Neck Spasms Due to Twist & Turn of your Neck

Bend & Stretch to Maintain Neck Flexibility

Its not rare that we go to sleep and the next day we are unable to move our neck left or right. Its stuck straight and we become the laughing stock at home moving our neck like a robot tilting not beyond a certain degree.
Neck spasms occur when the muscles in a person’s neck contract involuntarily. The muscles become tight, hard and painful. This has become a common problem in youngsters these days as they spend hours together staring at the computer screens without any movement. The problem seems simple and common, but a severe neck spasm can even cause dizziness and headaches.
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Causes
Common causes of neck spasms include:

• Sitting for a long time in front of a computer
• An unexpected or sudden turning while sleeping
• Talking for a prolonged time over the mobile using your neck to support it against the ears
• Emotional stress
• Exercise strain
• Poor posture
• Carrying too much weight on the shoulder
• Carrying a heavy object especially using one arm
  
  

Serious causes include herniated disk, spinal stenosis, torticollis dystonia, ankylosing spondylitis, meningitis, joint disorder or whiplash (or other similar kinds of trauma).

Symptoms
Apart from pain a neck spasm can cause:

• Problems moving the neck and shoulders
• Unbearable pain while trying to move the neck and shoulders
• Headache
• Dizziness or tingling feeling in the base of the neck
  
  

Treatment
Neck spasms that occur as a result of an injury need the doctor’s attention right away and so do those that cause severe symptoms or last for a long time (more than a week). Sometimes meningitis too can cause a stiff neck. This condition is extremely dangerous and its necessary to contact a doctor at the slightest doubt of any symptoms. Common symptoms of meningitis include chills, stiff neck, high fever suddenly, headache and purple bruise-like marking on the skin.

Individuals generally try home remedies, apply ointment on their own or go for other medical treatments such as:

• Pain relief medication
• Muscle relaxants
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Physical therapy
  
  

It is even recommended to do neck exercises to relieve pain. Home remedies too come to our rescue:

Stress: Stress has become an inevitable part of our daily lives and has the potential to trigger a spasm. Taking regular breaks from work and doing stretches or exercises can help a person manage stress. Even a study shows that people who performed stress-relieving activities faced a lesser risk of back pain, neck and shoulder pain. Its common to see people relying on yoga and meditation to relieve stress but there are quite a many other interesting activities too listed at www.firsteatright.com that can help you handle stress with ease.

Cold compression
Keeping ice over the affected area can relieve pain and reduce spasm. It’s advisable to use an ice pack for 20 minutes every 3-4 hours daily.

Hot compression
Likewise, applying heat over the affected area too can relieve pain. Use a damp cloth or heating pad to place over the affected area.

Massage
The patient himself/herself or family members can massage the affected area and relieve spasm. Apply gentle pressure on the neck and move fingers in circular motion.

Prevention
Its possible to prevent spasms by taking regular breaks from your computer, maintaining a good posture at office while working, using supportive pillows that give the right height to your neck, exercising regularly and doing stretches every now and then.

Neck spasms might take a few days or weeks to heal and you need to stop doing any activities that might aggravate the pain meanwhile. It is also better to take preventive measures to avoid suffering from a neck spasm in the first place by maintaining a smooth posture and exercising regularly.