Relieve Neck Pain With Acupuncture, Stretching, and Posture
Acupuncture treats neck pain.
Lots of things cause neck pain: injuries, including whiplash or disc problems; posture issues, including "tech-neck"; stress; arthritis; or even nutritional deficiencies.
With the style of acupuncture that we do, we check all around your neck with every treatment. This helps us diagnose your underlying issues and figure out the best way to treat it.
The super-tiny needles go mostly into your arms and legs. You start to feel relief within minutes.
Most people feel improvements within just a handful of treatments. The longer you've had the pain, and the more complex your neck issue is, the more treatments it takes to resolve. Most people feel significant pain relief in just a handful of sessions, though.
What Else Can Help My Neck Pain?
A lot of what we do all day involves forward neck posture: driving; phones / computers; eating, cooking, and cleaning; chasing after kids and picking them up ...
No wonder we often end up with stiff necks.
Ideally your ears are directly above your shoulders. This means your neck is straight, relative to the rest of your spine.
Below is a stretch I like to use in the realignment process. Think of it as a gentle reminder of where you want your head to be relative to the rest of your body.
Take a handful of your hair from the lower back part of your head. (Here is a link for other stretches that do NOT require hair. 😉)
Pull your hair slightly back and up when you have a handful of hair. As you do this, you should feel a nice stretch through your neck.
We're never "craning" the neck - we're retracting and holding the chin a little closer to the chest.
Do this exercise a few times throughout the day to remind yourself of proper neck posture. Here is the link for the full article on this exercise.
Another quick neck traction exercise:
Lay down on the ground and place a broomstick perpendicular to your body, just under the base of your skull. Place your hands on either side of the stick – either side of your neck - and pull the stick toward the top of your head.
When it reaches the occipital region, where your skull meets your neck bones, you should feel a good stretch through your neck.
Hold it for a few deep breaths and repeat 3-5 times.
