that some alternative therapies such as acupuncture, neck manipulation and massage are better choices for managing most common neck pain than many current practices. Also included in the short-list of best options for relief are exercises, education, neck mobilization, low level laser therapy and pain relievers.

Therapies such as neck collars and ultrasound are not recommended. The study found that corticosteroid injections and surgery should only be considered if there is associated pain, weakness or numbness in the arm, fracture or serious disease.

The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders 236 page review of the current research on neck pain is published in the journal Spine. The multi-national and inter-disciplinary study team included Canadian, American, South American, Australasian and European researchers. The Task Force was created to help neck pain sufferers and health professionals use the best research evidence to prevent, diagnose and manage neck pain.

"Neck pain is not a trivial condition for many people," says Task Force president Dr. Scott Haldeman, clinical professor, department of neurology at the University of California, Irvine; and adjunct professor, department of epidemiology University of California Los Angeles. "It can be associated with headaches, arm and upper back pain and depression. Whether it arises from sports injuries, car collisions, workplace issues or stress, it can be incapacitating. Understanding the best way to diagnose and manage this problem is of high importance for those who are suffering and for those who manage and pay for its care."

The study found that neck pain is a widespread experience that is a persistent and recurrent condition for the majority of sufferers. It is disabling for approximately two out of every 20 people who experience neck pain and affects their ability to carry on with daily activities says the Task Force.

A key recommendation of the Task Force is that neck pain, including whiplash-related pain, be classified and treated in a common system of 4 grades:

Grade 1: neck pain with little or no interference with daily activities
Grade 2: neck pain that limits daily activities
Grade 3: neck pain accompanied by radiculopathy ("pinched nerve" -- pain weakness and/or numbness in the arm)
Grade 4: neck pain with serious pathology, such as tumor, fracture, infection, or systemic disease.

"The majority of neck pain falls into Grades 1 or 2," says Task Force member, Dr. Linda Carroll, Associate Professor, School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, and Associated Scientist, Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research (ACICR). "Many sufferers manage to carry on with their daily activities. Others find their pain interferes with their ability to carry out daily chores, participate in favorite activities or be effective at work. For these people, the evidence shows there are a relatively small number of therapies that provide some relief for a while, but there is no one best option for everyone."

In addition to its comprehensive review of the existing body of research on neck pain, the Task Force also initiated a new study into the association between chiropractic care of the neck and stroke. This innovative piece of research found that patients who visit a chiropractor are no more likely to experience a stroke than are patients who visit their family physician. The study concludes that this type of stroke commonly begins with neck pain and/or headache which causes the patient to seek care from their chiropractor or family physician before the stroke fully develops.

"This type of stroke is extremely rare and has been known to occur spontaneously or after ordinary neck movements such as looking up at the sky or shoulder-checking when backing up a car," noted the study's lead author, Dr. David Cassidy, professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto and senior scientist at the University Health Network at Toronto Western Hospital.

For the minority of neck pain sufferers who experience Grade 3 neck pain -- that is neck pain accompanied by pain, weakness and/or numbness in the arm, also referred to as a "pinched nerve", corticosteroid injections may provide temporary relief says the study. Surgery is a last resort according to the findings and should only be considered if accompanying arm pain is persistent or if the person is experiencing Grade 4 pain due to serious injury or systemic disease.

Top findings for neck pain suffers:

• Stay active as you can, exercise and reduce mental stress.
  
• expect to find a single "cause" for your neck pain.
  
• Be cautious of treatments that make "big" claims for relief of neck pain.
  
• Trying a variety of therapies or combinations of therapies may be needed to find relief -- see the therapies for which the Task Force found evidence of benefits.
  
• Once you have experienced neck pain, it may come back or remain persistent.
  
• Lengthy treatment is not associated with greater improvements; you should see improvement after 2-4 weeks, if the treatment is the right one for you.
  
• There is relatively little research on what does or does not prevent neck pain; ergonomics, cervical pillows, postural improvements etc. may or may not help.
  

"This is an important body of research that will help to improve the quality of patient care by incorporating the best evidence into practice and patient education," says Dr. Carroll. "Neck pain can be a stubborn problem -- we hope this comprehensive analysis of the evidence will help both sufferers and health care providers better manage this widespread complaint."


SOURCE: Angela M. Kargus for The Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders Contact info: +1-757-253-1676



NJ
Visit us at Arc4life.com
Join our Free Newsletter at Arc4life: The Healthy Back and Neck eNewsletter- Read March 2008
Arc4life is an Ehow expert on health related issues. Read our How to Articles here: Ehow Arc4life Articles
Contact NJ via email: info[at]arc4life.com
Subscribe to this Blog via FeedBurner

Headache Misconceptions- What True and What is Myth?

1. Over-The-Counter Medication Treat The Cause Of Your Headache
   
   
   It's not right that drug companies are hiding from you that the headache relieving drugs they advertise don't actually target the real cause of your headaches.
   
   Here's the real deal...These pills cover up your headache by simply disabling your brain's ability to feel your headache. That's why your headache comes back when the pills wear off!
   
   If you tore your rotator cuff and just took pills so you didn't have to feel the pain, the pain would come back when the pills wore off; in fact the pain might be worse.
   
   If these medications actually treated the root cause of your headache, then shouldn't your headaches go away permanently? But they don't.
   
   Really, these headaches meds, cover up your symptoms. The ACTUAL cause of your headaches remains untreated and that's why you keep suffering.
   
   
2. Headache Medication Can't Harm You
   
   
   One thing many headache sufferers don't know about the drugs they take is that these pills are not 100% safe. In fact, a lot of the side effects you may experience are far worse than the headaches you're trying to cover up for a measly four hours of relief.
   
   You see, the way these pills disable your ability to feel headaches is to disable a little hormone in your body that acts like a messenger to your brain. Of course, our bodies, being the highly tuned machines they are, have figured out how to use these hormones for more jobs than one. So
   if you disable the hormone from doing just one job, it will also not do all the other jobs in your body.
   
   This can lead to all sorts of problems. You can get something as minor as a rash, or you can have sudden liver failure or kidney problems. Even aspirin has been linked to causing unknowing users to suffer from deadly hemoragghic strokes.
   
   It gets worse...you see, the more often you take these medications, the more your risk will skyrocket!
   
   Also, medication seldom increases your body's ability to respond to stress appropriately, and it usually decreases your body's natural ability to fight disease!
   
   
3. Stress Causes Headaches
   
   Yes, stress is a part of living, but it is not the cause of headaches.
   
   Have you ever heard of that saying, "only the strong survive" or "survival of the fittest"?
   
   It's how your body adapts to stress that determines if "stress" will affect your health or how you feel.
   
   So, in a minute, I will explain how you can quickly and easily increase your body's ability to adapt to stress.
   
   
4. Headaches Go Away On Their Own
   
   
   Tony Robbins has a saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results."
   
   If you truly want to get rid of your headaches, then you're going to have to try something different; something natural, and hopefully drug free...and equally important, something that is proven to work.
   
   Obviously, you wouldn't still be reading this report if you weren't concerned about your headaches. So please, for your sake, don't drop the ball and not take action; because as you will in a moment discover, you will have a chance to end your headaches once-and-for-all.
   
   
5. All Doctors Know How To Treat Headaches
   
   
   There's a saying that goes something like this..."If You're A Hammer, All You See Is Nails"
   
   Hammers hit nails...M.D.'s prescribe medication.
   
   Expecting a different approach from your medical doctor will only lead to disappointment. That's why I wrote this report - to help headache sufferers like you.
   
   Before we go any further, let me stress to you that there is a place for medication, but more importantly, the cause of the problem must be identified because the wrong diagnosis = wrong care.
   
   And, if your doctor's treatment fails, you'll probably get even stronger medications or, in an extreme case, your doctor will recommend surgery. Personally, I think there are times when surgery is the only option, but in terms of headaches, there are natural alternatives that many times, work a lot better without the risks associated with invasive treatments.
   
   In fact, if you really want great results without all the risk of drugs, doesn't it make sense to try a natural solution first?
   
   
6. Your Problem Is Always Where Your Pain Is.
   
   
   Even though you may be feeling your headaches in your sinuses or on the top of your head, that doesn't necessarily mean that is where the cause of the problem is located.
   
   For instance, oftentimes people with a disc problem in their lower back get pain, numbness, or weakness in their legs, even if there's nothing physically wrong with their legs.
   
   One of the most common causes of headaches that do NOT originate in the head is called a "Cervicogenic" headache.
   
   "The Cervicogenic headache is a big word for a headache which has its origin in the area of the neck. The source of pain is found in structures around the neck which have been damaged. These structures can include joints, ligaments, muscles, and cervical discs, all of which have complex nerve endings. When these structures are damaged, the nerve endings send pain signals up the pathway from the upper nerves of the neck to the brain. During this process, they intermingle with the nerve fibers of the trigeminal nerve. Since the trigeminal nerve is responsible for the perception of head pain, the patient therefore experiences the symptoms of a headache."
   - Dr. Peter Rothbart, M.D.
   

You May Have A "Cervicogenic Headache" !


If you answer "Yes" to any of these SIX questions...

1. "Has your neck ever experienced trauma?"
   
   
2. "Have you ever been in a car accident?"
   
   
3. "Have you ever played football or any other contact sports?"
   
   
4. "Have you experienced many 'minor' injuries?"
   
   
5. "Is your neck stiff or, at times, difficult to move?"
   
   
6. "As a child, did you experience a fall off the swing, porch, down stairs, or any other 'minor' incident?"

If you answered "YES" to at least ONE of the following questions, your headache may be caused by a hidden problem in your neck but there's good news...it can be corrected!!!
To learn more and correct neck problems before your pain gets worse, go to: www.arc4life.com.

For natural headache pain relief try the HALO Pain Relief Rejuvenator. See our previous blog entry here: Halo Rejuvenator

Neck Pain Relief...the Total Package

We often get emails and telephone calls from desperate customers who are having moderate to severe neck pain. Usually there is a handful of products that we will suggest. Products that can be used during the day, at work, at home and at night. In the last month, we have created our neck pain relief care package and it includes the following products, all from our website Arc4life.com. Here is what is included in this Neck Pain Relief Package. If you are interested in purchasing this package, just visit our website here: Arc4life's Total Neck Pain Relief Package

The Neck Pain Relief Package

Cervical Traction Neck Pillow
This is best selling neck pillow in our website. It will help you traction your neck while you sleep;
This pillow allows your neck to the be in the proper c-curve position while you are sleeping. We often say that the Cervical Traction Neck Pillow goes to work while you sleep.

Cervical Traction Posture Pump
The Cervical Traction Posture Pump carefully lifts and separates the neck and back joints in a unique way. Traction, hanging devices, massage units, vibrators, special pillows and regular exercise cannot. Special expanding air cells angled into the spine activate the "bellows or sponge-like" function of the discs, producing a warm, relaxed feeling through the neck and back. Patented up and down motion reinforces the spine's natural "c" curve shape and promotes joint lubrication, joint nutrition, flexibility and the correct posture. Cervical Traction POSTURE PUMP® 1000 is a huge breakthrough for those people who suffer from being in positions that are not comfortable. These uncomfortable postions cause muscle stiffness, tension and neck fatigue. These body positions force the spine out of its natural shape, causing abnormal joint movement and loss of joint lubrication. Particularly in the Cervical spine,which should have a "c" curve in it. When joints are dry, they wear unevenly, age faster and create stiffness and discomfort. Spending just minutes on the Cervical Traction POSTURE PUMP® 1000 allows you to shape and lubricate the neck and back.

Formula 303 Muscle Relaxer
Natural Relief For Muscle Spasm, Tension and Stress- HomeoPathic Formula for Muscle Spasm, Neck and Back Pain. Ingredients include Valerian Root, Magnesium and Passion Flower.

9x16 Ice/Heat Pack

This Hot and Cold Pack provides relief from strains, sprains, tendonitis and other injuries. Unique strapping system securely fastens anywhere on these hot and cold packs. The non-toxic gel is biodegradable and retains therapeutic temperatures longer. Soft, plush "frost-free" cover protects your skin. You can Store it in the freezer- it stays soft and pliable. Heat in microwave.

BioFreeze Natural Pain Relieving Gel- Cryotherapy
Biofreeze is a natural pain relieving gel that can be used anytime you have neck pain, stiffness or achiness. has an ingredient called Ilex (a South American holly scrub that was used by the Paraguay Indians) to help decrease pain Biofreeze is a type of cryotherapy that has been shown to help decrease the aches & pains of daily life.
Cryotherapy works by creating a cooling sensation that is transmitted through the nerve endings to the brain. It transmits at speeds faster than most pain sensations or warming sensations. Biofreeze allows blood to continue to flow to the area so that it can be naturally repaired.